Who's Your Birthday Character?

I've been told a few times that I should occasionally quit being so stuffy about Disney academia and examine some of the more lighthearted and less-than-serious Disney-related books and publications.  The new book, Disneystrology certainly presents me that opportunity.

In the book's introduction, author Lisa Finander explains the reasoning behind connecting two seemingly disparate entities--astrology and Disney animated characters.  "Drawing on the wisdom of astrology, numerology and the tarot, this book matches characters from your favorite Disney and Disney/Pixar movies with a certain day of the year." 

Well, I'm afraid she lost me with " . . . the wisdom of astrology, numerology and the tarot."  Yes, I am indeed an entrenched skeptic in regard to all things new age.  If you possess a similar disposition, this is likely not a tome deserving of shelf space in your Disney library.  But if you harbor either a passion for, or fascination of astrological content and want to see it married to the Disney universe, Disneystrology may be deserving of your attention.

The book assigns a birthday character to each day of the year, drawing upon 366 characters from across the Disney and Pixar animated canons.  Its compact, square format is in fact an attractive package; each date receives it own page with a large and full color image of the associated character, along with a paragraph describing that birth date's corresponding attributes and characteristics that in turn reflect that chosen character.  I found one entry particularly clever though I don't know if that was the author's intent; the frequently-disappearing Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland was associated with February 29.  It was also amazingly coincidental that the stars just happen to assign Mickey and Minnie to November 18.

I was somewhat flattered by my own birthday characteristics of " . . . capable, perceptive and honest," although I frankly would have rather had someone other than Mittens the cat from Bolt to be my associated character.  Maybe someone a little more high profile like Woody from Toy Story or Mufasa from The Lion King.  I especially envied my wife who was able to claim Sully from Monsters, Inc.

As these last two paragraphs indicate, there is little here to interest a Disney academic (sorry, couldn't resist just a little inherent stuffiness), but Disneystrology can be a fun diversion nonetheless.  Consider it a potential icebreaker or activity for your next Disney-centric social gathering, or possibly the ideal gift for a Disney enthusiast who's head is decidedly in the stars.  It's very cute, entertaining and distinctly family-friendly.

Mittens . . . jeez.