Day: June 25, 2024

The problem with the draft dodgers who call themselves the ultra-orthodox or Haredi Jews (GS) is not that they do not know their God’s name (“Hashem = No Name”), but that they DO NOT WANT TO KNOW IT. Ignorance is bliss! They just want to move their heads rhythmically, in unison;… pic.twitter.com/oOC6GcCtRK

— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) June 25, 2024

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News Review #NewsAndTimes #NT #TNT #News #Times#World #USA #POTUS #DOJ #FBI #CIA #DIA #ODNI#Israel #Mossad #Netanyahu#Ukraine #NewAbwehr #OSINT#Putin #Russia #GRU #Путин, #Россия #SouthCaucasus #Bloggershttps://t.co/O0SIgLVWzM… https://t.co/NhLohXzUds

— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) June 25, 2024

Israel’s top court rules ultra-Orthodox Jews must be drafted into military, in blow to Netanyahu … International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Russia’s Shoigu and Gerasimov https://t.co/3zpchep7EC pic.twitter.com/XOTHhDuzQY

— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) June 25, 2024

New Caledonia is an overseas territory of France, and the events there fall under the internal affairs of France and New Caledonia, Lead Spokesperson of EU Commission for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Peter Stano told Report.

Mickey Mouse and his pals took a trip to Armenia to celebrate Vardavar. I spoke with the writer behind this monumental episode, Kathleen Sarnelli Kapukchyan.

Credit: Disney

Almost everyone knows and loves Mickey Mouse, the playful cartoon clad in red shorts weaving in and out of misadventures with his merry crew — Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Pluto and Goofy. Walt Disney himself credited the success of his empire to this little cartoon, even saying, “It all started with a mouse.”

Today, Mickey and his crew appear on Disney Junior’s Mickey Mouse Funhouse, a whimsical animated series for preschoolers and their families featuring an enchanted talking playhouse “Funny” who embarks on all sorts of journeys to unique worlds. The show, geared to kids ages two to five, features two 11-minute stories in each episode and now ranks as a top 10 monthly series on Disney Junior YouTube. 

In the new season, Mickey, Minnie and their friends return to places including the Enchanted Rainforest and the Old West and venture to new locales such as Movie Magic Land, as well as culturally rich locations like Korea and India.

Undoubtedly, the show has become a hit in households across America ever since it first premiered in August 2021. That’s why, when the Mickey Mouse crew took on Armenia to celebrate Vardavar, Armenian families and Disney enthusiasts were both thrilled and touched to finally see Armenian representation in such an iconic, beloved show. 

In the “Vardavar!” episode, which takes place in an even more colorful and animated Armenia, Minnie Mouse encounters the Armenian goddess “Little Star” who helps her into a delightfully pink taraz. Armenian parents were amazed that the episode reflected so many aspects of Armenian tradition, including the food, celebrations and proper pronunciations of Armenian sayings. 

Credit: Disney

The idea behind this episode can be credited to writer Kathleen Sarnelli Kapukchyan, a Brooklyn-born and Glendale-raised Latina writer who grew up near the Disney lot and always dreamed of writing there one day. “I always loved Mickey Mouse — he always promotes kindness, and it resonates with lots of children and adults today,” she said in an interview with the Armenian Weekly. “As a little girl, I always had a very active imagination and would write stories for my little brother and friends. My abuelita knew I always loved to read and tell stories, and she encouraged me to continue writing and pursue my dreams.”

Although Kapukchyan always had Disney as her goal, she started off her career working on documentaries during her studies at UCLA. “I made a documentary called ‘The Los Angeles Drought’ with my now husband, Manvel Kapukchyan,” she reflected. “It got so much attention at our undergraduate research panel that UCLA ended up hiring us to write a Tibetan Plateau documentary.”

From there, the ambitious writer decided to focus on getting a spot at Disney and was hired as a production department secretary. She moved her way up to apprentice writer and, eventually, staff writer for Mickey Mouse Funhouse — a show she holds near and dear to her heart. “I started working on Mickey Mouse Funhouse in 2019 right before COVID hit. What drew me to this show were the iconic characters and how our showrunners, Executive Producer Phil Weinstein and Co-Executive Producer Thomas Hart, put a new spin to the Mickey world. Mickey and the gang explore different worlds, cultures and friends, and it is really inspiring what this show brings to the audience worldwide.”

Kapukchyan was inspired to write this episode a few months after the birth of her son. “I first pitched this story to my story editor Mark Drop, because I wanted to write a story that was uniquely Armenian. I thought Vardavar would be the perfect holiday for Mickey and the gang to celebrate and learn,” she said. The team at Disney was extremely supportive of Kapukchyan’s idea, ensuring that her co-workers were exposed to authentic Armenian celebrations of Vardavar and prepped with a cultural consultant. The casting department was backed with all the tools needed to land on the perfect voices for Armenian characters. 

Everyone can agree that the attention to detail woven throughout the episode had a profound impact. For example, the Armenian goddess “Astghik” — clad in the traditional braids and tri-color taraz — was voiced by Liana Bdéwi, a French and Armenian voice actress who could pronounce Armenian sayings perfectly, all with the classic Disney demeanor. “[It was important to me that Astghik looked] Armenian, from her hair, to her face, jewelry and taraz. There is not a lot of Armenian representation for young children, so it was important for me to research correctly and represent Armenians in a positive way,” Kapukchyan said. 

“When I went to Armenia I had a little Armenian doll with a taraz and lent it to my executive producer so he could see the colors, textures and fabric of the outfit so our art team could be inspired. Our cultural consultant also guided us to make sure we were accurately representing Armenian culture,” she continued.

The inclusion of Armenian sayings in the episode was especially gripping and even emotional for some Armenian viewers who rarely see representation on screen. “I knew I wanted the Armenian language spoken so that Armenian children can see that their language is included and it is something to be proud of,” said Kapukchyan. “My husband and his tatik really helped me in ensuring that I spelled everything phonetically correctly so the voice actress could say the words correctly. Thankfully our voice actress spoke Armenian, and we also had our consultant on hand to advise us if there was any mispronunciation.”

Even having Minnie Mouse in a pink taraz was moving, which was made possible by Luna Miranda and Jose Zelaya from the Disney art team. “They are some of the most talented people who make sure to bring in Minnie’s style and mix it with the fun Armenian culture,” she raved. “[Everyone] was so eager to learn more.”

Credit: Disney

Although the episode hit the nail on the head for most aspects of Armenian culture, Kapukchyan has one regret: “I would have loved to show Chip and Dale using the mangal, Armenian barbeque grill, to make the khorovats. They show them giving her khorovats, but it would’ve been super cool to show the mangal!”

This episode was just the start for Kapukchyan, who plans on showcasing more Armenian representation in animation along with her husband. When her inbox and social media platforms flooded with positive responses after this episode aired, she knew how important it was for Armenians to be heard and seen on animated shows. The Kapukchyans are currently working on their own project, inspired to make Armenian culture available and accessible to young Armenian and non-Armenian children alike.

Author information

Carolina Gazal

Carolina Gazal is a writer for the AGBU Magazine where she covers timely topics on Armenian identity and culture. She is also a freelance lifestyle writer at Insider, where she was previously a Freelance Fellow editing articles on food, entertainment and travel. She holds a BA honors degree in English and Communications from Boston College with a concentration in Creative Writing, where she received the Senior Honors Thesis Grant to travel to Sivas/Sepastia and pen her family history.

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The post Mickey Mouse Funhouse’s “Vardavar!” episode makes a splash at Disney appeared first on The Armenian Weekly.

We all heard the voice of the Armenian goddess Astghik in Disney’s Mickey Mouse Funhouse and saw the immense joy it brought to our children. It was the first time an Armenian character was introduced at Mickey Mouse Funhouse. 

The voice behind Astghik is that of Liana Bdéwi. Bdéwi’s mom is Armenian from Egypt, and her dad is Lebanese, raised in Bourj Hammoud. Bdéwi was born and raised in Montreal, Canada. She went to a trilingual school until the sixth grade, École Notre-Dame de Nareg, where she studied English, French and Armenian. Bdéwi attended Dawson College’s professional theater program. She moved to Toronto in 2012 to continue her education in musical theater at Randolph College. 

Liana Bdéwi

“I started voiceover shortly after graduating in 2014 by accident. I took a few commercial voiceover workshops for fun and realized it was something I wanted to pursue further. I signed with my Toronto agent in early 2015, and it grew from there. Additionally, in 2015, I learned how to puppeteer for a Golden Girls puppet show called ‘Thank You For Being a Friend.’ Since 2015, I’ve acted in theater, voiceover and film and have been a puppeteer for various shows across Canada. In 2018, I decided to start my voiceover business and have been doing it full-time ever since,” Bdéwi told the Weekly.

Bdéwi’s agent, Portia Scott of Coast to Coast Talent Group in Los Angeles, got her the audition for the voice of Astghik in January of 2023. She was shocked at the casting call. “I freaked out and recorded my audition right away. I got a call back a week later. Shortly after, they booked me for the role. A month after the initial audition, I went into a studio in Toronto and recorded Astghik. I made sure I was super prepared. It was a stressful but exciting experience,” Bdéwi said. 

Disney Junior’s Mickey Mouse Funhouse is an animated series featuring Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Pluto. Geared to kids ages two to five and their families, the show, which premiered in August 2021, features an enchanted playhouse that takes the group of friends on adventures to unique worlds. In the third and latest season, they travel to the Enchanted Rainforest, the Old West, Movie Magic Land and culturally rich locations including Armenia, Korea and India.

In the “Vardavar!” episode, which premiered on Disney Channel and Disney Junior on March 1 and on Disney+ in May, the gang celebrates the Armenian holiday by splashing water on each other. Astghik invites Minnie to wear her new dress, a pink taraz.

When the episode aired, Bdéwi saw her phone blow up. The Armenian Film Society tagged her on social media, and she realized just how much of an impact the episode had made in the community. The Armenian representation helped children feel seen. 

“I had never had so many nice messages from strangers. One lady said her daughter had been smiling all day, watching the clips. When it premiered, I didn’t realize it was a milestone event. Watching the fully produced episode, I was in awe of how it all came together. The script was so good, thanks to Kathleen Sarnelli Kapukchyan, and the song was fabulous! The episode hasn’t aired in Canada yet, but the music video for the episode song is on YouTube,” Bdéwi said.

“As Armenians, we are always searching for our names in the credits. This episode encompassed culture, food, taraz, song, the Armenian language and tradition. It was great to have Armenian culture showcased in this way,” she continued.

Liana Bdéwi’s studio

In addition to Astghik, Bdéwi is the voice of Sonya in “Sonya from Toastville” and Luna in “Luna, Chip and Inkie” on Knowledge Kids. She also voices the English dub for Pulao in “Punishing Gray Raven.” 

Bdéwi’s advice for those wanting to do her line of work is very impactful. “Take acting classes! Voice acting is more about acting than the voice. Acting classes and programs will teach you how to dissect a script, how to take direction and how to improvise. It’s challenging to succeed in voiceover without any acting training or performance experience. Singing lessons are also needed! They teach breath control, vocal health (so important!) and vocal warmups. A standard voiceover session can go up to four hours, which can be physically draining (and potentially damaging to your voice) without proper training,” she said. 

Bdéwi added, “I want to say a big thank you for the outpouring of love and support I’ve received from Armenians all over the diaspora. It was truly such an honor to voice Astghik and to be one of the first Armenian characters represented at Disney.”

Author information

Talar Keoseyan

Talar Keoseyan is a mother, educator and writer. She is the author of Vanna’s Adventures (discusses Armenian traditions and customs); Mom and Dad, Why Do I Need to Know My Armenian Heritage? (a children’s book about being proud of our heritage); Our Tigran and Tigran’s Song (written in honor of Tigran Harutyunyan, a fedayee from the 44 Day War). Talar was a member of the Philadelphia AYF (Papken Suni and Sebouh chapters), as well as Homenetmen, Hamazkayin and ARS. She is currently a member of the La Crescenta “Talin” ARS chapter. She can be reached at talar725@gmail.com or Hokees1111 on Instagram.

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The post Liana Bdéwi brings Armenian representation to Disney as the voice of Astghik appeared first on The Armenian Weekly.