Favorite Things: Three

{Part of a Friday series with Alex, Star and Lee that celebrates our power to discern, discriminate, decide and declare. Please join us in the comments or on your own site if you have a few favorites, too.}

Favorite Animated Movie

:: The animated movies that I love come in two flavors: Musical and Anime. In the latter category I give the win to Hayao Miyazaki, which I know is not terribly original of me. His love of plucky heroines, magic/technology, and environmentalism coupled with adorable furry sidekicks completely wins me over, every time. Of these, My Neighbor Totoro and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind are my favorites. Possibly also Spirited Away. And Ponyo. Ah, blast, moving on.

Nausicaa, sidekick Teto, and sweet glider.

Favorite musical animated movie goes to Nightmare Before Christmas. Hands down. I sing those songs year round. The hubris and humanism described by what is essentially a group of freaks is so appealing, as well as its take on where good intentions can lead you.


Favorite Love Story

:: If it's a matter of love, just any love, I choose The Black Stallion. I read the covers off that book, and I even love Francis Ford Coppola's film version since he gave the story the silence it deserves and stuck an actual boy on an actual horse and actually filmed them (rather than stunt doubles and cheesy barrel-horse close-ups). In many ways love is so much more direct with an animal, though not always more simple or simplifying (as Alec discovers). There are still lessons to be learned, important ones, which is the point of any love or story.

When it comes to people, however, my favorite love story is still the backwards, unintentional and ultimately transformative love between Lizzie Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. You can't always choose who you love, though it helps to ease the blow if they are clever, gallant, painfully polite and (in Darcy's case) rich beyond your wildest imaginings.

Now! To the beach and the first series of photoshoots with an awesome crew of people. I finally got a look at the things we will be photographing yesterday and I am even more excited now, I think this collection is going to knock your socks off. As well as the lengths to which Alex has gone to for it...or at least how very very much she likes putting together rockin costumes.