Underrated Disney: Hercules

This is an idea that I have been very excited to do. My aim with posts such as this one is to encourage discussions of certain aspects of the Disney franchise that are not represented in the parks as well as we all think that they should be. I hope to have each of you discuss what you think a good way to implement these things into the parks would be!

I am going to begin this by taking a look at the animated movie Hercules.

I have often thought that Hercules was very underrated in the Disney parks, especially with the outstanding music that the film contains. I feel that Hercules is an extremely strong (no pun intended) and entertaining Disney film. It's storyline and characters without a doubt are dynamic enough and fun enough to excel in Disney parks in a variety of ways. I feel that the way Hercules would best fit into the parks is in a show. Now, there is a Hercules musical show that is featured on the Disney cruise line. However, I have not had a chance to see this and it is much more difficult for people to take a cruise than to visit the parks. I feel that it would be great to have a show such as this at the parks. However, I also realize that, at the moment at least, there is not a place for it to go. There is also the possibility in my imagination for a "games" area. This area would revolve around Phil's training of Hercules in the movie and could be a nice playground area for kids. Obviously, various characters were available for meet n greets in the past, but have sadly been retired from duty. I do expect that we can see Hades for the villains party that is planned for Halloween at Disney's Hollywood Studios this year.

Now here is the challenge for all of you. I would like for you to leave a comment with what you think a good Hercules attraction would be. Whether it is a thrill ride, dark ride, show, or whatever, leave a comment with your ideas!

Until Next Time,

-Tom

New Fantasyland Review Part Two: Storybook Circus

For the second part of our look at the New Fantasyland, we will stop and visit the new storybook circus area. Obviously this area is geared more towards younger children, but like all things Disney anyone can have a good time here. The Storybook Circus area contains a couple of attractions, character meets, and a very impressive souvenir store complete with a very tempting show kitchen. So let us begin.

I'm going to go straight for the big draw here, and that is of course Dumbo the flying elephant. When I first heard that they were removing Dumbo from its original location I was not a happy camper. However, after seeing what they were able to do with this attraction I realize that it was one million percent the right decision. The imagineers did an absolutely amazing job in creating an environment for the kids and family that makes waiting in line for this attraction a good time. If you have not had the chance to see it, the new queue for this attraction really isn't a queue at all. Instead, Disney has installed a playground-like area underneath a big top circus tent. Families are issued "tickets" (much like the buzzers used at restaurants) that will alert the family when it is their turn to board the ride. I found that this method worked great and the theming of the play area was outstanding.

The playground waiting area for the Dumbo attraction

Of course the other big addition to Dumbo is the fact that there are now two operating Dumbo rides.

As we move on, we run into the new theming of the Barnstormer attraction. It is now the Barnstormer featuring the Great Goofini. Obviously this is the exact same child friendly rollercoaster as before, just with a new name and new scenery.

What Dumbo themed area would be complete without the crazy Casey Jr. train cars? Well don't you worry, Disney included these and they looked to please the parents here by allowing children to walk up to these train cars and get soaked by various animals. It really is a neat concept and kids will love it. It is definitely interesting to look at.

For those families that interested in meeting the characters, Pete's Silly Sideshow is the place to go. Inside you will be able to meet characters such as Goofy, Daisy, Minnie, and Donald.

The last stop is Big Top Souvenirs. As the name suggests, this is a souvenir store housed inside a giant big top circus tent. The theming here is great and it is a lot of fun to simply walk in this store and look around. In this case, by look around I mean look at the floor, the ceiling, etc., just look around and take in all of the detail. It really is quite amazing. Also a word of warning there are clowns that tend to hang out here. My girlfriend, who is terrified of clowns, saw one in the back of the store and immediately got herself out of there. In the center of the store is a show kitchen that is home to many sweet treats. It is hard to linger around this area to long without being tempted to buy something.

Overall this area is very well themed. It is very fun to go here and take in all of the detail. The big top circus idea was a brilliant one by the imagineers and it fits perfectly into this section of New Fantasyland. If you haven't had a chance to see this, I suggest on your next trip you allow yourself enough time to fully experience this whole area. If you have visited this area leave a comment with your favorite parts! Thank you all for reading!
Until Next Time,
-Tom

OZ The Great and Powerful

So I finally had the opportunity to get to the movies and see Disney's new representation of Oz. I was overall VERY pleased with what htey gave us. I was not too sure what to expect when I went because I had not done a lot of research on what the story would be about. All I knew is that it was a technical prequel to the Oz story that we all know and love. Disney did an absolutely amazing job with this. The story lined up as a great prequel to The Wizard of Oz. It starts of strong and does not let down the entire length of the movie. If you have not had a chance to see this, I highly recommend you give it a look.
Until Next Time,
-Tom

You Can't Put a Price Tag on Memories

There are often times in life when we do not take the time to slow down from the frantic pace of life to fully appreciate those who are special to us. For myself, I am currently finishing up my senior year of college, which means I have been forced to spend most of my time away from my family and my loving girlfriend, and I know that there are many of you out there that do not get to spend the amount of time you would like with the people you hold dearest in your heart.

It is reasons like this that make me realize that Walt really hit the nail on the head when he was finding inspiration for Disneyland. Walt wanted to create a place where families could all go and have fun together. He realized that family and the relationship with the people you love is the most important thing. Walt Disney World is the perfect example of Walt's vision.

(Yeah I don't do well with hats...so what)

Each year my family takes a trip to Walt Disney World over the Christmas holidays. This is undoubtedly the highlight of our year because it means we get to spend time together in a place we all love. Sure, we still race to try to fit in every attraction but we do not take for granted the time we have. I have been truly blessed to have a great family that I can laugh with, share these moments with, and create memories that will last a lifetime. So next time you are in the parks remember to appreciate the ones you love and the ones you are there with, because they are the ones that make it special.
Until Next Time,
Tom

Upcoming Review of Oz the Great and Powerful

Be on the lookout over the next few days for my review of Oz the Great and Powerful. I am planning on going to see this Saturday night, so look for a post to be up at some point that night or Sunday morning. I am very excited to go see this because Disney has put so much effort into advertising it over the last few months that it has to be something special! I look forward to letting you guys know how it is!
Until Next Time,
Tom

Disney During the Holidays

There is nothing quite like Disney around the holidays. The lights, the sounds, the decorations, the special events, there is so much going on around the resort at this time and in classic Disney style they pull it off perfectly. Over the last few years my family has made trips down to the world toward the end of the holiday season and we have gotten to see the various aspects of Disney during the holidays.

It is hard not to fall in love with all that goes on at this time of the year. It is always a breath of fresh air to arrive at a park or enter the lobby of your resort hotel and see the decorations covering every corner. One of the best things anybody can do at Disney over the holidays is resort hopping. Each resort is already unique in its own way and Disney makes sure to add to that over the holidays. Some of my favorites to visit during the holidays are Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Disney's Grand Floridian. However, if you for some reason only have time to visit one, I recommend you make your way to the Grand Floridian to take a look at the gingerbread house.

Yes, that is indeed a larger than life gingerbread house. It is definitely worth a trip to the Grand Floridian just to see this thing.

Another experience that is only available during the holidays is the Osbourne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. This is something you really have to see to understand how absolutely amazing it really is. For a short time each year Disney covers the Streets of America at Disney's Hollywood Studios with tens of thousands of christmas lights that are impressively timed to "dance" to a soundtrack of Christmas music. The real star of this show is that Disney manages to rain fake snow down upon its guests. Seriously, people go nuts for this stuff.

 

Also, if you are lucky, you will get to experience the magic of Disney at its best with they way the can seemingly make these decorations "disappear". In the same way that Disney cast members can decorate the whole resort overnight without guests noticing, they can also take down the decorations undetected. It is quite the shock to go to bed one night with a 40 ft christmas tree in the lobby then wake up the next  morning with it nowhere to be found. Pure Disney magic!

Here is a before and after view of the tree in the lobby at Disney's Dolphin resort from a few years ago. It was the first night of ours stay and we arrived around midnight and awoke early the next morning to hit the parks and it was already gone!

The holidays are already a magical time of year, and it is at its best at Disney. Mickey's very merry christmas party is another special event that is held this time of year. However, you will need to purchase a special ticket for this event. It features a special parade that includes Santa himself, along with hot chocolate, christmas cookies, and that ever impressive snow sent from the gods above. 

The holidays is no doubt one of my favorite times to visit the parks. The crowds do get thick which make lines for attractions lengthy, but I have found that it is more about appreciating the people you are with rather than racing to be the next on Space Mountain. So I encourage you to leave a comment to let us know what you love most about Disney during the holidays, and what your favorite time of the year to visit is and why. Also, if you like what you've seen here please help spread the word and post links to the blog. Thank you as always!

Until Next Time,
Tom

New Fantasyland Review Part One: The World of The Little Mermaid

      I have decided to start off my New Fantasyland review series not with what you may first see when entering the new area of the park, and not with what I was necessarily most excited about seeing when I first got to visit, but with what I was definitely most impressed with when I was leaving. Now, I have always been quite indifferent to the Little Mermaid, didn't hate it didn't love it, but I was absolutely amazed by what Disney was able to do with this area of the Fantasyland expansion. To start off, Ariel's home is located just a short walk from the new enchanted forest that is home to Beast's castle and Belle's village. What is very impressive is the way that the scenery seemingly blends together in a way that makes the transition from an enchanted forest to a seaside castle very smooth. 

     What really steals the show of the landscape in this area is Prince Eric's castle. Pictures can not do the architecture of this structure justice. It is very beautiful and provides a great addition to the landmark castles that call the Magic Kingdom home. 

Located through winding caverns beneath Prince Eric's castle is Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid. Do not get scared off by long lines and wait times, because this attraction is well worth the wait. Also, it is quite and interesting queue so the wait really doesn't seem as bad as it looks. Once again Disney is implementing the interactive queue and they nailed it here. After you make your way through a few winding paths you find yourself in what is supposed to be an underwater area. In this area Ariel has left behind letters and you can see various trinkets that she has left behind. There are also several screens where guests can interact with animated crabs that are looking for sunken treasure. The queue ends with a great animatronic of Scuttle talking to guests. Overall Disney did a great job with this queue

This attraction was a definite breath of fresh air. It is a good throwback to the classic Disney dark rides of Fantasyland (looking at you Peter Pan, Snow White, and Mr. Toad). That being said, I feel Ariel and company take this to a whole new level. This ride is a little bit lengthier than say Peter Pan, and the scenes and music that are depicted are absolutely perfect. 

The kiss the girl was definitely one of the highlights of the attraction. A song that everyone loves and Disney did an unbelievable job creating this scene. Everything about this scene is perfect.

Another highlight was without a doubt the Ursula animatronic. This thing is HUGE and very impressive. 

Finally, a very well put together scene is the under the sea section of the ride. There are several impressive animatronics of Sebastian in this area. 

To round up this area of Fantasyland I have to mention that Ariel's grotto has also moved here. As before, this is basically a place where you can wait for an ungodly amount of time to meet Ariel in her own environment.

The Little Mermaid theme was definitely and surprisingly my favorite addition in the New Fantasyland expansion. The landscape and scenery is absolutely delightful and Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid is a great attraction to go along with the already impressive land. I hope you all get the opportunity to visit this soon and I know I can not wait to get back! I am looking to have the next part of the New Fantasyland review up soon!

Also, if you like what you've read here, please share with your friends, family, co-workers, link to facebook or twitter, and encourage them to do the same. In the same fashion if you do not like what you've read here, please share with your enemies, in-laws, whatever you have to do to help spread the word would be greatly appreciated!

Until Next Time,

Tom