Halloween Fancy Dress in 2011

!±8± Halloween Fancy Dress in 2011

Dressing in Halloween fancy dress is the one time of the year where men and women can break free and dress up as anyone they want to. However, over the last decade or so, it has become increasingly popular for men and women to want original and unique Halloween costumes rather than the dated more "traditional" options. Cast out are the devils, the witches, monsters and Frankenstein's monsters to be replaced by the latest Lady Gaga video outfits, Harry Potter wizard uniforms and Twilight vampire garments. As the second largest holiday of the year, we love to go all out for the occasion. For many of us we turn all our attention to organising parties, picking spooky decorations and then finding ourselves the best costume for the night. As Halloween draws closer, the stress levels increase when searching for an amazing costume - or even just a good idea! You needn't stress anymore, below we have listed a range of ideas that perfectly suit the current time and should be considered before eventually buying your costume for the night.

Men's Halloween Costumes - Guys have plenty of cool Halloween fancy dress to choose from with the floods of Fright Night monsters. Between Michael Myers, Jason in 'Friday the 13th', Freddy Kreuger, Leatherface, Jigsaw from 'Saw', the 'Scream' mask, not to mention Michael Jackson's iconic red Thriller costume or The Ghostbusters as viable options. More recent outfits come from the multitude of summer blockbuster releases with the Green Lantern, Conan the Barbarian, Dumbledore, Voldemort, Captain America, the Red Skull, Loki and Thor, all providing decent alternatives to the bog standard grim reaper, Uncle Fester or skeleton costume. Or you could really push the boat out and go out as a Transformer!

Women's Halloween Costumes - This year has been really good to you ladies, thanks to a whole host of beautiful women that have reinvented the music industry's definition of an artist. Katy Perry, Rihanna and new queen of pop Lady Gaga have all contributed a cauldron full of clothing designs perfect for Halloween fancy dress. Some might also wish to pay homage to the now sadly deceased Amy Winehouse with her recognisable beehive, heavy eyeliner and many tattoos. Hollywood have contributed with the standout characters such as Cataleya in Colombiana, Amy Peterson in Fright Night, Mystique in X-Men: First Class, the demented Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows Part 2 and the brilliant Anna Paquin as Sookie Stackhouse in the television smash hit True Blood. With a little effort, dedication and an eye for detail, you can emulate these fabulous heroines and wow your guests.

Children's Halloween Costumes - The focus of this year has been all about the release of the final Harry Potter movie and due to this we can't think of a better time to dress your children up as one of our favourite trio Harry, Ron or Hermione. The supporting cast of Neville Longbottom, Draco Malfoy, Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood will ensure that even larger groups have a part to play as students of the famous Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Adults have long been fans of the Smurfs as a fancy dress choice and now kids have also picked up the blue fever, making it a great Halloween fancy dress choice. With the release of Walt Disney's 50th animated feature 'Tangled', kids will love dressing up as the beautiful long-haired Rapunzel or the dashing Flynn Rider.

Should I make or buy Halloween fancy dress?

Half the fun of the spooky October holiday is spending the time to create a unique outfit that encapsulates you as a person or lets you pretend to be your favourite icon. Most of the creative members in society that participate gain the recognition they rightly deserve at major events when they arrive in their latest creation, which tends to be a concoction of smooth materials, glittering sequins and inventive accessories. For anyone that isn't confident enough to make their own Halloween fancy dress or doesn't have the time, buying a costume online can save your blushes, reduce your stress and allow you to focus on celebrating at the festivities.

Halloween Fancy Dress in 2011

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Exclusive Sneak Peek: Walt Disney's Tangled

!±8± Exclusive Sneak Peek: Walt Disney's Tangled

The Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank, CA, recently hosted a press event for their upcoming movie, TANGLED. Having been around the name "Disney" from such an early age and having so much of it influence my life to this day, it was truly an honor and an experience of a lifetime to attend a behind the scenes look at Disney's new animated film.

Walt Disney had wanted to create the Rapunzel story back in the 1940s, but the studio never got around to it. The time had finally come and the right team of 50+ animators took on the task of bringing TANGLED to life.

The morning began with the screening of the movie on the Walt Disney studio lot. Before the film began, producer Roy Conli and directors Byron Howard and Nathan Greno gave a short introduction. They explained that even though the voices and sound have been finished, the animation was only 60 percent complete. The remaining parts were shown as very rough storyboards or as unfinished CG animation.

For those of us who may have felt that Disney has lost its magic during certain spurts in recent history, seemingly creating movies just for the heck of it, TANGLED is a breath of fresh air. It was very important for Howard and Greno to achieve the timeless feel from past Disney movies created decades ago.

"We love Disney from the 40s and 50s and we looked at what made those movies great. Because we're making a computer-generated movie, this would all be fresh; it would be unlike anything you've ever seen before, but it's still tied into our roots," Greno said. TANGLED is as close as a computer-generated 3-D film can possibly get to the classic 2-D animated masterpieces that Walt Disney himself helped supervise.

The film was originally slated to be entitled Rapunzel, but as Disney's story for the film developed, it became clear that the leading male character, Flynn, had an equal part in the storyline. Here's where the name change to Tangled came in. However, the new title may also bring influence at the box office.

Disney was expecting a higher turnout for The Princess and the Frog, which some may believe can be attributed to the use of the word "princess" in the title, and had deterred male audiences from viewing the movie. Instead of using the female lead's name as the title, like many other Disney films have done ("Sleeping Beauty", "Mulan", "Snow White", "Mary Poppins", etc.), hopefully boys and men will realize that it is not a story solely about the girl. Not that a title should ever discourage one from seeing a movie, however; I watched my fair share of Peter Pan, Hercules and Aladdin. Even so, the directors and producers have done a wonderful job in balancing the storyline between the two lead roles.

After the movie screening, the press was split into four groups according to the character on our badges. The groups rotated around the studio experiencing different presentations. My first stop was in the room dedicated to "Character Creation" which included a panel of a handful of animators who each discussed their specific role in the making of TANGLED.

Rapunzel's 70 foot hair was treated like an actual character. The main belief shared by all the TANGLED animators is that "it's not JUST hair." The animators discussed how they had to study physics and the movement of real hair so that it would look completely natural and not robotic in any way.

The second item on the agenda was a small studio tour including the Tangled Production Pod where Conli, Howard and Greno's offices are located. The common area was themed with some vintage "Sleeping Beauty" and Cinderella artwork from the 50s. Unlike the exotic trips that were taken to Africa in order to gain inspiration for "The Lion King", the directors and producers took a trip to Anaheim and visited Fantasyland inside Disneyland for creative ideas for this movie.

Tim Mertens, who has previously worked with Howard and Greno on Disney's "Bolt", gave a short presentation about the editing process. He explained that he will ask any Disney cast member who has some acting ability, to perform some lines of dialogue called "scratch dialogue." With this, he can work on the timing and placement of character lines before the actual recording is done.

The third featured area during this time allowed a chance for individuals to break free from their group and have a picture taken in front of a green screen. The printout, which was given to each person who took a photo, featured the character of Flynn. There were also four games set up and those who participated in all four received an authentic lithograph from the movie.

After the activities, the journalists were ushered back to the theater where they had watched the movie earlier in the day. Here, the directors offered many words of praise for the animators who had given so much time and effort to this movie. After a short film dedicated to the animators, Greno and Howard had a surprise for the audience that was not on the schedule: John Lasseter descended the steps to the front of the theater to a round of applause.

The chief creative officer for Pixar and Walt Disney Animation, discussed how this studio has changed over the years after Pixar and Disney merged. They have really worked to make it more of a filmmaker-driven studio said Disney's head honcho, in contrast to others, which are executive-driven studios. Lasseter said of Tangled, "Even though this is based upon a well-loved tale, this is such a fresh, modern, and contemporary take on it with all the characters and the humor. But with all the humor, we never forget the heart. The hallmark of a film with the name Disney on it -- is heart. Walt Disney said, 'For every laugh, there should be a tear,' and we really believe that."

The last few hours of the day at Disney Animation Studios were committed to a lunch hour, a photo date with TANGLED's leading man Flynn and topped off with the Swag Bag complete with shirt, hat and brush...for ALL that hair!

For its 50th animated feature, Disney has done a tremendous job with TANGLED. The filmmakers and animators have created memorable characters. Rapunzel (who I'm convinced, MUST use anti-breakage shampoo, considering all the stunts her hair pulls) is a sheltered, but enterprising young girl. Flynn Rider (voiced by Zachary Levi) is the roguish, confident thief (think Renaissance period Aladdin) who befriends Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) by accident. The horse, Maximus, is sure to win over audiences with his hilarious dog-like characteristics. Pascal, Rapunzel's faithful chameleon sidekick, is an unwavering ally in good times and bad. The villain of the film, the deceitful Mother Gothel, will undoubtedly join the ranks of famous Disney villains like Ursula and Maleficent when TANGLED opens November 24th in Disney Digital 3D.

Exclusive Sneak Peek: Walt Disney's Tangled

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