Christmastime is Here....Trip Report, Part 1

Hey there, Hi there, Ho there!

I spent a productive day in the parks trying to get as much of a Christmas decorations and overlays as possible.  And...I might have been too successful.  So, this update will be a two part EXTRAVAGANZA!!!!!!!!!!

Disneyland today, DCA in a few days....and a third piece exclusively on the Festival of Holidays.

But let me start really quick with parking and security.  Last week, it was reported that Disney will move security check in stations to include Downtown Disney, so people going from the shopping center to the parks won't have to be checked closer to the parks, and guests arriving from the trams will be checked AT the Mickey and Friends parking structure.

As of Tuesday, that hasn't happened yet.  Shame, I was looking forward to it, which sounds weird, but change is good.

However, the Pinocchio parking lot is under a MASSIVE amount of construction. I haven't checked Micechat this week, but are they planning to expand it to accommodate more cars? If so, not a bad idea.  At the time, it didn't seem to be impeding the process of tram boarding, but TouringPlans.com listed yesterday as a 3 out of 10 (Touring Plans do not advertise with the blog, but I'd let them.  A GREAT app!)

The pumpkins are down, and the snowflakes are up!
No, NOT Elsa's crown! Whoever said that needs a time out!

Even the beautiful Main Street horses are in the holiday spirit!

In the Market House, home of Starbucks, there are still a few 60th Anniversary cups left.  Which makes me feel stupid since on July 17th, 2015, I was dispatched to buy...I think four of the hot mugs.

The tree in the Market House is a lovely example of Disney's ability to decorate for the holidays within the world of the land.  Near my house is a Victorian home built by the founder of our town.  They have a Victorian Christmas annually, and these kind of decorations are very dear to me.

As a habit, I at least listen to a couple minutes of the party line, but unfortunately, the phones weren't working.  Who do I call to get on this?!

I saw these trees in the windows of the camera shop. I want them! Where can I find these!
Again, the attention to detail is astonishing. I should have tried to find the Menorah in one of the windows....Next time!

I adore these small (fir?) trees in the planters around the hub. Horticulture is an often under appreciated branch of the Disney theme parks divisions. I mean...they planted mini trees! MINI TREES!

The diamonds of the 60th have frozen, apparently....
No Frozen jokes....don't you dare!

Back in Fantasyland, the parade lighting (and I'd assume it's also used for the projections on Small World....too far away?) was disguised with these interesting Mary Blair-esque coverings. Not 100% sure how I feel about it, perhaps they should have stayed in the white color scheme.  But I applaud the effort. I wonder if some kind of changes are on the way after the holidays to gets these lights into the lighting posts....right next to the temporary post.....

OK, this is the definition of hell. RIGHT. HERE.
Really, everyone? HALF the space next to Small World in front of the entrance to ToonTown was littered with stroller parking.  It appears they moved it away from in front of Small World, but...Dear me, WHY?!

ToonTown's sign is being refurbished.

I don't get back to ToonTown often, but I'm glad I did to see their decorations.  It's worth an early morning power walk to the back of the park, while it's kind of quiet.

This fire station often reminds me of the many firefighters in my family, so if any of you read the blog, this is for you! xo

Alright, back to Small World.  There was a little stage in front of it, but the Christmas Parade has already been shot for Christmas Day so..what gives?

I don't know about the rest of you, readers, but 2016 hasn't been...great.
To paraphrase the television show M*A*S*H, "2017, May she be a damn sight better than last year."

Last year (or the year before) Disney switched up the strings of lights with the nice faux ironwork in the Latin America section, and it's just fantastic.

Anyone ever hear the great story from Imagineer Alice Davis about the can can girls? Their knees kept wearing out too quickly due to movement.  At the time of the World's Fair, they didn't have time to really find a solution, so she just made their bloomers longer to cover their knees.  In New York, Walt Disney was showing the attraction to the UNICEF and PepsiCo people, and noticed the longer bloomers.  Alice was nearby, wearily waiting to hear about the bloomers.  Walt called over to her, "Hey, Alice, why are their bloomers so long?".  Without skipping a beat, she replied, "Well, you said you wanted a family show!", escaping before Walt could ask a follow-up question.

God Bless Alice Davis, she has many great stories like this.

Apparently, I ran into nap time near the castle. Aren't they cute?!
Sorry, my mother often makes fun of how I brake to take pictures of animals.

In Frontierland, they had these nice Native American influenced decorations. Neat!

Now, I won't lie, it was hard as heck to get a picture of this new tree in front...uh, on top of, the Jungle Cruise. But it was CRAZY! Fish bones and bananas. It further extends the story, though it looked more like something in a Tim Burton movie...

Not a lot of changes to the Jingle Cruise this year.  They really stepped it up from the first year, where I think they were a little nervous about it, but then decided to just go all out, and it's PERFECT! And Brandon was a great skipper, if you get him. The Pirranukah joke will always be funny!

One last detail I'd like to point out...ordinarily there is a lamp in Walt's apartment, to signify that his spirit is always in the park. I love the change to a Christmas tree. I'm not even sure why. So his spirit won't feel left out of the festivities? Maybe it's the illusion that life still exists in that apartment. Or that Walt's interest in detail lives on...

Disneyland is always beautiful, but Christmas brings on both an additional shine as well as a comfort.  I think Walt would be proud of Main Street at Christmas.  The music loop, the tree, everything in period.  It's just a tonic in troubling times. I wish Disney wouldn't push so many people to come to the parks in this state. When you can just sit with a gingerbread latte and enjoy the ambiance, it's a little that means a lot.

So, that's part one of the Disneyland Resort at Christmas photo essay SPECTACULAR!!!!!!!!

In the meantime...

Any questions? Requests? Comments? Go ahead and respond down below! Share the post! Have a great week!

Life's Like a Movie - Floyd Norman: An Animated Life

Sorry for my absence, hopefully, I'll be back on track!

Last night, I had the pleasure (Thanks to the website TheWrap) to go to a screening of Floyd Norman: An Animated Life, a new documentary following the life of Disney Legend, animator, story man, and all around creative Floyd Norman.

For those who don't know (but not to spoil much), Mr. Norman worked for Disney starting with Sleeping Beauty.  In his long career, he's worked in different division with the company, Pixar, with Bill Cosby, and Hanna-Barbera, as well as independently. A self-described troublemaker, his career is essentially a history of animation itself.

It's hard to really sum up the movie without spoiling it, but Norman was, kind of accidentally, the first African American artist at the Disney Company.  His history with the company is varied and unbiased, even to the present day.

I found it similar to the documentary on Big Bird performer Carroll Spinney (I Am Big Bird), in various ways.  Both films chronicle the life of an artist whose legacy is tied to a larger figure/company, both express their creative in more ways than the medium they're known for, and both films augment the wonderful stories told with animation.  In Norman's case, this is achieved with gags he wrote himself, and much of his delightful, subversive artwork is displayed in the film.

I can't say enough good things about this film. Again, it doesn't put the rose-colored glasses on the Disney Company, and just allows Floyd to tell the story of his life. Race is almost a non-issue in the film, Norman himself admitting it in the first few minutes.  The film does pose questions The Disney Company left unanswered, which I will allow you all to decide for yourselves once you see it.

Viewers unaware of Norman's reach in the animation industry will be astonished to find his hand in many of their childhood favorites, and I think that's one of the highest goals of a documentary like this, allowing the adult to discover the hands and hearts behind the works we loved as a child.

I'm so utterly loathe to give away any more information, I just want people to see this movie.  Really, you NEED to. It's interesting, funny, informative, and heartwarming, but not a puff piece at all.

A couple of years ago, I had the distinct honor of meeting Floyd at the Disney Studios, after a D23 screening of Mary Poppins.  He was responsible for all the pearls on the Pearly Band in the Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious segment of the movie.  Just sit back and think about that a little....ALL those pearls. Imagineer Rolly Crump's first job at Disney was doing the spots on the Dalmatians in 101 Dalmatians....he didn't last long in Animation....so that Norman's career lasted beyond that bear of a job makes him a gosh darn HERO in my eyes!

After the screening, filmmakers Michael Fiore, Erik Sharkey, and composer Ryan Shore. They were gracious enough to track the decision to make a movie about Floyd, which was understandably very quick. I was sorry to hear how Disney, as a company, supported, or rather didn't support the production, because the filmmakers would like to do a series of these films on Disney Legends.  A fantastic idea.

So, in this entry, I'm including links to the website and to Floyd's wonderful blog filled with interesting stories from his vast career. He's got stories about Walt, Michael Jackson and so many more in between, along with his lovely sketches and gags.

http://floydnormancom.squarespace.com

And here is the link to the documentary's website: http://floydnormanmovie.com

And, finally, here is the trailer. PLEASE go see this movie! Get it on iTunes, it's on Netflix...go. Run, don't walk.

P.S. Mr. Norman, should you happen to read this...my mother and I saw you at the last D23 Expo, eating your lunch.  We didn't want to bother you, but if you saw two women staring, that was us.  Hi!

Have a good week, everybody!

Are you Ready for Halloween?

The answer to the question/song is, YES! But Disneyland Operations isn't...find out why below!

Hi, everyone!

Monday my family (specifically my mother, grandmother and her younger brother, my Uncle Memo, from the previous blog post) and I went to the Halloween party.  Of course, we rode other attractions, but I'll keep it to the Halloween-ness today.

Decor, as usual, is out.

So, we stopped in the Showcase and they still had some 60th anniversary merchandise.  Though I saw about a day or so later on Micechat it had switched to Christmas merch. Talk about a fat turnover!

But I saw these and had a question...what the HECK are they? Too thick to be a lanyard...and I didn't see these belt-like things the entire 60th.  What's up here?

The Showcase always has great in period decor to the holidays.

All the bunting gives a nice tinge to Main Street.

Haunted Mansion Holiday, of course, had a long wait. You hit that weird period where people are coming in for the party and day guests are trying to get the ride in before they're shoo-ed gently out of the park.

TIP: party guests are allowed in starting at 3. Make use of all the time you have. Come in while day guests are still in the park, EAT and do Haunted Mansion Holiday so you're not stuck trying to do it during the party and waste the time you have.

So, while waiting in line, I remembered we had these gravestones put up, but the names are interesting. I see a Wathel in there, in reference to Imagineer Wathel Rogers, and Phineas Pock, a character inside the attraction, but otherwise the names were not as recognizable.  So, I'm kind of wondering what the deal is.  It's interesting to make use of that space where people technically can't go.  I suppose after the holiday overlay gets packed up, we'll see....

Sorry, I didn't get as great a shot of the new addition to the Mansion, Sally, as I thought I would.  I hadn't told my mother she'd been added, so I wanted to see her reaction.

I have to say, she's a beautiful figure! Just looks so perfect, and I adore her foot kicked up behind her as you go by, watching her beloved Jack. So sweet!

Party Time
This year, you could start to check in at 3.  Since we were in the park earlier (my uncle got to the park in the morning, and therefore was parked in the Toy Story lot. This is a good reminder, don't do that!) we did have to do the check-in, thankfully available in Frontierland.

Unfortunately, the check-in station is subject to unorganized families (seriously, don't shove your double wide stroller through to talk to a cast member!) and people wondering why they're being kicked out of the park so early. It took a little time, I feel they could have utilized the space better, but it was nice to not have to go ALL the way back to the front of the park to get our wristbands and trick or treat bags (featuring Moana and Beauty and the Beast).

Now, personally, my favorite Treat Trails are the ones that go inside or utilize what seems like a small amount of space. The Golden Horseshoe is one of them.

Inside, they had a fabulous set up in the spirit of the season (despite the stacks of treats behind the bar. Please, just hand me the box of Pirate Booty and I'd be good all night!).

These skeletons were really...adorable? Can skeletons be adorable? Cute? Fun? You know what I mean! Having their own little vignettes....

Outside, in Frontierland, is the Halloween Tree as imagined by Ray Bradbury, renowned author and friend to Walt Disney. The light was a little funky to get a picture of the plaque, but it's such a nice delicate touch to the whole season.

OK, I just love these balloons...balloons? floaty things? Decorations of Ghost and Pumpkin Mickey.  They're a perfect emblem of the season in a happy, non-spider way.

The Main Street Cinema, however, did have a few fake spiders.  Not cool, Main Street Cinema. I had to watch the cartoon with more interest than usual to mentally avoid them...

It was a little crowded to get pictures but in the Pirate-palooza area, Donald, Chip and Dale were all available for pictures in Pirate costumes.  They were very cute, but the place where the line started was unclear and potentially interweaving into the Treat Trail.

Pumpkin Mickey!

Disneyland Ops FAIL

Ok, I'm going to take a little break from the cuteness to discuss a real problem here.
The first parade was at 8:30 with the fireworks at 9:30.

My party decided to find a spot for the parade and take team further treat trails and attractions. We asked TWO separate Cast Members about the benches on Main Street.  We asked if they'd be moved forward, as often happened with Paint the Night.  Both cast members said they might, but if they hadn't by now, they wouldn't be.  But we should worry because the guests sitting in front of us would be seated.

So, not long before the Headless Horseman made his way down Main Street, another cast member told everyone on our portion of the street to STAND UP.  Well, most refused to do so, and I actually felt bad for the one family who stood until the parade started because they were confused, receiving conflicting information.  Five minutes later, the Cast Member came back to remind people to stand and we asked Why.  He informed us, "That's what I was told." Most of the people in front of us elected to sit, so as not to disrupt our view. But those who stood, to my right, made it difficult for me to take proper pictures of the Horseman or the Parade itself.

Now, Disney has some of the finest minds working for it, in all departments.  And yet, they can't come up with a consistent enough policy for parades and fireworks? Really?

The idea of making everyone stand when everyone would have had a good view sitting made no sense whatsoever.

And this isn't the first time we've had issues with parade control. Now Disney seems to be striving to have people packed in for parades, fireworks, and "nighttime spectaculars", but they don't seem to want to deal with crowd or communication with the front line CMs.

I think Disneyland Ops needs to take the Paint the Night hiatus and figure something consistent out.
Between the mistreatment of the Tower of Terror, the survey circulating proposing a 3 month blackout period when a new attraction opens, and the mismanagement of crowds in the parks, Disney is continuing to alienate its customers.  And with Universal stepping up their game so well, Management should be doing whatever possible to keep fans happy, lest they fall in for the siren song of butterbeer.

(And, AutoCorrect needs to cool it on the word butterbeer!)

So, this shot above is one of the best I could get of the Headless Horseman.  I agree he's quite a sight. Of all the things imported from Orlando, I'm glad this came. From our spot in the hub, he actually turned and made several passes, giving you a good chance to see him.

But the parade itself....meh. The music was kind of odd.  They need to cut that intro.  It was just confusing.

I loved the Nightmare Before Christmas emphasis. The Mayor's car was larger than I anticipated.

I'm also please The Shadow Man from Princess and the Frog gets a little more action during Halloween.

Disney's getting fond of the tower float to end a parade....not saying it's bad, it's just interesting.


And here's the haul for the night (pre-trading, save for the Peep I immediately handed over to my mother, who prefers them.) Frankly, you do better on a night at Disneyland than I think I did most of my childhood!

Overall, the party is great as usual, I do recommend it, but make sure you have a game plan going in. 

Do you want to ride attractions? My uncle and I were able to shove in a ride on Star Tours between the parade and fireworks. 

Treat Trails more your game? While we didn't do the ToonTown pre-party, the previous year they did it, it was cute...don't know if it was entirely worth the time.

Characters? This is probably the toughest part. I don't think I've done more than one character stop per party, and haven't in the past two years. Not since I hugged Roger Rabbit at the last ToonTown pre-party...

Also, for APs, go ahead and do the special stop for Annual Passholders....we got a lot of treats, a nice tote bag (do it early and use the bag for all the treat trails!) and a keychain for Doctor Strange....but seeing as I'm not a Marvel fan, this keychain may be up for grabs in a future contest. Keep reading and I'll cook up something! 

Also, the AP special treat station was back in Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, and they used the auditorium space to show Halloween themed cartoons.  A great place to kick back for a moment or two.

Again, my real issue is with the Operations Department. In general, and during the party, they really need to get their act together. 

Happy Halloween Month, everyone! 

In a few more days, I'm going to finally review the Build-a-Bear version of Elliot from Pete's Dragon, and use the film to discuss Disney's approach to reboots. 

Can I Use that Curse Word now? Tower of Terror....Again.

Alright, hello everyone.

I didn't think I was going to do another blog post on the Tower of Terror, but Disney has forced my hand and I NEED to speak up about this.  I am currently incensed at what I witnessed yesterday, and I feel obligated to share it.

So, my mother and I took my Aunt's two daughters to DCA in the afternoon.  The baby, now 6, needed her birthday button.  And the elder, Naomi, now 13, and I had a mission to get her on the Tower of Terror before Disney rethemes it for Guardians of the Galaxy.  I think I made my feelings plain in my previous blog. (http://theshadowofthemouse.blogspot.com/2016/08/can-i-use-that-curse-word-now-i-finally.html)

So, we each split off, my mom taking Olivia towards the Little Mermaid attraction, Naomi and myself to the Tower.

First, yes, the sign is gone. Plus, there is scaffolding on the side of the building. Visible to guests. Now, if you follow me on Twitter, again, my feelings on this removal of the sign have also been made clear.  It's insulting to the guests.  Did it honestly not occur to management that the aesthetics of the attraction contributes to the experience? Or did they care? I assume the answer is the latter at this point.

Tower of Scaffolding. 

So, around 2:09 we got int the 65 minute wait. (I verified these times with text messages to my mother, by the way). And of course there is a bit of a wait because people want to ride it before it closes.  We eventually make it to the boiler room and are directed up the stairs.  Now, if memory serves there are three elevator shafts and two floors, so that totals six separate elevator cars to accommodate guests. I didn't get to see how many were running downstairs but upstairs....only ONE.  1/3 of the capacity. I think we waited as long inside as we did outside. It was just after 4pm when we got out of the ride.  That's right. TWO HOURS.

Can I just unscrew this and take it with me NOW?

Now, Disneyland management...what could be the cause of all this?  For starters, I believe it was Micechat that reported one mine shaft being down while Disney installs the tech upgrades to the attraction.  Now, that doesn't really make sense to me because why would you risk accidentally damaging anything between January and May when this monstrosity debuts... But TWO shafts down? The attraction is operating at 33% capacity when you know for a fact people are coming to experience the attraction for the last time? When you have ENCOURAGED people to come and "celebrate" with singers, and merchandise*?

*While leaving down Hollywoodland, I spied a cast member dragging a luggage rack full of "Final Check Out" shirts and boxes of merch to the shop at the exit of Tower of Terror.

And yet, Disney seems to be doing whatever possible to thumb their noses at their stakeholders, the APs.

For those who need a little clarification, there is a difference between Shareholder value of a company and stakeholder value.   SHAREholder's are of course those who have purchased a financial share in your company, while STAKEholders are those who, as customers/clients/etc. share in the fortunes of the company in a different way.  I'd argue the APs are part of the stakeholders, and at this point, Disney is spitting on them with how they are managing this attraction closure. (Thank you, Len Testa, from TouringPlans.com for introducing me to this theory. It's right on the money.)

OK, Disney, I get it, you're trying to be "relevant". Because that's worked before.... (pause while we all come up with examples).  AND, like the Main Street Electrical Parade, you are trying to monetize the change. (Because, yeah, that parade is never coming back....).  But if you needed SO much time to destroy, PARDON!, re-theme the attraction, why didn't you JUST close it? You need to discourage visitors from visiting by running at minimum capacity, further inflating the wait times?

To top things off, in the past two weeks, Disney has been posting photos and video of the model for Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout! for the public to see, completely ignoring the backlash for the Tower of Terror.  This utterly tone-deaf response is appalling.  I don't know that I really have any words for it.  Disgusting, offensive....rude....ok maybe a few words.

While I understand Disney is a company that can technically do anything they want to their parks, this response and the continued response to the Tower of Terror lazy re-theme has gone entirely against the philosophy of the company.  Disney, YOU are alienating your customers...vociferously. What's next? Is Bob Chapek going to stand outside the Tower and throw tomatoes at anyone leaving the attraction with a smile on their face?

And I'm sorry to be harping on this, everyone, but to physically witness the treatment this attraction, and fans of it, are receiving, is beneath Disney. It seems they also wish to ruin their own reputation as a haven away from the world.

Shame on you, Disney.

God Bless the Silver Lake Sisters for their professionalism.

However, when the Silver Lake Sisters aren't performing, things look regrettably, already more blank.

Outside was a window display too cute to leave undocumented. 

It's such a shame little details like this will also go by the wayside for the loud and garish.

Luigi's Rollicking Roadsters

And just to add a little levity to the post, here's some of Luigi's.  The re-imagining of the attraction is just adorable, leaving the original queue in all its splendor.

I just love the new story and all the little dancing cars.  It's a delight to watch while you wait.  And quite infectious.  I know my family's cars weren't the only vehicles with its riders dancing along. It's the opposite of the Tower of Terror debacle, it's a well Imagineered ride that allows riders to forget their troubles while they ride.

That's it for tonight.  See you all real soon! Stay tuned for another post tomorrow, and one Wednesday after I head to Mickey's Halloween party on Monday.