Ryan Dosier - I've been going to Walt Disney World since I was three years old. At this point I've been to the Disney Parks at least 15 times (quite honestly I've lost count) so I've gotten quite fond of and quite familiar with almost every inch of my favorite places to go. I have favorite locations in all four of the Walt Disney World parks, so there will be four parts of these posts. Today...
MAGIC KINGDOM
I don't know if Magic Kingdom is my favorite park, but it's definitely top two. The whole park is so beautifully and expertly designed. You can feel the magic of Walt Disney and the great work of all the Disney animators, Imagineers, and talented staff practically oozing from every corner. Here are some of my favorite spots...
The Back of Cinderella Castle
The back of Cinderella's Castle is so under appreciated. It's just as ornately detailed as the front, just as impressive, and simply beautiful. I love walking through Fantasyland and just casting a glance at how magnificent the Castle is.
Partners Garden
Directly in front of Cinderella's Castle is another under-appreciated locale surrounding the classic "Partners" statue featuring Walt and Mickey. There are smaller statues of some of Walt's greatest characters including Chip 'n' Dale, Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket, Dumbo, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald Duck. Each of these statues are beautiful and they are in the literal center of the park's hub.
The Top of Main Street Train Station
Perhaps my absolute favorite spot in the Magic Kingdom is this overlook of Main Street from the top floor of the train station. There are some tables and chairs up there that are almost never filled during the day. Not only is this a perfect place to relax, but it's a quiet, secluded location to watch the daily parade. If you have time to just stop and chill, this is the place to do it.
Tony's Town Square Restaurant
Anytime I'm looking for great food at a great location, I turn to Tony's Town Square. Situated right at the front of Magic Kingdom, this lovely locale is perfect. Yet another fantastic place to retire for an hour or two and enjoy good food, great atmosphere, and an escape from the crazy crowds. Plus, all of the Lady and the Tramp aesthetics make for some amazing decorations.
Gaston's Tavern
Yes, every time I've been there it's been swamped with people, yes it's very kitschy, but how can you not love Gaston's Tavern? It's such a perfect recreation of the location in Beauty and the Beast and it features the awesome Gaston and Le Fou fountain. The interior and exterior are equal in awesomeness. Can't really beat this New Fantasyland area.
Bridge Going to Be Our Guest
Magic Kingdom's best restaurant features one of it's most gorgeous places at night. It is perhaps my favorite place to watch the "Wishes!" fireworks display. Standing here, you're literally engulfed by fireworks. They get shot off in front of you at Cinderella's Castle, and behind you at Beast's Castle. It's outstanding.
Main Street USA at Night
I love Main Street at Christmas, of course, but Main Street USA every night is just breathtaking. Looking down the street and seeing the white lights illuminating every building is just... pure magic, plain and simple.
I'm leaving out so many great places... I love taking the People Mover in Tomorrowland, people watching from the benches by Splash Mountain, the hidden path from Liberty Square to Frontierland, the Dole Whip shop in Adventureland... the list goes on and on.
John Viaes- The 1970’s and 1980’s were
two dark decades for Disney animation. The studio was struggling after Walt
Disney has passed away in 1966. Most of their newest animated films would turn
out to be either commercial or critical failures. A light shined on the animation
world in 1989 with the release of Disney’s 28th feature length animated
feature, The Little Mermaid. Making $211,343,479 at the box office, The
Little Mermaid became a cult classic and was said to have brought back life
in the art of Disney animated feature films and started a the era known as the
Disney Renaissance.
The Little
Mermaid was also very popular that is still selling merchandise to this
day, a broadway show was produced and lasted for a few years, a few attractions
at Disney’s themed parks are inspired by the film, along with an
animated television show for the Disney Channel (which is still being shown in
reruns on Disney Junior) and two direct to video sequels.
One thing about The
Little Mermaid that somehow faded away over time was the infamous stage
show at Walt Disney World starring Sam Wright, the voice actor for the film’s
character, Sebastian the Crab. Two filmings of the show were released onto home
video by Disney in the early 1990’s.
Sebastian’s
Caribbean Jamboree was released in 1991 with Sebastian’s
Party Gras to come one year later. Both videos are live action combined
with animation and feature Wright communicating with the character he portrays
in Disney’s animated classic. Sam performs on stage with a group of
both kids and adult performers and each song they sing is either upbeat, sweet,
or just flat out fun and all done Caribbean style.
Sebastian’s
Caribbean Jamboree focuses on Sam Wright and a group of kids putting on a
show at Walt Disney World. Sebastian is anxious and worried that the show will
not go all as planned. The songs in the video teach Sebastian not to worry so
much and that good things will come all in good time. Songs in this video
consist of such favorites as “Hot, Hot, Hot,”“Arise,”“Three Little Birds,”“Day-O (The Banana Song)”“Music Sweet,”“You Can Get It If You Really Want,”
and the academy award winning Disney classic, “Under the Sea.” The
show ends wonderfully with the well-known “Jamaica Farewell.”
A few of the songs also contain sing-along lyrics at the bottom of the screen.
I’m not so sure where in the resort this was filmed though.
The second
video, Sebastian’s Party Gras, filmed at New
Orleans Square at Walt Disney World, has more songs that give the same vibe the
first video gave. In this show, King Triton discovers a secret that Sebastian
has been hiding, that he performs shows on the shore with Sam when he’s
not performing under the sea with Ariel and her sisters. Triton is outraged by
this and tells Sebastian that this will be his last performance with Sam. Of
course, Sebastian has a difficult time trying to tell Sam as he puts on a
forced smile throughout the show. Triton watches the show from under the sea
and soon changes his point of view. Songs include “Iko,
Iko,”“In De Conga Line,”“Limbo Rock,”“Carousel,”“Octopus’s
Garden,”“Twist and Shout,”“Life is a Magic Thing,” and my personal favorite, “Give
a Little Love.” This video ends nicely, as Sam is
invited to join Disney World’s Party Gras parade the next day.
Both videos,
though dated, are fun and colorful. Sam Wright is very upbeat, happy, and
energetic all the time. He really knows how to speak to his audience and the
people performing with him. The backup dancers are great as well and even the
kids are just as energetic. The songs are performed wonderfully. The only
problem I would have with one is also the same problem I would have with the
other. Whenever Sam talks to Sebastian, the animation for the character is cut
from The Little Mermaid and pasted something else. Clips of Sebastian
speaking with King Triton is nothing but clips from the same film but dubbed
over by the same voice actors. Aside from that, both shows are fun and
colorful, and are still entertaining even when the 90’s are
over. I saw both shows on VHS when I was a little kid before I saw The
Little Mermaid actually and I was very enthused.
Sadly, there are
no plans for Disney to release either of these two shows on DVD. It’s
a shame because I feel as if they would both have served as great bonus
features for The Little Mermaid’s Diamond Edition Blu-Ray release. If
you can find them on VHS or Laserdisc (try looking online), I recommend
checking them out, especially if you are a fan of The Little Mermaid or
of Disney’s theme parks. I think somebody uploaded both of them on
YouTube as well.
Did you see one of these shows when you were younger? Do you
remember what Disney World was like in the early 90’s? Let us know in the comments below or send us an email at mickeymindset@gmail.com!
Disney Animation Review: 14/53 - Peter Pan Ryan Dosier - The next Disney film on the countdown is 1953’s Peter Pan, the fanciful adventure of the boy who never grew up. Walt Disney must have adored this film, because he used Tinker Bell in numerous things once he entered the world of television. Tinker Bell quickly became a second mascot for the Disney company, right next to Mickey Mouse.
The film itself is a fun and fanciful turn with some bright and delightful characters. The opening of the film is incredibly strong, with Peter Pan teaching the Darling children to fly and taking them to Neverland. The film loses a little bit of its steam once they reach Neverland, with some odd experiences with Mermaids and Native Americans, but luckily there’s Captain Hook to keep everything entertaining.
Captain Hook is one of the greatest Disney villains of the animated canon, and perhaps the greatest out of the 14 films I’ve watched so far. He is animated with ferocity and wild gestures that make him stand out. Captain Hook’s greatest feature is his voice, provided by Hans Conried. The voice more than anything gives Captain Hook his devilish character. He and Mr. Smee make for the best part of the film by far.
The character of Peter Pan is an incredibly weak protagonist. He is heroic only for the sake of showing off to Wendy or making a fool of Captain Hook. For the most part, Peter Pan is a selfish, obnoxious, rude character. I suppose since he is a young boy who is in a perpetual state of adolescence these traits make sense, but it feels like he doesn’t learn anything in the film at all.
Tinker Bell is a spectacular character, however, animated with fantastic realism and amazing sass. She stands up for herself and saves Peter’s life. Arguably, Tinker Bell grows more as a character than Peter Pan in the movie. She starts out selfish and jealous and then sacrifices herself for Peter and even saves Wendy.
The design and the colors and the art in Peter Pan are amazing. The Disney team took the source material and ran with it, creating bright, outstanding layouts and impressive, timeless character designs. There are some major weak spots in the middle, but the beginning and the climax to the end are wonderful. Everything Captain Hook does is gold. The youngest Darling child, Michael, is adorable. The animation is amazing. And yet... the music is forgettable. The Lost Boys are obnoxious. Wendy never finds her character.
Overall the film is a fun, fantastical adventure. Peter Pan is nowhere near the greatest Disney feature of this period, but it is still quite good and worthy of the title of Disney Classic and especially worthy of multiple viewings.
Big news this week!
In Star Wars news, it was announced that Disney would be switching the properties of the Star Wars comic book from Dark Horse Comics to Marvel in 2015, the same year Episode VII is released.
Dark Horse has been publishing Star Wars comics since 1989 with their first Star Wars comic Dark Empire. Dark Horse released an offical statement on the matter:
“All things come to pass. So too, do all licensed deals,” said Dark Horse publisher Mike Richardson in a statement on Friday. “It is ironic that this announcement comes at a time when Dark Horse is experiencing its most successful year ever. For obvious reasons, we have prepared for this eventuality by finding new and exciting projects to place on our schedule for 2015 and beyond. Will they take the place of ‘Star Wars?’ That’s a tall order, but we will do our best to make that happen. In the meantime, 2014 may be our last year at the helm of the ‘Star Wars’ comics franchise, but we plan to make it a memorable one. We know that fans of the franchise will expect no less. The Force is with us still.”
It was announced that the Clone Wars franchise will also see an ending, courtesy of Dark Horse and will be released sometime later this year. The script was intended to be a four-part finale special but was obviously never produced. Dark Horse is taking that script and putting towards this comic.
Also, Disney appointed a team to decide of what Star Wars canon should exist in the many years to come. By this meaning that they will decide to replace some Star Wars comics or possibly movies from the official canon to simplify things to the future Star Wars movies so that things do not contradict previous Star Wars works. What is being left out is unknown at the moment.
Continuing in Disney's line of celebrities posing as Disney characters, today Disney released a photo of Jessica Chastian as Pixar's Princess Merida from the 2012 film Brave. Check it out here!
Adam Sanderson, has been promoted as Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications of the Walt Disney Company, which oversees D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Club, Disney Corporate Creative Resources and The Walt Disney Archives. Sanderson started with the company in 1977 when working on Disney Channel and later becoming the vice president, marketing for the ABC Cable Network Corporation.
If there's anything that the Muppets were known for in promotion for their last movie, it's the brilliant marketing strategies they pulled. They parodied very popular films that drew lots of attention to the film when it was released in November. It looks like Disney is pulling slightly the same move in this year's marketing for Muppets Most Wanted.
Not parodying anything in particular, but the style of Academy Award-nominated TV spots you might have seen on TV. They even parodied the Twitter-review element of these spots. See the video to the right.
In other Muppets Most Wanted news, it was announced that a Monsters University short, titled "Party Central" will be shown before the film.
The short was originally intended for Pixar's The Good Dinosaur, which was pushed off until November 2015, so it was decided to switch that for Muppets' March 21st release date.
The Walt Disney World Resorts in Orlando, Florida offered a great sneak peek at the upcoming attraction, The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in the New Fantasyland section of the park. See the video below!
If that wasn't enough, Disney World also released a CG picture of what the ride will look like. No official date on opening, but it's been promised sometime in 2014. I'll bet it'd be right before the busy days of the summer.
Now, in the biggest news this week, Disney proudly announced The Marvel Experience, a travelling show featuring the popular, box-office smashing Marvel properties, including Iron Man, Spider-Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America and more.
In partnership with Hero Ventures, Marvel is bringing the action around the world with the new Marvel experience. The experience will take place in a temporary S.H.I.E.L.D mobile command center as seen in Thor, and inside will feature 4D Experiences, 3D Short films, virtual simulators, character meet and greets, and a whole lot more surprises.
Mitchell Stein- Were you apart of the Virtual Magic Kingdom (VMK) experience a couple of years ago and were sad ever since it left, or did you miss the whole experience and always wished you'd been there for it?
Well, worry no longer. A group of online VMK fans have got together not long ago to create MyVMK, a fan recreation of the famous offical Disney site, VirtualMagicKingdom.com (which now redirects you to the main Disney website). The details in this game are incredible and it looks like an exact copy of what the game was when it was up online. As you walk around the park, you'll see movie posters for several 2005 films, like Chicken Little and Herbie: Fully Loaded which was probably hanging up when the site was up in 2005.
The game is still in Beta mode, which means not all the built-in games are all open, but they still have a few around and it's still a lot of fun to roam the parks when you're out of the real parks.
If you haven't checked it out already, visit the website by typing http://game.myvmk.com/ and make sure to sign up. You'll need to download Adobe Shockwave to play, but don't worry: It's free to download on the Adobe website (MyVMK will redirect you).
Once you've signed up, make sure to email your screen name to us at mickeymindset@gmail.com or leave it in the comments below. We hope to be able to make lots of weekly or monthly meetups in the virtual parks and would like to know where to find you best.
My screen name is FoozieBear and I can usually be found roaming Main Street and Tomorrowland. I hope to see you all there soon!
Disney Movie Review: 13/53 - Alice in Wonderland Ryan Dosier - Today’s film is Alice in Wonderland (1951), Walt Disney’s crazy and colorful animated feat. With Alice in Wonderland, Walt Disney stretched the talents of his animators, designers, and artists to crazy heights. The designs of the characters, the layouts, and everything else are outlandish and wacky and explode onto the screen—probably as Lewis Carroll would have wanted. The colors in this film are strikingly vibrant and bountiful. Each character uses a different palette and stands out on the screen.
But what Alice excels at in design it stumbles mightily in story. Everything in the film is insane and the plot points are more episodic than they are connected. There are out-of-the-blue jaunts with dodo birds, a bafflingly random story of a walrus and a carpenter, and a long song with crabby flowers. These work against the plot in many ways, and characters such as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum along with the White Rabbit just don’t stick as well as they should.
Of course, being Disney, there are some characters that are wonderful. The Mad Hatter and the March Hare are my two favorites. Ed Wynn voices the delightfully batty Hatter with stellar animation from my favorite Disney animator, Ward Kimball. His dialogue and delivery are the film’s best by far and is one of Disney’s craziest and most delightful characters. The domineering Queen of Hearts is also spectacular, and so is the Cheshire Cat. There’s a reason these three characters are the best known in the film.
But the unfortunate thing about Alice in Wonderland is that when characters stand out so well, they disappear almost right away. The Mad Hatter only has one really great scene and appears briefly at the end. The film doesn’t bring out enough enjoyable characters like the Hatter to justify not seeing the good ones long enough.
And yet there truly is a sense of wonder in Alice in Wonderland. It is a joyful, impressive romp through Lewis Carroll’s world that only Disney could deliver. Even young Alice, the unassuming and baffled protagonist, is an enjoyable character. She’s curious and charming as the one pillar of sanity amongst these outrageous characters.
I found myself enjoying Alice in Wonderland on this viewing more than I ever had before. The story still suffers completely and misses some of the charm and delight of other Disney classics, but the handful of electrifying characters makes Alice in Wonderland a fun viewing experience and a great entry in the Disney canon.
Mitchell Stein- Happy New Years! We've been provided with a special copy of the popular Disney Junior TV show, Henry Hugglemonster in his newest adventure Meet the Hugglemonsters which hits DVD shelves on January 14th!
If you have any little ones or know any kids that might enjoy it, make sure to enter here!
We'll be running the contest with Magic To Your Home who will be sponsoring the giveaway.
The contest will be held on Rafflecopter, which will choose a random winner as well. Contest opens today, January 1st to Monday, January 13th. Make sure to enter now in the Rafflecopter link below!
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