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fairydnp · 5 years

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🌻@cozydnp tagged me in a positivity train, so I though I’d just tag some other lovely people too that definitely deserve it :)🌻 @sevenatee Sev, my brilliant, amazing, chill, spectacular and stunning best friend. You were the first ever friend I made on this hellsite, and I still hold you to my heart dearly. You’re wacky, brilliant and so so so kind. We don’t talk as much as we used to but you mean so much to me and have a very special place in my life. I still expect us to have that very gay apartment later in life. I’m already booking inspections. I can’t wait until I manage to take you to a theme park or something (also stop worrying, you’re definitely tall enough) ilyvm dude! @thegayestdnp Luke, our first proper conversations started when you got mad at me because I was eating M&M’s with chopsticks (it’s still valid and you know it) and I’d like to say we’ve been friends ever since. You’re the face of the Mothgang, we’re all pretty sure you just are Mothman anyways though. You’re wacky, fantastic, and such an amazing(phil) person that I’m so lucky I got the chance to meet. love you lots, lp adventure isn’t too far away. And we can agree now that Tika has always deserved better :P @thedinodad Steg, h o l y s h i t. You’re one of the funniest and most genuine people I’ve ever met. You’re caring, probably slightly crazy but it’s okay we all are, and willing to share pictures of your dog and hammie, which I can assure you that everyone is grateful for. I find it very fantastic and cool that I can call you a friend, and you’re all round such a fantastic person. Keep on scree-ing on vc, and tell Mars and Ruby I love them. @blxckmochi Lynn, I can’t believe I had the opportunity to meet a treasure like you. You mean the absolute world to me and I can talk to you about anything. You’re kind, gorgeous, beautiful and one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever talked to. I’m so glad you dm’d me after we met on Rose’s gc, otherwise I’d never had found out how amazing you are. You’re probably not going to believe all this, but it’s so true. You’re so deserving of love, and happiness and everything good that comes your way. I love you so much bub. @youabsolutespoon Lea, where do I begin. When I first talked to you I was talking to you about Panic! At The Disco and how Vices and Virtues is one of the best albums to listen to when you need to calm down. I would’ve never thought I’d end up meeting one of the best people in my life. You make me so incredibly happy and you’re so sweet, kind, loving, and precious. When we made arrangements to video call, I was so nervous I was going to screw up or something. It was one of the best moments I’d had in my life and it was amazing to have that connection with you. My irl friends know you as Lea From Tumblr, and I’ve made sure to mention how kind and lovely you are. You’re seriously one of the best people ever, and I love you so very much. @phanniephobic Rose, when I first sent you that ask, I never knew how kind you could be, how gentle and caring you could be. You’re seriously such a lovely and gorgeous person, and the first ever dan and phil blog I ever worked up the courage to engage with, and I’m so glad I did. You mean so much to me and I remember some of the hilarious conversations we’ve had. You’re brilliant, fantastic, and such a welcoming and sweet presence. I’ve loved every minute I’ve talked to you, and you’re honestly one of the greatest people I’ve ever met. I love you rosehaw. @cozydnp Aly, where do I start? Whenever I talk to you it just feels like a big warm hug. You’re so goddamn kind and sweet, but have so much love to give to others. You’ve got a crazy wacky side which I adore, and you have a definite mother side. It’s gentle and soft and kind, like rainy days and hot tea and fluffy blankets. You have such a sweet aura and I’ve loved getting to know you. Tyvm for putting up with me, and you motivate me to do better. I love you chungy

@lemonheadlester Harley, you’re definitely someone I look up to. You’re so incredibly talented and fantastic, and I’ve admired you since I first found you and your blog. I was instantly floored by how talented you are in so many aspects. Edits, gifs, writing, singing, music, you name it, it’s all stored in the Harley. We don’t talk much, but you’re definitely a very sweet and lovely person. Thank you for being so kind! ilyvm!!

@dinosaurnerdhowell Azra, we don’t really talk much, but you’re always so kind and take the time out of your day to send me a message sometimes, and that honestly makes my entire day. From what I know of you you’re kind, sweet, and really genuine and nice. Thank you for being someone I can look up to and I feel like I can trust you. ily lovely!! @orangeexcusez Liz, you’re an incredibly lovely person and even though we hardly talk, you’re still such a lovely and positive influence and I really hope you’re doing well! @theincediblesulk Avery, I look up to you immensely. You’re really a genuinely fantastic and caring person, and I’ve admired you for so long. I hope you have good things coming your way. Keep being hecking awesome :)

@bleepblopbloop56 You’re really really talented and you’re somebody who is super super cool and I’m pretty intimidated by you, but I think you’re amazing and that you’re having a good day!

@discombobulated-hullabaloo Aunty Nicoke, You’re my best friend’s sister, and the druggie auntie, but you’re incredibly kind, despite being a legit cryptid. Thanks for being nice to me, I know it can get irritating. Also your bullet journals are always very pretty and they’re nice to look at. @gothichufflepuff Amy, there’s no words to describe how much I love you. In grade 5, I was nervous, upset, and definitely not willing to engage very much. I went on camp with you and we were in the same cabin. Remember the 5am party of Murder In The Dark? Or most memorably, our project on Saturn. I’m so glad we got to do that together because it’s definitely a staple of our relationship forever (oH pLaneTs arOund a StARrrrRr) We bonded over Harry Potter in the first year we knew eachother. I remember your birthday too. Do you still have the Hedwig mug lol? In grade 6 you managed to miss all the bloody drama (goddamn it, it sucked) and five became three for a while. You, Meeks and I were pretty unbreakable. This is where all the fun set in. Grade 6 is probably one of my favourite years of school, simply because I spent it with you. It was the birth of #Zayme (I still ship it) and where the infamous grape incident occurred. Betting our food in games of cards at lunch was definitely a favourite. Badminton is my favourite sport, Biconarbate is still thriving somewhere, and Haan still suks. You’re my favouritest pickle, and i love you more than words can say.

and last but certainly not least @elizaschuqler Char. What would I do without you? I could write a whole essay and a half about how much I adore you. You never cease to spark joy and you’re so kind and supportive. One of my favourite moments of you was when we both pulled an all-nighter together and watched Barbie movies, definitely one of the best times I’ve had in my life. We’d go on long giant rants about how much we love eachother and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. You seriously have helped me through so much and you mean the absolute entire world to me. I couldn’t ask for a better friend, someone who I can trust, and someone who can be kind and gentle, but crazy and questionable (in the good way of course) at the same time. I can’t wait until I can finally hug you. Our Luna Park adventure is only a few years away, not long (although it absolutely seems like it) I really hope you understand just how much you mean to me. You’re incredibly fabulous, and you mean more to me than words can say, there’s simply no way to express it. I love you so much, more than you’ll ever know. I can’t believe I met someone as kind and sweet and caring as you. Full yeehomo too. I love you so much. ✨🌻choo choo🌻✨

#Peyton makes no sense #I'm sap tonight #love y'all and so many more

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freckliedan · 5 years

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hi! i just hit a follower milestone & i love the chance to b positive about folx that i love, so i thought i’d do a follow forever again! being a part of this community was one of the best parts of my 2018, and i’m really excited to see what 2019′s going to bring!

so go check out these lovelies’ blogs! (ilu all & i hope 2019 treats you well)!

❀ @aurorerosee ❀ @braceforthat @boxingphil ❀ @cakescenes @catzoomies ❀ @dan-howells-tongue @danlesbian @dannierights @danslawdegree @danukkah @deathclassic @dnplesbian ❀ @enbydaniel @enbydnp ❀ @floppy-ding-dong @fondestphan ❀ @glittergradient @goldenpinof ❀ @knlalla @kristines-galaxy-of-blackholes ❀ @legdabs @lesbiandnp @lesterbian @linguisticswithlester @lnternethomo ❀ @obsessivelymoody ❀ @pastelphanussy @phanlesbian @philester @philliebf @philsdrill @phiwwie @phloridas ❀ @shamewaddle @snokoplazm @starrydanny @stick-it-to-the-phan❀ @thelionandthellama @thereisnobearonthisisland @thoughtfullightcollectionii @txainof ❀ @uselessphillie ❀ @vodkadanhowell @voidans ❀ @whiskered @wlwdjh ❀

and special, extra love to amber @freckliephil , tash @philsroots , dylan @dans-homosensual-agenda , nat @euphanisms , caitlyn @philshowell and pika @wlwphil below the cut 💗

amber - you’re so kind, wise, riotously funny, hardworking, creative, and love-filled b, i’m so lucky to have you as one of my soulmates and i can’t wait til we can exist in the same space at the same time again! i can’t believe we met yelling about kent parson and taylor swift, except for how i can, and i can’t believe it took so long for us to land in this mutual hyperfixation when we talked about dan and phil in that first coversation, too. i hope you know how inspiring u are always ily!!!!!!!!!!!!!

! tash - i’m so glad it was you and fizzy who picked us up from the airport this summer ! we clicked so instantly and being in LA would’ve been so scary and overwhelming without you b 💗 you’re so vividly brilliant and incredible and im so glad to know you i love you!!!!!!

dylan - you’re an ANGEL! you’re so funny and eloquent and clever and considerate and kind and SMART and hardworking and if i were half as self-aware and sweet and wonderful as you at your age i’d consider myself lucky, b. you’re incredible! ilysm 💛💛💛

nat you’re the first friend i made through this blog and you’re so sweet and talented and positive and i’m just so, so glad to know you! i don’t know if i’d have EVER met anyone else on this list were it not for you, and i’m so thankful always n have so much softness n love in my heart for you b!

caitlyn - LA wouldn’t’ve been LA without you b and you’re just! such a sweet and insightful and lovely person and i’m so fucking glad to know you! i love the way you think about things and every time we have a conversation about dnp your perspective just! shapes how i think of the

pika - you’re genuinely one of the funniest, smartest, most iconic people i know and your music taste is incredible and you’re so talented in so many different ways and how on earth did i even get lucky enough to know you?????? i’m so glad we got to spend time together in LA and just! wow!!!!! 💗💛💗!

#den posts #follow forever #ff #friends #if i forgot anybody i am so so sorry i can't keep up w/ url changes n if ur not on this list & u thougth we were friends its not on purpose!#edit: IVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT A FOLLOW FOREVER FOR AWHILE SO I FORGOT A HUGE CHUNK OF LOVELY FOLKS I FOLLOWED MORE RECENTLY FUCK

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lovestillaround · 6 years

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title: What is it that you are rating: t word count: 1.5k warnings: anxious thoughts summary: there are questions that pop up in Phil's head

[read on AO3]

Sometimes things just don’t make sense.

If you’ve ever found yourself wondering what another person thinks about or why they act in a certain way, there is a chance that you’ve come to a conclusion that you know nothing about the humanity. People seem very strange sometimes, that’s how it is.

Is Daniel Howell strange?

If you’d ask Phil Lester, he would probably laugh at first, with this heartfelt, genuine laugh. He would be surprised by the question, maybe a bit ashamed that he laughed. There would be a lot of things running through his mind at that moment, things that he couldn’t say, things that are private or embarrassing maybe. Things that he wouldn’t want to share.

He would give a generic answer, like ‘everybody is a little bit strange sometimes’ or ‘I don’t know, you would need to ask him’. Phil Lester isn’t good at expressing strong opinions.

He would think about it though, maybe at night lying in bed, maybe in the morning sipping his coffee. (Okay, not in the morning. In the morning he is too grumpy and the only thing he thinks about is his bed that is probably still warm.)

“Dan?”

It isn’t morning, it is evening, the time of the day when Phil is usually more social. Dan answers with a quiet mumble, not even looking up from his laptop. Phil doesn’t blame him, they talk like this all the time. Phil likes to share with him all the silliest and funniest things he has found on the internet. (He likes to share almost everything with Dan.) It isn’t something that needs to absorb Dan’s full attention.

Phil knows that the question he’s going to ask is stupid but there is no place for thoughts like this in their relationship, they’ve known each other for too long, they know each other too well. The word stupid doesn’t exist. (It does but Phil doesn’t like to think about it.)

Phil asks the question because he thinks about it sometimes and he never knows the answer.

“What is it that you are?”

Dan looks at him this time. His eyes are a bit red and maybe they should go for a walk, maybe Dan needs fresh air. Maybe they should go on vacation. Maybe Dan’s eyes produce not enough tears, just like Phil’s, and he needs to get them checked out. Maybe Phil always worries too much.

“What is that poetic shit, I would rather ask?”

Dan’s voice sounds more like his internet voice rather than the domestic one. There is this exaggeration in it and a slight edge. Phil doesn’t have a chance to answer because Dan is still talking.

“Have you been reading Shakespeare recently or what?” he says and laughs. There are wrinkles around his eyes that look lovely.

“No.”

Dan makes a face that means ‘answer me properly, bitch’.

“This is just my mind, Dan. Sometimes questions like this pop up in my head.”

Phil gesticulates while saying that, pointing at his own head and hitting it with his finger. He always does that. Sometimes words are not enough to transmit the message and Phil likes to use the full packet of possible expressions.

“So what does the question mean?”

Dan seems to be genuinely interested but Phil didn’t intend this conversation to become serious and he doesn’t know what to say.

“I’m not sure what it means. Sometimes I’m just wondering, what is it that I love about you so much. Why is it that you are so special to me and not, you know, someone else?”

There are two ways in which Dan reacts when he hears something silly from Phil. He either pretends to be shocked and disgusted or he smiles. This time he smiles.

“Thanks, Phil. That was… I don’t even know what to say. That was flattering.”

He turns back to doing something on his laptop and Phil comes up to him.

“Shut up. You know I didn’t mean it like this.”

Phil isn’t sure if this could have really upset Dan. They say many things just to annoy each other but maybe this conversation or this subject are too serious. Maybe it is just Phil projecting his fears right now, that Dan wouldn’t let it go, that Dan would distort this conversation in his head, that he would really think he doesn’t deserve Phil’s love.

“I know that I’m not very special, Phil. I know that I don’t have any unique features and that I am, in fact, a very average person…”

“No. No, be quiet.”

Phil kneels on the couch and shuts him up by covering his mouth. He waits until Dan gets silent.

“Oh, Dan. Why are you like this?” he asks once he’s sat on the couch beside him.

“Isn’t that what you love about me?”

The provocative tone of the question gets lost somewhere in the way Dan looks. He looks sincere and soft, like some character from a costume film talking to their forbidden lover. Phil places his hand on Dan’s. Lovers from costume film usually don’t do anything beside touching each other’s hands. And dramatically kissing in rain, but it isn’t raining right now.

“You are special. You are very special. But what I meant is that I still don’t know how it happened. I love you with all my heart but I don’t know why. There is no single reason. There might be thousands of reasons but I don’t even know them all.”

Dan is very sceptical and he’s a rationalist. It drives Phil crazy sometimes but he’s got used to it. He knows what Dan’s going to say before he even opens his mouth.

“There are hormones and some chemicals in your brain that make you feel this way.”

“Okay. But why do these chemicals react like this when I see you and not someone else?”

Dan moves closer and his lips almost touch Phil’s neck.

“How do they react?”

“Don’t change the subject.”

Dan backs off, only a bit. They are face to face now and he looks at Phil as if he would analyse him. Maybe he does. (He always does.)

“Do you have an existential crisis?”

Phil has never heard this question sound so gentle. It is always him who says that, not Dan. Maybe Dan finds it endearing, for some reason, as if this sudden change in character has brought them two even closer together. Phil doesn’t have an existential crisis though, he doesn’t feel bad or scared, he just thinks that some things in the world are weird.

“I don’t. I just would like to know what it means. I would like to get to the core of it. I don’t like to think that there are things about my love for you that I don’t understand.”

Dan puts his laptop onto the table and comes back to Phil. He lays his head onto Phil’s shoulder, maybe because he’s tired. Maybe he should go to sleep.

“You should be liking it. Because it’s magical and mysterious.”

“I probably should. But I don’t.”

Dan looks up at him.

“Is it that important for you? Is there anyone on earth who would know that?”

“I could be the first one.”

“You could. Come back to me in fifty years after you’ve done your research and are finally ready to love me as a whole.”

Phil shuffles a bit to have a closer look at Dan. He doesn’t like it when Dan doubts his feelings, even as a joke. He doesn’t know why because it’s obvious that they love each other. Phil doesn’t need an extra confirmation, he shouldn’t need one.

“I do love you as a whole. But don’t you think about it sometimes? Don’t you think this is crazy that we have found each other?”

“I think that you are crazy.”

Dan says it as if it was the most obvious thing and maybe it is. It doesn’t make Phil feel bad, he knows who he is and he knows his value. Being crazy is actually one of his qualities.

Dan lays his head back onto Phil’s shoulder and they sit like this for a moment, in complete silence. It should be peaceful but it isn’t. Phil still has these silly thoughts in his head or maybe they are not silly, maybe they are normal. He can’t tell.

“You could be sitting here with some Shannon or with a Roger and you could be happy with them.”

“But I am here with you. And I’m not going to replace you any time soon.”

Dan hugs him and it provides some comfort. It is true, they are both here, there is no need to worry, there is no need to think about it. Phil laughs, not sure why. Maybe he laughs at his silly thoughts.

“But don’t you think this is strange? Just a little bit?”

“You are strange sometimes.”

Dan gives him a small peck on the lips and lies down, placing his head on Phil’s thigh and closing his eyes.

“But I’m also strange. And I love you a lot.”

Dan says it casually and maybe that’s how it should be.

#phanfiction #phanfic #phan

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stevesnightmares · 5 years

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An incomplete list of the tv shows I used to watch as a kid (6 to 12 y/o)

Only tv shows with real humans and not cartoons/anime or it would be too long.

Maybe I’ll do one of the cartoons that I used to watch too later on.

Gilmore Girls: I used to watch this one with my sisters when I was little so I don’t actually remember much, but we used to love it and we never missed an episode. I don’t know if I would like it or not now that I’m older but 7 years old me loved it.

Charmed: This is another one that I used to watch when I was a kid but, unlike Gilmore Girls, I actually do want to try rewatch this one, I remember loving this one and me and my sisters used to pretend to witches.

H2O, just add water: This brings back so much memories. If you used to watch this one than you probably pretended to be a mermaid every time you went to the beach. Rikki was my absolute favourite and I used to ship her with the one that became her boyfriend but the, when the new hot blond guy arrived I started to ship her with him because he was a fine piece of a man and even 9 years old me knew that.

The sleepover club: Another classic. Tell me you didn’t want to have a close group of friends like they did. I don’t remember who was my favourite in series one but in series 2 it was Maddy.

Blue Water High: Another absolute fave of my childhood, because of this one when I was a kid I decided that I wanted to become a surfer, to this day I haven’t surfed once, but kid me knew I could make it. In series one my favourites were Bec and Edge and to this I’m so happy that they got together and that Edge won. In series two my favourite was Amy Reed. Series 3 didn’t hire during the time that I could watch tv apparently or it was just on a different channel and I didn’t know, however I never had the chance to watch it.

Wicked science: I always forget the name of this show and I always have to type in the google search bar “Tv show where girl and boy became super smart”. This show was such a trip and I never knew when it aired so sometimes I would turn on the tv and bam, there it was and I could watch it. It was weird but super fun, I LOVED it.

7th Heaven: Me my sisters used to LOVE this show we even had a sticker album of it. I personally don’t remember who was my favourite character because I was really really young when we watched this. Maybe I could try and rewatch this because I’m really curious, I don’t remember much of it.

Malcolm in the middle: I remember even less of this on except for the fact that 1) it was funny and 2) I used to call him Malcom.

Un paso adelante (One Step Forward): was another one that we had a sticker album of, I loved this show so much, it was dramatic as hell but also so much fun and there was a lot of beautiful dancing. This (like 7th heaven and charmed) is another one that I used to watch when I was really really young, younger than 10, so I don’t remember much but the feeling connected to it. (I don’t I would really enjoy it now tho)

The OC: This one was really dramatic tv show as well and spoilers but when Marissa died I was absolutely gobsmacked, like what the hell? What the actual hell? How???

Gossip Girl: My parents didn’t want me to watch this one because it had to much mature contented but I watched it anyone. I only have 3 thing to say: 1) Serena and Nate should have ended together, they were my favourite couple and I’m still mad about it 2) Everyone should have just told Dan to fuck off, he always acted as if he was superior to them and then he turned out to be worst snake of all time, the one that was ruining their lives the whole time. I never liked him but god he got worse. 3) I don’t remember much of Chuck so maybe he really did redeem himself and became a good person instead of only being decent to the people that he likes, but literally in the first episode he tried to rape two people so???? Get fucked rich boy.(I also still have a crush on Chace Crawford he has always been a beutiful boy)

Dawson Creek: I remember absolutely NOTHING of this tv show but the fact that we used to watch this saturday morning and that there was always this long ass mattress ad after it.

Wildfire: I used to love this one and I’m still mad because I had to go to a church thing and because of that I never got to watch the last episode of this one. I’m still so mad, I start to fume every time I think about this. That day is the day I lost my faith in god (kidding but you couldn’t blame if that was the actual reason why I’m not a religion person).

One tree hill: Nathan was my main bitch and I loved him. That’s it. That’s what I remember about the show other than some plot points.

Veronica Mars: My sister Veronica used to watch this show and sometimes I just happened to watch some episodes with her if I was around, and that's why when The Good Place came out I was like “Wait I know her!!!” I’m think about “rewatching” this one too, because it sounds really cool and I never ACTUALLY watched it.

Smallville: This one is another that I just happened to watch if it was on tv when I was watching it, all I remember is that he and Lana were really hot (or, as young me would have seen it, I wanted to be her and I wanted him as my boyfriend, now I either want to be her, want be with her or want to be with him.

Hannah Montana: Of course there also were the disney classics. I really loved hannah montana and I used to love Lilly *hemgayhem* however I always hated Miley’s over the top acting since I was a kid.

The Wizards of Waverly Place: This one wasn’t on tv as much as Hannah Montana was but I cherished the rare times when it was because I loved it and I loved the acting more.

The Suite Life of Zack and Cody: We loved this masterpiece. It was probably one of the funniest actually for kids tv shows that me and my sister used to watch.

Lizzie McGuire: My and my sister loved this one (+ the movie) and Hilary Duff even became my sister favourite singer (which then turned in Miley Cyrus, when we were kids of course, not now). And let’s not talk about their group phone calls. A classic. The envy of all.

Phil of the future: This one wasn’t as popular as Wizards, Zack and Cody or Hannah Montana but I LOVED it! It was so fun and different. Also, I thought Phil was cute.

Zoey 101: Who didn’t want to go to the same school as this girl, come on! That school was just the best school ever and I’m still jealous that I couldn’t go there. I was never a big fan of Chase tho.

Sabrina the Teenage Witch: I loved this one, we have sooooo many magazines of this show it was so much fun and I loved the protagonist.

The Naked Brothers band: I’m absolutely shocked! I just found out that the two brothers in this show are Nat and Alex Wolff. What the hell. I’m literally speechless. Also, young Nat Wolff looks like my sister when she was that age. A lot.

The Elephant Princess: I accidentally found this one again when I was looking H2O just add water up and oh my I only watched one or two episode of this but the special effects were awful, terrible, horrible.

Jonas: I was never actually a fan of the Jonas Brothers’ music, I think that at the time I hadn’t even listen to anything of theirs (still haven’t) but I used to love this show and I personally always thought that Joe was the ugliest, Nick the cutest, and Kevin took the second place.

What I Like About You: Another one that I don’t remember much about but that I remember watching and I can clearly remember the opening theme.

If you want to add other feel free to do so and I’ll se if I used to watch them or not.

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funnythingshere0-blog · 5 years

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Breaking the Rules: Phil Johnston and Rich Moore Return for "Wreck-It Ralph 2'

New Post has been published on https://funnythingshere.xyz/breaking-the-rules-phil-johnston-and-rich-moore-return-for-wreck-it-ralph-2/

Breaking the Rules: Phil Johnston and Rich Moore Return for "Wreck-It Ralph 2'

With the wildly successful Wreck-it Ralph and Zootopia under his belt, and with the writer, Phil Johnston, and producer, Oscar-winner Clark Spencer, of both films at his side, Oscar-winning director Rich Moore really hits his stride in Ralph Breaks the Internet, Disney’s long-awaited sequel to their 2012 hit animated comedy, which opens in theatres November 21.

Moore’s background as a writer, director and animator on quirky, contrarian TV series such as The Simpsons, Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures and The Critic makes his storytelling sensibilities the perfect counter-balance to the more traditional themes that Disney has so successfully relied upon for decades, bringing a slightly subversive perspective and sense of humor to his work that has made both Ralph films feel firmly contemporary without seeming contrived or fawning. They’re also Disney’s funniest films in recent memory, original concepts rooted in popular culture rather than adaptations of classic fairy tales, fables or comics. They look, and feel, quite different from other CG-animated features dotting the horizon.

Ralph Breaks the Internet also marks Johnston’s directorial debut – he co-wrote the film with Pamela Ribon, as well as co-writing Zootopia with Jared Bush and Wreck-It Ralph with Jennifer Lee. Working together again in their third Disney feature, Moore and Johnston bring audiences a sequel that is more than a worthy second act, an even deeper, funnier and more engrossing film that despite the vastness of its digital setting, never seems bloated or sluggish. The film also shows the two are far more than gag-meisters, deftly weaving together exceptional performances by Sarah Silverman as Vanellope von Schweetz and John C. Reilly as Ralph, in a fun, engaging and surprisingly poignant adventure set in a thoroughly charming world of bits, bites, clicks and avatars. And, they brought us KnowsMore.

I recently had a chance to speak to the directors, who shared their insights on grappling with the enormity of the subject matter, getting away with making fun of the very essence of Disney “Princesses,” and capturing such fantastic performances from their actors.

Dan Sarto: If there was ever a concept that could prove too difficult to visualize, it would be the ‘Internet.’ How did you approach the idea, the vastness, the design of such an abstract concept? How did you bring it down to the size needed to tell your story?

Phil Johnston: You break things into two buckets: story and visuals. And, the technology that went into creating the visuals. For us, initially, the thing that was quite overwhelming about the movie was, as you say, how big the world was. But not just that. What story are we telling within the Internet? I’ve used this analogy before. It’s like saying ‘We want to make a movie about New York City.’ OK, cool. Well, is it about the Lower East Side? Is it about Harlem? Is it about Crown Heights? Is it this, is it that? There are eight million stories, and eight million visuals. So, for us, the real question was, ‘How do we simplify everything into a story about a friendship…a friendship that is going to fracture within this journey. And then, we want to heal that fracture.

From a story standpoint, every decision we made about where they go in the Internet, the people they meet, and the things they encounter, all had to bounce off that core idea of this friendship. How do we make things as challenging and unpleasant as possible for Ralph, and how can we help him and Vanellope find their way through it?

Rich Moore: It’s so strange that these films keep getting bigger and bigger. You would think that after Zootopia we would stop there. That was a big world with a lot of characters and huge challenges. But, here we’ve done it again. It’s about the Internet. Well, that’s a big world. We have to build that out, we have to show it. You can’t just say, ‘Ooh, this is a very big world!’ We’ve got to put it on screen. As far as designing it, there aren’t a lot of reference points or footholds to give you traction. It’s not like Zootopia where we could say, ‘OK, imagine New York, or Tokyo, or Paris but animals built it.’ And you’d think, ‘I can picture that.’

So, for us, it’s the Internet, but it’s a city. Well, the Internet is just a screen that I look at, or it’s servers and wires in a building. At first, it was very uncomfortable. Doing this job, I know that there are going to be lots of uncomfortable moments where you have to sit in the creative process and wait for the right idea to bubble up. That’s what makes the movies here very special — we’re allowed to sit in those kinds of uncomfortable moments and wait for the soup to present the idea.

This was the first time that it felt like we were creating in an absolute void, as far as what does the Internet look like. And that moment of discomfort went on much longer than it usually does. It was many, many moments of, ‘OK, it’s going to show itself. It will show itself. Trust the process.’ We say that a lot, and this film put that to the test for me. There were moments when I questioned myself, thinking ‘Have we bit off more than we can chew?’ We want it to be perfect. We want it to be great.

PJ: There was a moment where it felt like, ‘I don’t know if this is going to come. I don’t know if that bolt out of the blue is going to hit.’ And then it finally did. But I’m a firm believer in if you give it time, the idea will show itself. You just have to wait for the miracle to happen…and be there to grab it when it comes.

RM: The way that we were able to stay on course was showing it often to our colleagues and getting the benefit of their fresh eyes. Like you say, this film was big in scope and sometimes you can’t see the forest from the trees. It could get so overwhelming. We would watch it together with our colleagues, and if we got the comment, ‘It’s very funny and really exciting, but I’m just not feeling for the two of them,’ to me, that was the devastating note to get. In a movie like this, if you don’t care about the characters, then all the great visuals, all the bells and whistles, they mean nothing. When you have friends and colleagues whose words you really respect, and they give you that note, that’s when you know, ‘OK, it needs to be more intimate. We need more of their emotional story up front because, without it, the whole thing just kind of falls apart.’

DS: Along those lines, speaking of emotional stories, Sarah Silverman and John C. Reilly both give tremendous performances. They’re fine actors and comedians, but together, they brought wonderful dramatic as well as comedic energy to the film. Why the decision to have them act and record together? That’s not normally how these films are made.

RM: Well, it was all borne from John’s discomfort with thinking that animated film performances should be one actor working by themselves. From the very beginning, he said, ‘Look, I like to bounce off the other person. That’s where the spontaneity comes from.’ In that moment, I felt he was absolutely right. We are selling a movie with John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman to the audience, and what they’re coming for is to feel the chemistry between them. If it feels just like two separate performances that we’re stitching together, we’re not giving them that. We’re just trying to manufacture that dynamic. When they’re in the same room together, and as John says, looking eye to eye, they can really act together in those very dramatic scenes. It’s important that there is a human connection because otherwise, to me, it just sounds…

PJ: Recorded.

RM: Recorded. Just pieces stitched together.

PJ: And their performances are real. If you watched them record, other than they’re not moving around on a stage, you’d see it’s a true theatrical performance. When Vanellope is coming out of Slaughter Race, after Ralph has released the virus, her tears are real. Sarah was crying. She was weeping in that moment, and you feel that in your gut as you’re watching that performance. I think the audience feels it in that moment as well.

DS: Absolutely. And, it could have been so easy to play Vanellope almost as a caricature, a squeaky little smart-ass kid character…

RM: Yeah. Like Pippy Longstocking.

DS: But her performance was quite nuanced and well done.

RM: Thank you for saying that because that’s what we were shooting for. She could easily have been a cliched ragamuffin that’s just a loud, screechy kid. But there’s soul in there…she’s one of my favorite cartoon characters.

DS: Wreck-It Ralph is one of my favorite Disney films. In fact, at the time it was released, I said quite lovingly to colleagues, ‘This is the most non-Disney Disney film since Lilo & Stitch.’ Rich, since you came to Disney, you’ve injected a bit of subversive storytelling into everything you’ve worked on. In Ralph Breaks the Internet, in addition to the already infamous Disney Princess scenes, and a host of visual gags, you’ve introduced a character, Double Dan, that had me immediately thinking Fiji Mermaid from The X-Files…

RM: [Laughs] Oh, my God. I didn’t think of that! I didn’t think of that at all! That’s right! That makes me really happy!

DS: Which begs the obvious question, who determines how far you can take a joke or potentially controversial idea?

PJ: [Laughing] Within our process, there’s no such thing as too far. We cross every single line, and for all our odd ideas…

RM: [Laughing] We say, ‘OK, let’s break it.’ We can always pull back.

PJ: They’re kept up on the walls of our story room. Double Dan, that was a bananas idea. But I loved it. I’m like, ‘Well, it’s never going to be in the movie, but let’s try it. Let’s push this thing and see what becomes of it.’ If you had told me when we started on it that Double Dan was still going to be in the movie today, with his vestigial twin…

RM: [Laughing] With a Little Dan, yeah…

PJ: [Laughing] …in his neck!

RM: It’s like, ‘OK, Little Dan’s gone. Take it out.’ Then, it was like, ‘Wait a minute…we could use Little Dan as the little brother that you’re not supposed to look at!’

PJ: And he’s insecure about that…that’ll tie into Ralph’s insecurity in some weird way.

RM: Thematically…

PJ: [Laughing] Guys, it’s thematic. Guys, really. It’s part of the story.

RM: It earned its way back in. Little Dan’s back!

PJ: Put him back. We had one story artist who would always draw him on the right side, and we’d have to say, ‘Toby, Little Dan lives on the left side of his neck. Put him back.’

RM: We appreciated that our crew went on faith at that point. We told them it would be good. I know it doesn’t make sense right now. It’s a worm virus that makes other viruses like a worm virus does…and he’s made from Spam, and it’s going to be Alfred Molina doing the voice…it’s going to be great! And, if we go too far, we have the ultimate measuring stick. We just go to Clark [Spencer, the film’s producer].

DS: The voice of reason.

RM: Definitely There were points where we’d say, ‘I don’t know if we broke it or not. Clark?’ Clark would be the one that ruled. He always knew.

DS: Every production needs one.

PJ: Oh, Lord. We sure needed one on this film.

DS: Speaking of ‘Did we go too far,’ did you expect more push back from Disney brass when you first showed them the Princess scenes? Were you surprised it received such a positive reaction?

PJ: I mean, I don’t know that I was surprised. We walked the line, for sure, but we have such reverence for the characters to begin with, that we figured if we can satirize these characters a bit, sort of poke at the tropes, but do it with love in our hearts and affection for the legacy of the place, we can go in with a clean conscience and say, ‘All right, we’re not trying to pull a fast one on you. There’s nothing under the surface here, but we’re going to take it a little bit further.’

RM: We really believed in it, yeah.

DS: Ultimately it reestablishes these princesses for a whole new generation. It breathes life into these beloved characters that people today can relate to.

RM: I agree. As I’ve said it before, I don’t relate to Snow White. I don’t relate to Cinderella that much. I get why they’re compelling characters, but they feel like they’re from such a different time.

DS: Because they are. But not with a shattered slipper.

RM: [Laughing] That’s right. Suddenly, it feels contemporary!

DS: Stylistically, as far as the Netizens, there’s a very UPA, 1950s-60s look to their design, that works so well because it doesn’t seem to compete with other elements for our attention. What went into that decision?

RM: That was Corey Loftus, our production designer, and Ami Thompson, our art director. It was definitely a UPA style, kind of a cartoon modern look, and it was done exactly for that reason: to give them instant appeal, and not make them so complex that they’re robbing attention from the main characters. We wanted them to feel pleasing to look at and immediately kind of funny, but not to the point where there’s so much texture and bells and whistles that they’re suddenly robbing from the main characters.

PJ: Remember, the Internet is 50 years old. Most people think of the Internet as a more modern thing, but if you go back 50 years to the late 60s, you can imagine why they would be that style. So, some of that is thematically baked into the idea that they evolved in the late 60s, when the Internet was born.

DS: That also allowed you to introduce Yesss as a character that was quite different, more contemporary and unique visually. She also didn’t compete with any other characters.

RM: Absolutely. She looks very different from Shank, from Vanellope, Calhoun and Ralph. I really like where those characters landed.

DS: Looking back, were there any areas that you anticipated were going to be difficult that didn’t end up as challenging as you feared, and conversely, were there any areas you figured wouldn’t be much of a problem, where you ended up running head first into a brick wall?

PJ: Those videos that Ralph made were probably our biggest challenge. Like the silly videos in that tracking shot in Yesss’ office, which, by the way, is the longest one take in the history of Disney animation. And, we made it more complex by putting monitors in each shot, so it’s actually twice as long.

Coming up with videos that would make Ralph go viral…we must’ve worked on that for 18 months, coming up will all sorts of crazy ideas. He had cracked some formula of whatever it took to go viral. We had Ralph stumbling upon the formula in his own bumbling way, and, my God, the videos were so weird…and they just never landed. Finally, we’re like, ‘Well, we’ll just copy whatever’s popular right now.’

RM: And so that’s what we did. What about if Ralph did….and Yesss thinks it’s great?

PJ: Suddenly, the scene just started to move. It was like, ‘Why didn’t we think of this a year ago?’

DS: Nothing like overthinking something.

RM: Yep.

PJ: We really overthought that one.

RM: We were way overthinking. If we had a whole movie to explore that in, yeah, that would’ve been fun. But, it’s just part of the second act, you know? And it needed to be much briefer in the moment.

PJ: God, that was torture though.

RM: I know.

PJ: It was so bad for so long.

RM: There were so many nights where I’d go home and just lay in bed thinking, ‘How are we going to crack this?’ I’ve got believe it’s going to happen. It will come.

DS: Disney should put Alan Tudyk in everything.

PJ: Oh God, yes.

RM: Everything. He should be in everything.

DS: Anything they make.

PJ: Yep. Everything.

RM: He’s one of my favorite people on Earth.

DS: When I read that KnowsMore was portrayed as a cross between Droopy Dog and Truman Capote, I said to myself, ‘Yep, that’s exactly who that is.’ It was brilliant.

PJ: When we gave Alan that direction, he closed his eyes…then said, ‘Isn’t that interesting?’

RM: He was like formulating the voice, weaving it like a gossamer cloud. We’re like, ‘Get out of his way!’

PJ: And his eyes fluttered. I’m not kidding. His eyelids sort of fluttered. It was like he was being touched by something from above.

RM: By comedy gods.

DS: All said, are you pleased with what you guys have accomplished?

RM: Very much, yeah. Very much. There was a moment we both shared where we looked at each other one day and said, ‘I like this movie.’ And from that point on, we knew we were good. At one point, we brought in members of our family. I said, ‘We need fresh eyes on this thing. I’m about as spun on this as I can get.’ Phil brought in his wife, Jill, and my two kids came in, and we watched it together. Everyone was crying at the end. It was like [sighs], ‘We’ve done some good work here.’

Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-at-Large of Animation World Network.

Source: https://www.awn.com/animationworld/breaking-rules-phil-johnston-and-rich-moore-return-wreck-it-ralph-2

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