Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Quotes about Dragons



I was reading Coraline the other day. You know, the Neil Gaiman, now Tim Burton movie? There was a beautiful line about dragons –

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”

Such a poignant, intense line – it took me by surprise and transported me to a world of deep thought. It made me go into my “Google Phase” (yes there is such a phase where you have to know more about the subject immediately and so go on a Google hunt). Some of the quotes I found during this phase were just mind-blowing. Here are some of my favorites.

“Never laugh at live dragons.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien

“Perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us once beautiful and brave. Perhaps everything terrible is in its deepest being something helpless that wants help from us.” ― Rainer Maria Rilke

“If the sky could dream, it would dream of dragons.” ― Ilona Andrews


 “But we were dragons. We were supposed to be cruel, cunning, heartless and terrible. But this much I can tell you, we never burned and tortured and ripped one another apart and called it morality.” ― Terry Pratchett

What are your favorite quotes?



Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Behind-the-Voice Actors of your Favorite Madagascar Characters

You loved the movies; you loved the characters; now get the complete lowdown on the actors that gave life to these memorable Madagascar characters. Read on to know more about the voice talent of DreamWorks’ popular computer-animated series of movies featuring the denizens of Central Park Zoo.

Image Courtesy - http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/11/09/us-boxoffice-idUSTRE4A597820081109


King Julien (Danny Jacobs)
The conceited, fun-loving, self-proclaimed King of the Lemurs is brought vividly to life by talented voice artist, musician and comedian Danny Jacobs. The forty-six year old actor is best known for voicing King Julien in Madagascar: Europe’s Most Wanted, The Penguins of Madagascar, Merry Madagascar as well as the popular Netflix series All Hail King Julien.

Alex (Ben Stiller)
Alex the lion is the main protagonist and one of the stars of the Madagascar series of movies. This headstrong and loyal leader of his friends loves to dance and impress everyone with his acrobatics. Alex finds his voice in Ben Stiller, multi-talented actor, comedian, writer and producer who made his directorial debut with Reality Bites. Stiller has lent his voice to Alex in Madagascar, Madagascar: Escape to Africa and Madagascar: Europe’s Most Wanted.

Marty (Chris Rock)
Alex’s best friend is a happy-go-lucky zebra who loves to look at the bright side of things. Marty strives to be unique but is taken aback when he meets his kind in Africa and finds that they are look and act almost exactly like him. Marty is voiced by stand-up comic, actor and screenwriter Chris Rock.

Melman (David Schwimmer)
Melman the giraffe is a great friend of Alex and Marty and has fallen in love with the beautiful Gloria. Melman is a confirmed hypochondriac and accustomed to a cushy pampered existence as a resident of Central Park Zoo. Melman comes with the voice of none other than the well-known actor, director, producer and comedian David Schwimmer.

Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith)
Gloria the hippopotamus is everyone’s older sister and a good friend of Alex and Marty. This gray-skinned beauty also happens to be Melman’s love interest and one of the biggest attractions of Central Park Zoo. Gloria is brought to life by the voice of singer, songwriter and actress Jada Pinkett Smith.

Skipper (Tom McGrath)

Skipper is the leader of the intrepid penguin quartet consisting of himself, his second-in-command Kowalski along with Rico and Private. Skipper is often paranoid and comes up with strange conspiracy theories but he is an able and brave commander of his “men.” Skipper is voiced by actor-director Tom McGrath who co-directed Madagascar and its sequels along with Eric Darnell.