Alex's Soundtrack

I just want to start off by saying that I went home on Wednesday afternoon, and I wrote my project and I've tried several times to get my videos to post and they will not. And I'm not sure if its my location, or the weather, but I could not get them to post. So there is a link to every video. I'm sorry.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IltAsKmVroQ



The first video I have posted is one from the movie Beauty and the Beast, written by Alan Menken, this song is the introduction to the movie and is how we first meet the main character Belle. She is walking through the town, book in hand reading, while Gaston, is plotting ways to win her heart. Everyone is talking about how strange Belle is, and she has absolutely no idea because she is so absorbed in her book. When I was a little girl, I used to love to dress up and pretend I was Belle, I would carry around a blue book and a basket and make my grandfather dress pretend to be Gaston. We'd reenact a scene where Gaston takes the book from Belle in an effort to get her attention, when she kept trying to get it from him he tossed it into muddy water. The book I had was from a Reader's Digest book club that my grandmother was a member of. The cover was a light blue with a checkered style pattern, and it had many divots and chunks out of the corners from being tossed around, and beaten up. The binding had broken and the pages were literally hanging out of its cover. Inside it was the likes of Dicken's and Benchley, and many of the corners of the pages had a slight crease in them, from their times of serving as bookmarks.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov4tE7XRTUA


The second video I have posted is one that is once again from the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast, and was also written by Alan Menken. The song is called "Be our Guest", in the video, Lumiere the candlestick, Cogsworth the clock, and Mrs. Pott's the teapot, along with all the dishes in the castle, prepare a meal for Belle, all the while putting on an entertaining show for her. Mrs. Pott's prepares tea for Belle to have with dessert. When I was a little girl, I was given a authentic Disney tea set. Mrs. Pott's, her son Chip, and 3 other teacups were included. I would set them all up and visualize all the silverware dancing around me. Mrs. Pott's was a beautiful teapot. She was a creamy white color with an intricate pattern on both her lid, and bottom. The purple, pink, teal, and gold designs formed a diamond-like pattern on the bottom of her, as well as on all the cups. Her lid was a light purple, with a gold highlight that formed a crown that had a pink jewel within it, so it could be lifted from her head. Each cup had a gold rim, and Chip, likened to his name had a small chip on the left side of the rim. He was by far the cutest cup, with big bright eyes and a smile on his face.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pPUmv3U2XY


The third video I have posted is from Disney's The Little Mermaid, another song written by Alan Menken, that's called "Part of Your World". The song starts off with Ariel in her grotto with her best friend Flounder. She is an avid collector of human trinkets that have been lost at sea, and she wants to have a deeper understanding for human life. For my 4th birthday, I got an Ariel doll. She had long curly red hair, a purple seashell bra, and teal and magenta sequined and sparkly fins. On her back, she had a button that could be pressed to make her speak. She said three phrases, "Oh Flounder, you're such a guppy," "I want to be part of your world," and she sang, "Ahhhh, ahhhhahahhh." She had on purple eyeshadow, and red lipstick. Her fins could be removed to reveal legs, and a pink sequined dress that could be put on her so she could truly become human, which is when Ariel was truly at her happiest because she could be with her true love Eric. All Ariel wanted was to be a part of his world. And I was more than happy to have her as a part of mine.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkV-of_eN2w


The fourth video I have posted is one from the movie Pocahontas, called "Colors of the Wind" written once again by Alan Menken, starts off with Pocahontas and John Smith, and their differences. Pocahontas thinks that John has a lot to learn about the environment in which she lives. She thinks he only sees things for what they are and never looks any deeper. Throughout the video she takes him through the land to see things through a different perspective. In one scene of the video, there is a multi-colored sky. Whenever I see this, I am instantly reminded of my Tye-dyed Pocahontas t-shirt. It was probably the most hideous thing ever created, but I absolutely loved it. It was Tye-dyed, with vibrant colors of red, blue, yellow and green, and at the bottom of the shirt was strings that had beads on them to suggest authenticity, because it looked very similar to something Native Americans would wear. I would put it on and go outside and run through my backyard and feel so free, and as I look back now, I think of how simple and care-free things were. Similar to the way Pocahontas lived before the white man took over her land.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LG2QpktmYqY


The fifth video I have posted is one from the movie the Aristocat's, it's called "The Piano Lesson", was written by Georges Bizet. The video begins with the two kittens Marie and Berlioz going to the piano to practice their scales. Marie is a white kitten with a pink bow in her hair, and is desperately trying to be like her mother. She is doing the singing while Berlioz is playing the piano. He is very reluctant and just wants to play. When I hear this, I am reminded of my days of learning to play the piano, and just how reluctantly I approached playing the piano. I never wanted to sit at that giant thing for hours at a time and learn new songs. The piano in my church where I took my lessons was a huge brown Baldwin piano. It had an intricate flower-like pattern that was etched deep within the pecan wood, white and black ivory keys, and copper pedals. When each key was played, it gave off a warm, deep sound that one can feel within. Many hymns had been played on the keys, each and every morning at the people of the congregation filled the pews. The stool was also made of the pecan wood, and was very tarnished from all the people who had filled the seat before me.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejEVczA8PLU


The sixth video I have posted is one from the Lion King called "Hakuna Matata" and was written by Elton John. It starts out with Simba, the lion cub, who had recently run away from his pride, meeting Timon and Pumba. They are two characters who have no worries in life and live in a paradise. There are no expectations, rules, or responsibilities where they live. And that is exactly what Simba is looking for. In the video, he is asked to try something new, and so he let's go of any inhibitions he had about it, and did it. Every time I hear that song I am reminded of the calamari I was persuaded into trying. A squid is a pale, slimy, stringy, nasty looking creature. It in no way resembled steak, pork chops, or even shrimp. Each leg was long, skinny, and stringy. It was deep fried in a crispy golden crust, and bore a striking resemblance to an onion ring at the right angle, so I let my inhibitions go, dipped it in marinara sauce, and took a bite. I was pleasantly surprised. The thing I thought would taste like a dirty rubber band was actually really really good. That was the day I decided that I would always try something new. Just let it go. Hakuna Matata.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2OMsuwggg4


The final video I have is one from the Hunchback of Notre Dame called "Dance La Esmeralda", written once again by Alan Menken. In the video, the town jester introduces the gypsy Esmeralda as she dances in her vivid costume. For Halloween one year, I wanted to be Esmeralda. So my mom took me to the Disney Store and got me the costume along with a long black wig. It was a beautiful dress, a dark red with gold crescent moon and star designs, and purple sheer, sequined sleeves. From them hung gold sequined moons and stars. Around the waist of the dress was a purple sash that cinched it together, and the gold sequins also hung from it. The costume also came with a sheer purple scarf that was to be used as a shawl and put around one's shoulders. The wig was black, think, and curly, just like hers. In it was a gold crown with a ruby within it. Esmeralda wore large gold hoop earrings and bracelets, as did I. Her spirit is true of her role in the movie. She is very carefree, and she dances like she has nothing to worry about in the world. And I think that was my reasoning for liking her so much.