I love Disneyland. My love for Disney reaches far beyond the park. I love anything that is connected to the name Disney. One can’t help but think happy thoughts when you hear the name Walt Disney. When there is anything Disney related I really try to check it out. Recently we decided to take a trek out to the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, CA. The Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives exhibit were there for a limited time and I had to see it before it was gone.
On this week’s episode, JL and Scarlett Litton cover this week’s Attraction news:
Yo ho, Yo ho, a pirate’s life for me! It doesn’t get much better than the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Walt Disney World. When you enter the queue you feel as if you have entered an awesome fort. Once you are in the boat the fun begins. The original ride was a “blast”, but thefun has been increased by the addition of Captain Jack Sparrow. For the riddle this month, can you tell me how many times Captain Jack Sparrow appears during the ride?
Walt Disney was noted for his many quotes – one famous line he quipped, “We allow no geniuses around our Studio.” Walt himself was one of the 20th century’s greatest. His many talents included voice actor, entertainer, film producer, director, animator and most important, visionary. Many of the hundreds of talented artists, story men and writers considered it an honor just to work with this “genius”
But Walt was never a man to give accolades freely, even to his most trusted and valued artists. And any veteran at the Disney Studios knew never to embellish his or her ideas on any project no matter how brilliant it might have seemed. All waited for Walt to give it the nod, then it would be incorporated into the plans. But even if the word “genius” was not bandied about the studio, the Disney Studios over the years produced a stellar list of artists that, even if Walt did not praise them personally, history accords them their due honors. One such a man was Imagineer, artist and animator, Marc Davis.
I was very privileged to be able to go to the D23 Expo a few weeks ago. They did very well with having things for people of all age groups to participate in. The whole experience was just a dream come true for me, so I want to recommend the expo to all NDTs (all NDPs, for that matter!). I also want to share some of the wonderful opportunities attendees had that I think NDTs would really like.
1. The Disney Archives Exhibit- It was amazing to see memorabilia and props and costumes from beloved movies. I started tearing up when I saw the book at the beginning of Sleeping Beauty in person.
We all have busy lives. There’s always something going on and we constantly have to adjust ourselves to the speed of life. Teens in particular are always occupied. There’s high school, extracurricular activities, friends, family, chores, and maybe a part-time job or two. With all this moving, we’re bound to get sick, emotionally or physically. We may have caught the flu, or we may be close to a nervous breakdown. Either way we’ve got two options: try to keep going and end up hurting others, and ourselves, or we can stop and take the break we need. Often we just can’t wait to be king so we set high standards for ourselves. Sometimes if we take a break we might call this failure. It’s not failure; this brief break is setting us up for success. It’s allowing us to go the distance. Disney is one of the best medicines. It helps me take my mind off of whatever ails me. Here are some things you should try on your next sick or mental health day to bring you some magic.
Photo Credit: Molly Beckley
My three previous trips to Walt Disney World as an adult have been planned completely by myself with the exception of my foodie husband usually picking out the places in which we will dine. For this year’s trip, I got the added bonus of my son being old enough to have a lot to say about what he wants to do in Walt Disney World this year!
Here is your Disney Dozen for the things my almost 5-year-old Neurotic Disney Kid, must do on his trip to Walt Disney World this year, in his own words.
With the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, it’s worth revisiting the previous films. While the first installment, The Curse of the Black Pearl, is widely regarded as a fabulous film, the reception of Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End was less than stellar. I watched them again, and I have to admit, I just don’t understand all the animosity.
Photo Credit: Molly Beckley
Not only am I am Neurotic Disney Mom, but I have a Neurotic Disney Kid. My son Jake is 4 years old. He will be 5 on August 29th. On August 5th he will be embarking on his 3rd trip to Walt Disney World. Last year we created a chain link count down complete with a plethora of Disney characters on the chains to count down our trip to WDW. Every day he would wake up, and promptly come jump on me, asking me to help him take down another piece of our chain. And then every hour on the hour he would ask “How many days again Mommy?”. This year we decided not to do a count down. What I really wanted to do was surprise him with our trip this year but since he has been going to WDW for the past 2 years every summer, he just kind of assumed we were going. Since he’s only 4 and doesn’t really have a concept of dates, I figure that I can still surprise him the morning of our trip.
Photo Credit: Molly Beckley
I don’t know about you, but throwing parties for my children plays a big part in my Disney Driven Life. During the planning processes of these parties, my Neurotic Disney Mom tendencies come out big time. “What’s that you say? You don’t want a Disney related party theme this year. DS2? How dare you?!” I won’t get into the substance of the story of when my sweet little middle guy wanted a party with a character from the channel we do not name…
Ahoy Mates! With the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie out in theaters I thought it would be really cool to make a Pirates themed cake at home and have a movie night watching all three of the Pirate films.
It is really easy to make this pirate hat cake. First take any flavor of your favorite cake and bake it in two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans. Once the cakes have cooled you will need a serrated knife like a bread knife to cut the cakes into the right shapes. Cut a straight cut about a quarter of way down from the top of the cake. Then cut the top piece you cut off in half. Turn the bigger full piece around and place the small pieces at the ends of the full piece of cake.
My “Tink” has been to Walt Disney World twice now, once for her first birthday and again at 18 months. Between her need for naps and my pregnancy on the more recent trip, she didn’t ride much so we haven’t yet personally experienced attraction meltdown.
However, I have done some research on this for the future. Beyond the Attractions: A Guide to Walt Disney World with Preschoolers (2011) has some great information on attractions that can be too much for little ones. The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2011 (Unofficial Guides)
There are some movies that are more than just a movie, they are a phenomenon. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl was just that. During the summer of 2003, we were all treated to a film that celebrated the freedom of the open seas, the wit and wisdom of pirates and the fun of filmmaking on a grand scale. It’s no stretch to say that the remaining films in the series are still living off the good will from this amazing movie.
It would be difficult to have higher expectations for a film than I had for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. The first film in the series, The Curse of the Black Pearl, is probably my favorite film of all time. I enjoyed the second and third films immensely, even though they were very different from the first. So keep this in mind when I discuss On Stranger Tides, which I managed to see earlier this week.
The formidable Pirates of the Caribbean franchise raises its “Jolly Roger” once more and sets sail for the fourth time on May 20. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, more casually known as Pirates 4, is the much anticipated continuation of the popular Captain Jack Sparrow saga.
Captain Jack is leaner in this go-around. Gone are the distractingly good looks and even more distracting storyline of Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner and Keira Knightly’s Elizabeth Swan. In their place, Captain Jack partners with Angelica, the exotically beautiful and adventurous daughter of the evil pirate, Blackbeard.
Magic Kingdom: The most magical place on earth. It’s got great opportunities for Kodak moments, a wonderful atmosphere, and a ton of fabulous attractions for teens. Here is my list of top teen attractions at Magic Kingdom.
1. Jungle Cruise – I absolutely love this attraction. The snakes do creep me out a bit, but I find my courage so that I can go listen to the cute skipper’s cheesy jokes.
Attractions are the first things that come up when I talk Disney with other teens. My peers who haven’t been to a Disney theme park think that the parks were created for small children and that there aren’t any “teen attractions”. They believe that the parks only offer dark rides such as Snow White’s Scary Adventures and Pinocchio’s Daring Journey. I wrote this post for them, and teens going to Disney soon who are worried they’re going to be bored. In my next few posts I’m going to share my list of top attractions for teens for each park in the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts. I decided to start at the place where it all began: Disneyland.
In 1987, the Disney Legends program was created to recognize those who have created the Disney magic through their imagination, hard work, and incredible talent. Winners embody each of the three elements displayed on the award. The spiral on the award “stands for imagination, the power of an idea.” The hand “holds the gifts of skill, discipline and craftsmanship.” The wand and the star “represent magic: the spark ignited when imagination and skill combine to create a new dream.”
Out with the old year, in with the new, right? In all honesty, I can say that 2011 may be the year I am most looking forward to in the world of Disney films. There are great stories, interesting plots and lots of intrigue. And that’s just in the studio offices. So let’s take a look at a few of the different types of films coming out from Disney and their associated studios in 2011.
Where’s the Blue Hat?: A Review of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Another Disney-Bruckheimer collaboration debuted this past week with the opening of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. The film stars the ever-busy Nicolas Cage who some would argue has chosen quantity over quality as he has starred in nearly 30 films over the last decade. It is not the first time that he has teamed up with Bruckheimer, as both National Treasure and its sequel were big at the box office.