Tuck Everlasting and Tom and Huck

Before I jump in, I know I have a bunch of unfinished stuff like my "Ideal Disneyland" and "Disney Sequels." I'll get to those. Eventually. I really just blog what I'm feeling at the moment.
I've been in a movie watching mood lately. So, today I watched Disney's "Tuck Everlasting." I saw it when it came out but hadn't seen it since. So, Alexis Bledel is an okay actress and everything, but I'm just shallow and wish she were prettier. On the other hand, the guy that plays Jesse is gorgeous, but can't act very well. Plus, when he yells or gets excited, his voice sounds like a 10 year old. I will say, however that their farewell outside the jail was really good acting on both of their parts. I was left wishing the movie had gone further. It was just kinda sailing along the whole time. I wonder if the book is better. Maybe I should read it. Also, being a Costume Design major, I notice the costumes. I'm taking a Costume History class and try to place the time period of the movie by looking at the costumes and then I look it up if the information is available. It's really fun. So, I placed this movie between 1890 and 1910, which is Edwardian. Usually, I'm not a fan of Edwardian but this was done well. They took the good things from the period and used them. Then, I looked it up and it's set in 1914. 1914 is like The Music Man and My Fair Lady. The costumes were done well but they were a bit early. What's up with that? Oddly, one of my favorite costumes in the whole movie was Winnie's underdress that she goes swimming and dancing in. It's just so simple, elegant, and youthful. Love it. Too bad the only pics I could find of it are really awkward cuz she's mid dancing. But I also really like this one.
Then, after watching Tuck, I was reminded of the movie "Tom and Huck" because Jesse's hair reminded me of Brad Renfro's in the movie. Weird? Yes. Or maybe I was reminded of it becuase "Huck" rhymes with "Tuck." haha. But, I went ahead and watched that too. (Hey, it's a Saturday night and it's hailing outside. Ugh.) And let me say this. Tom and Huck, it's been TOO LONG! I know I loved this movie when I was younger and you know what? I still do. Brad Renfro is still charming in his rugged bad boy way and JTT's smile is still just as endearing. Also, there were some great acting moments by Renfro that I had never noticed before. Like when they're signing the oath and Tom has to help him because he doesn't know how to write. He just sort of looks up at Tom embarrassed and silently communicated to Tom that he needs help. Then, when he thanks him, you can tell he's genuinely grateful and there is this tender friend moment between the two. (Here's what I'm talking about. It's at around 5:50.) And whenever they have their talks about what friendship is, you can just see Huck's internal struggle. It's just little moments like that that make me love the character. The movie is a great one. I'd defiantly recommend it if you haven't seen it. :) Oh, and I totally NAILED the time period on that one. Yay for me.

Tips and tricks for Disneyland

So I just went to Disneyland a couple of weeks ago and I've been thinking. Going to Disneyland is like an art. You have to learn how to do it right. My Disneyland buddy, Molly Mouse, is one of these artists. She knows how to navigate Disneyland expertly and has taught me her ways. It has taken her a few years to learn this art as she has worked there for a couple of years and had a pass so basically went like at least once a week. So this summer and last summer, she was kind enough to take me there and show me how it's done. Now, I'd like to share it with you because doing it this way is SO much better! Okay, let's get started.

Pre-Park

Hey parents! Do you hate Disneyland? Do you hate it because it's hot and the kids get cranky and everything is overpriced and the lines are long and the kids hardly got to meet any characters? Have no fear for I am here! :)

1. Look around for deals on the internet or at your local grocery store. They sometimes have some good ones, especially if you are from Southern California. For example, last year I was able to get a 3 day park hopper for only $99, which is an AMAZING deal. Also, this year, there was an promotion called "Give a day, get a Disney day" going on. It was all about volunteering so the deal was if you do volunteer work with someone registered with the Give a day, get a Disney day thing, you get a free park ticket. So, I did it and I got one. For my second day, Molly Mouse's friend let me use one of her tickets that she gets for working there. So in the end, I got two days at Disneyland and California Adventure (my second day was a park hopper) for FREE! (It also helps to have connections.) So look out for deals, especially since Disney just jacked up their prices. Deals are out there. Not always, but they do exist.

2. Plan for more than one day. Two or three days is good. Beyond three is just too tiring. Park Hoppers save money if you want to do that or 2fers although I prefer Park Hoppers because the only good thing at DCA is Crush, Aladdin, World of Color, Midway Mania, and the Animation Pavilion. They're working on it though. It's up to you but I would definately suggest more than one day so you can do more of what you want to do.

3. Pack snacks and water! Some people think that outside water and snacks aren't allowed in Dland. They DO do a bag check for for dangerous stuff when you enter but I've never had a problem and I always bring snacks. It's totally fine to bring snacks and water into Dland. And we all know that Dland is EXPENSIVE. They get you with the water because they know you need it cuz it's like a zillion degrees outside in the summer. So pack snacks like granola bars, crackers, chips, and fruit snacks. Make sure you save some for your second day! Also have plenty of water. Bring it and refill it with the drinking fountains. It's not as good but it's cold. As the talking trash can in Tommorrowland taught me, STAY HYDRATED!

4. Okay, this one is more of an opinion than a tip but I do think it can make your Dland experience better. Don't bring a stroller. If your child is small enough to still need a stroller, like under 5 years old I wouldn't even bring them to Dland because they won't remember it when they're older and then you've wasted your money. :( I went to Dland when I was like 3 and I don't remember anything. So it's just a suggestion. It just makes more sense to me to wait until the kids are at least 4 or 5 to bring them to Dland. Also, there are many downsides to strollers. First, you have to load it on and off the tram. The stroller has to be folded on the tram, which I assume is a pain in the butt. Then, you have to navigate crowds with the stroller and believe me, guests without strollers, who are tripping over your stroller trying to get where they want to go, pretty much want to take your stroller and throw it into the Rivers of America and then laugh maniacally at you as you watch it sink slowly into the disgusting green water. And THEN there is the fact that strollers can't go on rides, which means either one parent has to stay with the stroller, missing out on quality time with the kids OR you have to leave it in a stroller parking area and hope against hope that someone doesn't steal it or the snacks and water and sunscreen you have in it. So, DON'T BRING A STROLLER.

5. "But where am I gonna put my stuff?" Bring a backpack or purse. Have mom and dad have the snacks and water in their bags. Have stuff for you and the kids. Purses and backpacks are much easier than strollers AND you can take them on rides with you! I had a purse the past two times and had no problems. Even on Space Mountain when my bag wouldn't fit in the little net I put it between my feet and it was fine. Twice. Girls, I like the purse better than the backpack. I like it because it doesn't get your back all sweaty and in crowds, I can swing it to my front and hold it so no one bumps it and can pick pocket anything. You may think Dland is perfect but bad guys are still out there lurking. Guys, sorry. Unless you wanna to with the manbag. Haha. But I do think the best thing for dad or the older boys would be one of those athletic bags with the drawstring closure because it's less bulky and you can swing it around to your front easier to get stuff and to prevent pick pocketing in crowds.

6. Other stuff to pack: Sunscreen. Even in the winter, CA is sunny. Don't forget it and reapply! Camera. Because pictures are AWESOME and you'll want to remember this! Plus, your pictures will most likely be better than the photopass people. (FYI, the photopass people are photographers that work at the park and take your picture at certain meet and greet spots. Then, they give you a card with a code on it. You take the card home and go to the website and type in the code and if you like your pictures, you buy them. It's another money suck. ALTHOUGH if you do really like one of the photopass pictures, there's always the printscreen button!) Batteries. You DON'T want to run out of camera batteries. You know they're gonna cost a fortune in the park. Chapstick. Because your lips need protection too. Tylenol. Dland is fun, but also tiring. You'll wanna help out your feet and your head so you can enjoy the rest of your stay. Also, bring any other meds that you think you might need or that is specific to you. For example, my stomach sometimes hates me so I like to have maalox and immodium just in case my stomach starts bothering me. Just make sure you pack anything that will make you comfortable. Just don't overdo it. Remember you have to carry that stuff. NO STROLLERS. Oh, and Hand Sanitizer is good too. There are lots of germs at Dland.

My Ideal Disneyland Part 7

Okay FINALLY on to Fantasyland. Personally, I think Fantasyland has the best atmosphere out of all the lands (well, maybe tied with New Orleans but that's later). So Fantasyland opened in 1955 with the lowering of the drawbridge and a bunch little kids running in a stampede shown here. Most of the original rides are still there (although some have changed or been moved over the years): The Canal Boats, Casey Jr. Circus Train, Dumbo, King Arthur Carrousel, Mad Tea Party, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Peter Pan's Flight, and Snow White's Adventures. Although it contained many of the same rides it does today, the Fantasyland of 1955 looked very different from today's. Firstly, due to budget issues, the original facade plans had to be abandoned and a cheaper Renaissance Faire sort of feel with striped tents and colorful flags was done. In my opinion, it was cheap and well-it looked like it. It sort of just looked like a traveling circus or carnival had come to town. Bleck. Plus, it was crowded like crazy with King Arthur's Carrousel stuck right in front of the castle (or right behind depending on your perspective).

In 1983, Fantasyland was closed for a MAJOR revamp. Many of the rides were rearranged to help with traffic problems and the facades were redone to look more like a European village in the 1500s or a bit after. It looks like a storybook and the faux stone is beautifully done. The ground was paved so that it is like you are walking through a village instead of a concrete slab like the old one. The pirate ship restaurant was demolished and a new version of Dumbo was put in it's place. The Teacups were moved to a fitting place near Alice and Wonderland and the carrousel was moved back and put in the space previously occupied by the teacups, leaving a larger courtyard and more room for foot traffic. Also, the original darkrides Snow White, Mr. Toad, and Peter Pan were completely gutted and redone. Here are some great pics of the process. It's kind of sad though, especially to see those old murals go, since they were worked on by some of Disney's original

nine old men. I think I read that Marc Davis had helped with these ride murals but I could be wrong. So I can't believe they just tore down the ride murals unceremoniously. They should've auctioned them off in pieces or preserved them or something! It's kinda the Mary Blair mural situation. Under-appreciation! Anyways, the rides were gutted, got new facades and loading platforms, and got more track added to them. So there's some background info for you on Fantasyland. More specifics in later posts.

My Ideal Disneyland Part 6

Before I move to Fanstasyland I wanna say a couple of things about Tommorrowland I overlooked. Firstly, I don't think I mentioned the Starcade, which is a two story arcade next to Space Mountain. I've never been inside because to me it's like why would anyone go to Disneyland to play at an arcade? You can find arcades anywhere. You can't find the rides at Disneyland anywhere though. Also, the second floor has been blocked off for a few years I think. I don't know why...the escalators from when Space Mountain was built (I think) are still there but aren't on. It's strange and also a huge waste of space. With the empty second story plus the empty helipad area up by the queue of Space Mountain, you have a heck of a lot of wasted space. This person seems to agree with me. They should do something with that space. However, maybe they have plans for it as they did just repave the flooring a month or so ago. Also, since my last posts on Tland, they have restored and updated Captain EO in the wake of Michael Jackson's death. I think it's nice but they need to get something new and more permanent in there. There some pics of the EO revamp and the work on the Starcade over at Micechat.

Another thing I thought I should mention is the Skyway. Many people who remember it miss it. According to Wikipedia, it was opened in 1956 and closed in 1994 due to stress cracks on supports. The supports were taken down quickly and the holes through the Matterhorn were filled in. The Skyway was a gondola tram ride that took guests from Tommorrowland to Fantasyland or vice versa. It was yet another sight-seeing Tland ride, along with the People Mover and the Monorail. I never went on the Skyway ride. Probably the earliest I ever went to Dland was when I was about 4, which was in 1994 so it was either in its last days or already gone by the time I came along. I probably wouldn't ride it anyways because that thing looked sketch. Daveland's got tons of pics here. (Man I wish I had my own vintage pics to post. But I don't, so I just write my thoughts and link to other people's awesome pics.) So, in my ideal Dland, the Skyway wouldn't be there. Some people probably liked it and were sad to see it go but from pictures I've seen, the supports were distracting and I think the Disneyland skyline was too polluted with it. You have the castle, which should be the focal point, then you have the guide wires for tink to fly over the castle, and then cables with cars on top of that! Too busy! Plus, I think that futuristic wires and buckets going over Fantasyland would have killed the atmosphere. So that's that. One thing I will say though is that I'm obviously interested in Dland's past and one thing I LOVE about dland and it's past is being able to still find remnants of it around the park. It's like digging up something lost from the past or something. I LOVE

it. There are many examples which I'll get to later but this particular example is the old Fantasyland Skyway station. The Tland Skyway station was demolished but many people don't know that the Fland one is still there. You just have to know where to look. It's hidden by trees and empty but it's still there on a hill next to Casey Junior. There's a little cement stairway th

at's chained off that goes up to it. If you step over the chain covertly and walk up a bit, you can see it, with it's little Swiss-style decorations still painted there fading. Oh, nostalgia. There are "Skyway remnant photos" you can look at at that Daveland link above. It's great to compare how much the area has changed and how much the trees and plants have grown to hide it.

Disney Silkscreen Update

Okay, so quite a while ago (I haven't blogged in ages), I mentioned an idea I had to silkscreen my own retro Disney attraction poster shirts. Well, now I find out that Disney has somehow heard my wish and they came out with exactly that! AMAZING. I don't have to get my hands dirty after all. (Although I do have to spend some dinero.)

They are doing it for the park's 55th anniversary and have a bunch of other retro merchandise. Since it's the 55th and dland opened in 1955, I guess it's fitting. Right now, all they have is the Matterhorn and the Flying Saucers but more are expected to come. So excited! I'm trying to plan a trip to dland this summer and hopefully there are more choices by that time. I really want a Peter Pan's Flight one. :) Info and another pic here.

Celebrate Parade

I thought I'd do a post today since I haven't posted in a while. When I went to dland this summer, we watched the Celebrate parade, which was pretty cool but not half as awesome as The Parade of Dreams was. So here are my pics!


She was my favorite dancer! She had the greatest energy.


Chip and Dale! I never knew that they actually looked slightly different until this trip to dland. My friend who works there told me that the way you tell which is which is that Chip's nose looks like a chocolate chip! That's awesome! (That mean's chip is on the left)


Bert and Mary Poppins. This Burt is the one we had met and taken photos with earlier. My friend was trying to pose with her leg in the air like he does and she fell backwards into the bushes! It was hilarious! Bert helped her out tho. Also, I think this Bert's name is Jared. Why? Here's why: http://corporate.disney.go.com/auditions/experience/jared.html
I was watching that and was like, "Hey! That's the Bert we met!" Haha.


Pooh! I can't imagine how hot he must have been. It was about 95 degrees that day and about 3:00 in the afternoon. I felt bad for all of the performers.



And here's Peter and Wendy. They're so cute. This trip to dland really got me into Peter Pan for some reason. I just love the character at the parks. He's awesome, especially one in particular but maybe more on that later...

P.S. I was going through these pics and I noticed that Peter has a band-aid on his finger in this pic! Lol. You can't see it here very well but you can in one of my other pics. (It's on his ring finger).

I have more pics but I'll share them later since this post is already a bit long. Until next time!

Small World Additions Part 2

Okay, moving on...

I didn't take a pic of this portion because it had a character in it. I took a pic of it because it DIDN'T. I thought it was a total missed opportunity to put Cuzco from Emperor's New Groove here.


The Three Caballeros. I've actually never seen this movie...


Here's Ariel. I caught her at an awkward angle. It's because on the opposite side was Nemo and Dory and I couldn't decide which to take a pic of! So, I chose Ariel at the last minute. Flounder and maybe a couple other characters were around her but I don't remember.


Lilo and Stitch.


Here's Mowgly from Jungle Book...I'm pretty sure. Unless it's a normal Small World character that happens to look exactly like him. He's is sort of tucked away in the back pretty high up so I had to zoom in really far, which made it grainy and we were moving away, so it's blury but as far as I know, it's the only pic of him on the internet now!


This, I've heard is the most controversial of the new characters. I think it's because they deviate so much from the Mary Blair style and I agree. They are the most different from the rest and don't really belong but I dunno...they are really stylized anyway so it must have been hard. I'm not gonna hold a grudge.
One thing I WILL say about this area though is that there are a bunch of Native Americans. WHERE'S POCAHONTAS? Okay, I guess this area represents the American west and Pocahontas was an east coaster but still. I want her in there.


I just took this pic as we were coming out because I thought it was a unique view and has some of the great topiaries in it. Going on the new Small World was DEFINITELY worth it after not having been on the ride in about 10 years.

Oh and P.S., I had never seen the little processional they do every 15 minutes at Small World so I decided to record it. I ended up seeing it a couple times while we were in line and once while we were walking past the ride. So here!

Character Additions to "It's a Small World"

You may know that the "It's a Small World" attraction underwent some major refurbishment this year and reopened back in February. There's an article and pics here. Not only did the ride get some routine clean ups and maintenance done, but Disney also added some familiar movie characters to the ride. This was a subject of much controversy among Dland and Small World attraction fans. Some feared the characters would look out of place among the very stylized Mary Blair figures. Well, I had the opportunity to see the new figures this summer. It was great. Not only were the figures great, but I hadn't been on the ride in about a decade so it was almost like riding it for the first time. The ride really is great...and extra great after you've been walking around Dland for two days in 80-90 degree weather. So, I took plenty of pics, me being a camera whore. I didn't get all of the character additions because some of them snuck up on me and we were past them before I got the chance to get a pic. So here are my pics for those of you who haven't experienced the new additions! (BTW, click on the pics for larger views. You can really see the detail.) Enjoy!

Alice! I think she fits right in. In fact, she probably fits in the most because Mary Blair actually did some Alice work. You can see it and her work from some other Disney movies here.


Here's Cinderella. I actually had to ask my friend who she was at first because I didn't see the mice and I think she looks really generic. Also, BTW, this is the London section which is first. Before Alice there was Peter and Tink flying above but I passed them before I could get a pic. I think they could have done some other characters here too like Sleeping Beauty and her fairies which would have been less generic than Cinderella. There are other films set in England too that they could have added or done instead of Cinderella but whatever, she's okay.


Pinnochio! The only thing about this one is that I wonder why they did him one dimensional. I mean all of them are puppets. They could have taken advantage of him since he IS a puppet. Also, he's really isolated with no other characters around him like they just stuck him in there which I thought was weird too.


Here's Aladdin and Jasmine. I thought they went really well. They were in the right place and blended with the style and everything. I was happy with this addition.


Here's a close-up of Mulan. I barely caught her before we went into the next room. She's sort of tucked into a corner. She holds on to a kite that looks like Mushu that's not in this pic. The only problem I had was this was it's place stuck in the corner and I also would have liked to see her in her normal outfit instead of her boy stuff. It would have gone better with the blossoms behind her too. But, other than that, I think it's a great interpretation of the boy version of Mulan.


Here's Simba and Pumbaa. Timon is also there but I didn't get him in the pic. I was so happy to see them there because I love the Lion King. I also thought they did a good job here of capturing the Mary Blair spirit (which must have been hard because they are animals) but still making them recognizable.

So that's it for this post. I have more Small World pics but I'll put them in another post because this one's already pretty long.

Dland Silkscreening

So the other day, this genius idea occurred to me. It's probably been done before but I'd love to do it for myself. I was thinking about vintage Disneyland posters, which are awesome. You can see a bunch over at Daveland. I really like the look of some of them. They've got this really stylized, 50s/60s retro look to them. And then I thought "Wouldn't it be cool if they had T-shirts with vintage posters on them?" I know you can "print on demand" at various places at Disneyland but there aren't T-shirts as far as I know. If anyone knows, please let me know. Anyways, my idea was silkscreening my own shirts. Unfortunately, I don't have expensive equipment or a very good facility to do it in. I found a "do it at home" method on YouTube, which I might try but at the moment, I have like 5 projects going and school so this would be a project for the future. But the mostly simple shapes and limited color palettes on the posters lend themselves to relatively easy silkscreening projects but I don't know because I've never tried it. I just think it would be great if I had my own custom T-shirts with vintage posters on them!

Professional Way:

(aren't these guys awesome?)

At Home:



So that's my great idea. I hope I can do it sometime and it works out. I'd probably have to make different stencils for the different colors, but I'd have an awesome shirt that no one else does!

Disney Sequels Part 2

Okay, where did I leave off? Oh, and a warning. This may contain SPOILERS.

Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998)

The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998)

Alright, Pocahontas was one of the golden age films. Although not as popular as Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, or Aladdin, I still enjoy it. It bothered me slightly at the end of the movie when John Smith had to leave. It was the only Disney movie I had ever seen where the main guy and gal didn't end up together. It didn't make me dislike the movie though. It just kind of left it there saying that they each had their places in their own worlds, where they were needed most. I refuse to watch the sequel because I have heard that Pocahontas ends up with a man other than John Smith (which is factual, I know) and I've seen screen shots of her in that dress and wig and it's so sad! I don't want my image of the noble, wise and beautiful Pocahontas tainted, okay? So that's that.

The Lion King II. Okay, out of all the Disney sequels I've seen, this one is by far the best. Syskel & Ebert even liked it! They got almost all of the original voices including voices for Mufasa, Simba, Rafiki, Nala, Timon and Pumbaa. The new characters were interesting...Zira is an insane villain but not as cool and collected as scar, her son Nuka (Andy Dick) is neurotic but the part where he dies is heart breaking, her son Kovu is a pretty awesome main character (Jason Marsden, who has provided a lot for Disney including the voice of Goofy's son, Max), and her daughter Vitani is pretty kick ass (Lacy Chabert of Mean Girls popularity). The thing that bothered me was the lack of Sarabi. What, did she just drop off the face of the earth??? I really liked Simba's mom. Sadly, the woman behind her powerful voice, Madge Sinclair, died of cancer shortly after the first movies release. She and James Earl Jones played a different sort of African King and Queen in "Coming to America" with Eddie Murphy, which I always find amusing. Also, Suzanne Pleshette, the voice of Zira also has since passed away. Anyways, the animation is also MUCH improved when compared to "Return of Jafar." Also, the movie had a pretty good story line. It was interesting to see Simba as a father (although I liked him better in the first movie. He wasn't as uptight and protective.) I really liked Kiara's rebellious nature and how she was so much like her father. The songs didn't live up to the first movies, but it's a sequel, what can you ask for? They were decent though. I just want to say something though. Matthew Broderick can sing. He has been on Broadway! Why don't they ever use his singing voice??? I mean, the guys they choose for his singing voices are good but why? Maybe they wanted a manlier singing voice haha. One of my favorite songs is "He lives in you" where they brought Lebo M. back in to work on the African chants.

They liked the song so much, they used it TWICE in the musical and it works quite well with the first movie's story line because if you remember, when Simba meets back up with Rafiki, Rafiki puts his finger in the water and says, "You see, he lives in you." That's one of my favorite parts! Here's the Broadway reprise version, which I love.

I also like the songs from the movie, "We are One," and "Love will Find a Way."

I hate the song "Upendi." Oh my goodness, it's weird. But, despite a few drawbacks, The Lion King II is dang good for a Disney sequel and the sales show it. I think it's one of the highest, if not THE highest grossing of straight to video/DVD Disney sequels out there if I'm not mistaken.

Disney Sequels

Okay, so I'm gonna take a break with my ideal dland tour before I delve into Fantasyland and talk about Disney sequels. I'm not counting live actions although the second and third Pirates did NOT live up to the first and were dissapointments. And there are a few others but I won't get into them. There's a wiki add here about the sequels. So here's the first part of the list they give: (I say part because I realize that I'll have to do this in sections)...

The Return of Jafar (1994)

Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996)

Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin (1997)

Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997)

Belle's Magical World (1998)

Now I have only seen a few of these. In fact, I OWN some of them. First there's Return of Jafar, which I own and actually watched out of complete boredom a few days ago to see if it was as crappy as I remembered it....It was. Even as a kid, I realized that it was lacking. But now, I noticed a lot more. Firstly, the voices. Genie, obviously is lacking. He simply CAN'T be played by anyone other than Robin Williams. But I did look up the other voices and they got most of the characters back, surprisingly. Even Brad Kane, the singing voice for Aladdin came back. Lea Solanga didn't return however. But, Jasmine's singing voice was done by another beloved singing voice of mine, Liz Callaway, who did Anastasia's singing voice (not Disney, I know but still good), Odette's singing voice in The Swan Princess (you know you remember that one and you like it! I own it haha.) and Adult Kiara's voice in Lion King II. So most of the voices were okay and omg, they got Jason Alexander for Abis Mal? Wow. I don't know how they convinced him to do that. Okay, so other than the lack of Robin Williams, the story is just weird. Basically Jafar comes back, gets a retarded owner, Iago turns good, and then they defeat Jafar AGAIN. Thirdly, the graphics suck. If you just compare the carpet, it's so simplified it's not even funny. It looks like one of those disney channel series (like the Aladdin one, in fact haha). It just looks really sloppy and I know it's because the budget wasn't there. So they must have planned it to be straight to video for some extra cash. It wasn't worth it, Disney. Sorry.

Next, I guess Disney wanted to redeem themselves with King of Thieves and they did...slightly. They got Robin back, which made all the difference and they got a better story line, which involved Aladdin's dad (John Rhys-Davies!) and Aladdin and Jasmine FINALLY getting married. In fact, there's a song that says that exact thing. It would have been awesome if they could have gotten Alan Menken back but I suppose he was working on other Disney gems of the golden age at that time (Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, Hunchback). I've only seen King of Thieves once or twice so I don't remember much of it but I do remember it being a heck of a lot better than Return of Jafar. Haha, I just remembered that I have some McDonald's toys from when that was released. I've got little figures of Jasmine in her wedding clothes and I think I also got Aladdin's dad. They're probably lost by now but it's funny that I remember those...

I don't really watch Winnie the Pooh stuff so I haven't seen Pooh's grand adventure but there are so many installments of Pooh that I'm guessing it's just as good as the rest of the stuff.

Next is Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas. And, yes I owned that one too although it mysteriously disappeared along with our copy of Hercules unfortunately. So, this is what Wiki calls a "midquel" in that the story occurs somewhere in the course of the first movie's plot. So it happens when the Beast is still a Beast and it's Christmas time (I guess somewhere around the time where Belle and the Beast sing the song "Something There"). It's just random. There were a few new characters added like the evil pipe organ (Tim Curry!) and the little Christmas tree topper "Angelique" played by Bernadette Peters. Haley Joel Osment was Chip! Holy crap haha. That kid... Most of the main voices came back but I just don't understand why or how they convinced Peters and Curry to do it. And it was sort of wasted talent because it's a straight to video Disney movie and it's a midquel so we all know what will eventually happen anyway...

Belle's Magical World? I know nothing about. After the above mentioned sequels I started to notice that they weren't really worth watching and that they kind of dimmed the awesomeness factor of their predecessors. But, Paige O'Hara kept coming back. Props to her for being a trooper I guess.

My Ideal Disneyland Part 5

Okay, time for the Buzz Lightyear AstroBlasters and the last part of the Tland series! This is another ride I have never been on. This space in Tland was originally occupied by Circarama, which opened with the park in 1955. It was a circular theater where guests stood in the middle and where able to have a 360 degree view of a projected image. The show changed a few times but the show "America the Beautiful" was there mostly from 1956 until 1984. The attraction closed in '97 for the '98 redo when the space was replaced with "The American Space Experience" exhibit which was reminiscent of the early sponsored exhibits that Tland used to be riddled with. It was part of the ride queue for Rocket Rods (has pics of the sign conversion to Buzz after RRs) I think for a brief time and then the AstroBlasters came in 2003.

I'm gonna go off on a bit of a tangent here, while I'm on the sponsored exhibits of early Tland. Apparently when Tland first opened, Disney was kind of poor and didn't have money for many rides in Tland. So, they had a butt load of sponsored exhibits. There was the Kaiser Aluminum exhibit, and the Monsanto Hall of Chemistry, which both opened in 1955, the Richfield "World Beneath Us" exhibit, the "Our Future in Color" gallery by Dutch Boy, the "Bathroom of Tomorrow" by Crane (which is something I think should be put into Innoventions btw) and "Fashions and Fabrics Through the Ages" by Monsanto. There were probably even more. The Monsanto House of the Future was really like one huge exhibit. When Disneyland first opened, it was like everything was sponsored! I mean, Monsanto was huge, Richfield Oil was in there for a while (Autopia and others), The Bell System, AT&T (Circarama/CircleVision), General Electric (Carousel of Progress), TWA (Rocket to the Moon), Coca Cola (BTW, that link is has a bunch of great pics showing how the Coca Cola Stage/Terrace has changed through the years), ALWEG (monorail), and Goodyear (PeopleMover). All of these were in Tland and probably more. But while I'm talking about it, I'll mention some sponsored stuff in other areas of the park. Dole has sponsored the Tiki Room since it opened and still does. The Tahitian Terrace was Stouffer's. Kodak is found here and there throughout the park with the Photopass stuff and Autopia is sponsored by Chevron now. Innoventions has like a million different sponsors in it. I read on MiceChat that Village Haus in Fantasyland is sponsored by Minute Maid and the Rancho del Zacalo in Fronteirland is (or was/ now is La Victoria?) by Ortega, Big Thunder Ranch is Brawny, Coca Cola is all over the place, and there are probably more. I look at old pics of dland and see these signs all over the place that have nothing to do with dland and are outside companies and I'm glad most of them are gone now. I like to feel completely immersed in disneyland while I'm there and outside advertising really takes away from it for me.

So that's that. Back to Buzz. Again, I've never been on it. I've heard it's like Midway Mania in DCA (which I've also never been on) but not quite as good. It's not the most popular but it gets traffic. I can't say much about it since I've never been on it but it doesn't sound that great. Also, as I mentioned with Nemo, I don't really enjoy Pixar being in dland because it doesn't feel like it entirely belongs there for some reason. I don't know...Tland isn't really supposed to be movie themed, or wasn't intended to be that way. Really, only Fantasyland was supposed to be like that. In my ideal dland, I think I would put something else in that space only I don't know what. I think having something like the old "Adventure thru Inner Space"might be cool, especially with the new technologies that we have today.

So that's it for this land but really, it won't be because it's always changing. And who knows what the future will hold for Tomorrowland? See you in Fantasyland for my next installation of the series!

My Ideal Disneyland Part 4

Okay, this time I'm gonna talk about the Astro Orbitor and the '98 Tland redo. The first incarnation of The Astro Orbitor ride was the Astro Jets. It was one of the first rides in Disneyland, opening only a year after the park did. Then, came the Rocket Jets in '66 on top of the people mover loading platform. It was essentially the same ride but with a different look and in a different location. I think it would have been pretty awesome. I mean the basic spinning ride with arms is used a lot (it's nearly identical to Dumbo) but to be on it so high up in the air, above all of Tland must have made it a lot cooler. It was there for 30 years! And then the uber idiots that ruined Tland with the '98 redo project killed it. They took down Rocket Jets and stuck some satellites on old arms and made it into "The Observatron," which was basically a useless thing there for decoration. Then, they built a new attraction, the Astro Orbiters. So, I've never been on the Astro Orbitor because they look really boring (which is why I've never been on Dumbo either.) I'll start with the few things I like about it. Firstly, I like how it has the look of an old model that Galileo or Copernicus would have used sort of like this. I also like the old world color scheme of it. What can I say, I'm a sucker for European history. The color scheme went with what the new colors of Tland were supposed to be. Like golds and old copper greens and burnt siena...basically metallic earth tones. I like that color scheme, but it doesn't go with the architecture of Tland. If all of the architecture in Tland was old world like the Astro Orbitor, it might be cool. But, it's not. It's what the future looked like to people in the 50s and 60s. It's got these really classic lines to it that look great...but only with a really basic color scheme. The white keeps up the cleanliness of the design. Here's a look at all the color changes that were done after the '98 redo. I was actually surprised at how much they changed. And since I never really went into Tland between '98 and 2003 (when stuff was painted differently again), I didn't ever get to see much of it. I couldn't believe they painted Space Mountain Green and Gold. I can't imagine it being anything other than it's classy white. But, there are some pics on this Daveland page if you scroll down to "New Tomorrowland: 1998" towards the bottom, that show concept art and I actually think it looks really good on paper. It just didn't really workout in the end though. And that one photograph of the land at twilight actually looks really awesome but it's been photoshopped a bit and it really didn't look that ideal in real life. Also, that page really demonstrates how many incarnations Tland has been through since the park opened. It's amazing. In 2003, Disney had some sense knocked into them and changed the color scheme back to whites and put some blues but kept some of the bronzes from the '98 revamp. Here's a pic of the Astro Orbiter that they just painted about a month ago...I don't know if I like it on the Orbitor but I like it for Tland. It's a nod to what it looked like before '98. So that's where the Tland colors lie today but who knows? A little mouse told me that after the current DCA projects, Disney is turning their attention BACK to Tland. I only hope they don't screw it up again.

I'd also like to mention those poor Mary Blair murals (the woman behind the style of "It's a Small World) that are are still behind those cheap airbrushed murals that are there today. To tell you the truth, my favorite mural is the '98 one, which showed current and past attractions. But the Mary Blair mural, although it doesn't really fit in Tland, should be preserved and put on display somewhere. She is so iconic and it really would be worth a lot. Here's a great blog entry with pics of the Mary Blair being covered up for the new mural. I didn't know it was still under there! And it probably still is like a treasure hiding under there being under appreciated!

Okay, for pete's sake back to the Astro Orbiter. So I like the look of it but the placement sucks so badly! The pic above is what the entrance to Tland used to look like. You can see the Rocket Jets in the picture too. It was just so welcoming and open. And now look at it with the Astro Orbitor! (note that pic was taken with the '98 color scheme) Ugh...it's so congested, especially in the summer after the fireworks show. It's like being in a mob. CMs have to act like road workers and keep the flow moving. Also, Tland doesn't look nearly as welcoming and you can't see those awesome clean lines of the PM track. I really hate it. And what's up with the weird rock formations that just take up MORE space? I agree 100% with what Werner Weiss over at Yesterland said about the whole thing: "The Astro Orbitor looks great, but the ride’s location so close to the Hub of Disneyland isn’t so great. The Astro Orbitor is a bit overwhelming, compared to the entrances to Frontierland and Adventureland—especially at night, when it’s all lit up. From some angles, it even detracts from Sleeping Beauty Castle. Guests board the ride at ground level, so the ride no longer has the “high in the sky” thrill of the Rocket Jets. It’s too bad that Disneyland can’t have the best of both worlds—the visual exuberance of the Astro Orbitor, located high on the old elevated platform of the Rocket Jets."

I also noticed that it doesn't only crowd the hub, but it crowds Pixie Hollow too. I know that space used to be part of Tland with the Monsanto house so it would have been okay then. But that area has been part of Fantasyland ever since the Alpine Gardens were there so it's really awkward to have the huge Astro Orbitor looming over you at Pixie Hollow. Here's what I mean. I waited in line like those people in the picture and was totally immersed in the magic of Pixie Hollow until I looked to my right. Someone behind us in line was yelling at a member of their party who was riding it...and they could hear them. That's how close it is. It's just dumb.

So in my ideal dland, the Astro Orbitor would be moved to the top of the PM loading station where the Rocket Jets were. I think the experience of being that high in the air would have been really awesome. Also, it wouldn't be blocking the welcoming view, the streamlined PM tracks, causing crowd congestion, or encroaching upon Pixie Hollow. I'd also take away the astronomical design because it is a nod to the past, and although it looks cool, it is the opposite of what Tland is about. I know it would be really expensive or whatever but it is my ideal dland after all. As for the color scheme, keep it simple and classic.

Okay, that's it for this time. To be continued...

My Ideal Disneyland Part 3

Moving on in Tomorrowland. So, have you ever walked into Tland and wondered what that archway track looking thing was above you? Well, I'll tell you. It is what remains of the ill-fated PeopleMover. This was also a pretty early ride, part of the '67 revamp of Tland. There's an article on it at Yesterland. There's more pics here. Apparently, the PM was an example of what the transportation would be like in Walt Disney's vision of the future, along with the monorail. He had a vision for a city that was never built. You've probably heard of it: EPCOT (there is an Epcot center in Florida but the actual city never came to fruition). You probably don't know this, but it stands for "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. Disney's "Progress City" model in the old Carousel of Progress was a sort of preview of EPCOT. PeopleMovers (or WEDway) in Epcot would eliminate the need for cars altogether, in theory. Here is a great article on the original concept of the EPCOT. Here's more. It's fascinating. Walt had so many ideas and goals that it just amazes me. Here's a vid:

There's a longer version on YouTube too if you wanna check it out.

Anyways, back to Disneyland. The PM lasted a really long time but was closed in '95 for reasons I don't know. It did, however lead to two deaths from people trying to jump between cars. I'd say 95% of Disney deaths are because people are STUPID. Those annoying safety spiels are there for a reason! (Although I rather enjoy the Haunted Mansion safety message because he says "and PLEASE...watch your children" and then he says it in Spanish and it sounds like 100 times scarier. I also love that in that ride, if you tug on the bar, it reprimands you. It's just funny.) Anyways, I'm guessing that they just figured that the PM was outdated and was boring for guests (it did only move at 2mph) and they had different ways to see Tland from above like the monorail and the Skyway, which closed in '94. But I do think that it offered an awesome view into rides. It went through a tunnel behind the Carousel of Progress/America Sings, through Circlevision, Star Tours, and Space Mountain. I personally never was able to go on the PM but wish I had the chance. i would have been 4 or 5 so I wouldn't remember it but I do have a pic of me on the monorail in about '94 where you can see the PM in the background. (I'd put it up but my scanner isn't working). So after the PM closed, imagineers tried to use the abandoned track with something faster and funner in '98. Props to them for trying but the new "Rocket Rods" attraction, although pretty popular when in use, soon went to "Yesterland." He's got a great article on it over there. Here's a summary: The Rocket Rods used the PM track and went through it in 3 minutes, when the PM had taken 16 minutes to go the same path. I've read that some of the problems with it were that it was too short for the wait time, it was too slow to be a thrill ride, but too fast to be a sight-seeing ride. It also had to slow down abruptly at the turns. This is because the turns were designed for a 2mph car and the track isn't banked, which basically meant that if the Rocket Rods didn't slow down, they'd fly right off the track. The constant slowing and speeding up again was not only annoying, but it was hard on the vehicles and track. It soon was broken down half the time. So, it was closed after only about 2 years of being opened, never fulfilling a 2001 reopen promise.

In my ideal dland, the poor abandoned PM track would be used with a fast ride like Rocket Rods but they need to bank those turns and make it better. Although I don't know if a three minute ride is worth it...maybe they should just put the PM back. I'm not sure. I just hate seeing those ghostly tracks and all that wasted space. I'll stop for now because this is a pretty long entry already. To be continued!

My Ideal Disneyland Part 2

Okay, time to continue. I am really sorry for the length of part 1. I got carried away. I promise I won't do that again. So the last thing I covered was Innoventions. I want to mention that at some time during the 10 years that it sat attractionless, it was used as offices and dressing rooms for cast members. There is a great story from a past CM about it here. Check out the rest of his site. It's awesome!

So moving on. Next, I'll cover Autopia. It is one of the earliest attractions in Tland and although it has been altered a bit over the years, it's remained largely the same. In "my ideal dland" I really wouldn't change anything about Autopia. It's one of the few dland rides I've never been on but I can see what it would be like. BORING. But that's because I can drive. Kids love it because they feel like they are driving and who doesn't want that when they're a kid? The only problem I have with it is that it doesn't really have anything to do with the future. We have cars. In fact, there were cars back in the 50s too, so why was this put in Tland? Will 8 year olds drive in the future? Who knows? But it's got to stay. I wouldn't take it out because it's so popular with the kids and it's a classic. The only thing I could think of to make it more futuristic is to make the cars more streamline or make them look sort of like landspeeders from Star Wars. I don't know. Anyways...

Sub Voyage is next. Unfortunately, I never went on the old Sub Voyage. I actually remember being at dland when I was about 6-ish, maybe even younger. We usually skipped Tland, but we didn't that time I guess. I remember being on the loading dock and getting scared. I was with my dad and I was afraid because I thought it was a real submarine and that it went all the way underwater and I was a paranoid little kid so I was afraid it would sink or something. So, I didn't go on it and my dad went alone while I stayed with my mom. :( Even if I had gotten on it, I probably wouldn't remember much about it to this day but I still wish I had. Shortly after that, it was closed. I don't know why. I've seen pics and I think it looked awesome. I also wish they would've kept the mermaids, which were only there for about a year when it first opened. (There's lots more pics out there if you wanna look them up.) But reportedly, the girls' hair was getting fried by the chlorine and guys were being rude and some of them even jumped in after them, which I don't know whether to believe or not. So after the lagoon sat empty like a ghost of the past for about a decade, they brought it back as the Nemo ride. I've been on it once and it was pretty cool. I just have a problem with pixar in dland for some reason. It doesn't seem legit or to me or something. But whatever, a Nemo sub ride is better than no sub ride! But if I had my way, I think I would have rather had them bring back the old one but revamp it and make it better. I think they had an Atlantis section...they could have made it have a movie tie in part at that part, although the movie wasn't that great a success. I liked it. And it wouldn't be an "Atlantis movie ride" Just the Atlantis section of the ride could be inspired by the architecture and stuff in the movie. They could throw in some monsters, giant squid, loch ness monster, whatever. Then, it would be more geared towards "tomorrow" too...like the discoveries of the future. Just a thought. Daveland has a bunch of great pics of the old sub ride here.

Okay, if I do another attraction, this thing is gonna be WAY long but before I go, I wanna say that I wish Tland weren't so huge. Like the entire upper right corner of the park is just sprawling Autopia track. If they would've just made the track tighter, they'd have more room for some fantasy land stuff. Or better yet, they could've put the Matterhorn up there and put another Fantasyland attraction where the Matterhorn is. I just feel like Tland gets too much room. It hogs like half the park while poor Adventure land is like "a hallway with Indiana Jones at the end of it" as I read of one blogger. It's just sad. Adventureland has so much potential but no room! So sad. Anyways, that's all for now. To be continued...

Pinocchio

Okay, before I get back to my "Ideal Disneyland" series, I want to mention something. Tonight, I watched Pinocchio for the fist time in about 15 years (which means I haven't seen it since Preschool and didn't remember hardly anything) so it was basically like watching it for the first time. I did fall asleep from the part where Pinocchio is locked in the cage to the part where they arrive at "Pleasure Island." It was on abc family which was awesome. And before they showed it, they showed Aladdin, so props to you abc family! Keep it up!

So Pinocchio was Disney's 2nd feature length animated movie after Snow White, which I had forgotten about until tonight. Personally, I think it's kind of lame. Sorry to anyone who thinks otherwise or is a huge fan. I mean, the music is decent and the animation is great (especially the Blue Fairy and Monstro) and I did like a few other things. I thought Gipetto was pretty funny like when he talks to Pinocchio for a while before noticing that he is alive several times in the movie. Jiminey Cricket is also pretty funny. The whole opening sequence is great and I love Cleo and Figaro. Also, I really like the way they animated "Honest John's" fingers. They just always look cool haha.

Here's what I didn't like about it: 1) The confusion between Swiss/German and Italian settings. Okay, so when it opens up, we see the Alps, which means it could be Italy OR Sweden because both have areas that border the Alps. Then, we see the setting with the little clocks (you can even see little Swiss people on one of the clocks), the dollhouse-like wood work and the swirling paintings and decor, which suggests Swiss. But then, we learn the names of the characters, which are all Italian. Then, the next morning, it looks like Gipetto and Pinocchio are wearing Lederhosen, which is German and can look Swiss. Then, there's the puppet guy who rants in Italian. WHAT IS UP? I was confused the whole time. I guess it doesn't matter to the story but I, being a person who notices the weirdest things in movies and is always paying attention to costumes and set dressings, was a bit frustrated. Also, I looked up the original story and it's Italian. Why the meshing of two countries? 2) The randomness of the story. I mean, how could you get a fairy, a wooden boy, a cricket, boys turning to donkeys, getting swallowed by a whale, and being put in a circus into one movie? It's pretty crazy. I mean the original story is even crazier they did simplify it quite a bit. But why pick such an insane story in the first place? Idk. 3) Monstro has teeth and eats fish and he's a whale. It's just weird. I like the scary image that it creates but it's just odd that they decided to do it and I can't say I'm not glad they did because we wouldn't have an awesome entrance to the Storybook Land Canalboats over at Disneyland. :) (Can I just say that the fact that Monstro's eye opens and closes and glows at night creeps the CRAP out of me?) 4) This isn't really something that I don't like about the movie. It's just something that surprised me. It's the violence/scariness of it. Like the part where Lampwick turns into a Donkey is really pretty terrifying. Also, all the smoking in the movie (especially the kids) and the word "Jack Ass" a couple of times (even if it is referring to the animal). And the Monstro scenes are pretty darn scary. Also the sexual innuendo was pretty funny and unexpected. Like when the puppet dude dances and shakes his butt at camera, when Jiminey accidentally touches that doll's backside, etc.

So those are my thoughts on Pinocchio!