Frozen in May

Brrrrrrr.......Shiver........ The new Frozen musical opens at the Hyperion Theater May 27.  I've been Frozened to death over the last year or two and sure didn't want this.

Please remember fondly the great 12 year run of the wonderful Aladdin musical. Gone but certainly never forgotten.  We'll miss you Genie.

The Tower of Terror - Anxiety Revisited

A couple of years back in a posting on another website, I wrote that I has officially retired from going on The Hollywood Tower of Terror. Anxiety had got the best of me. It wasn't the ride that got to me. From the time you strap in, the ride experience is what?....maybe 40 seconds long? It's easy to think that in less than a minute a relatively benign ride will have me walking towards the exit (which is a store of course with plenty of do-dads that tell you how you survived the Tower or Terror).

No it wasn't the ride, it was the waiting to get on the ride that eventually led to my retirement from the Tower of Terror. The little waiting room scene with Rod Serling on the TV added to the the rides immense theming and didn't bother me. The ghouls that made sure everyone got strapped in didn't bother me. What finally got to me was standing there waiting for the elevator doors to open. That was the moment that did me in.

I could feel my heart beat faster, the anxiety level rise. The waiting....however brief it was......got to me. The ride was only the finishing step to getting out of the place.

It's been 4 years now since I've been on the Tower of Terror and I'm fine with it having made the elevator plunge at least a dozen times in my lifetime. The only way I could see getting on the ride again would be to go with someone who wanted to spend the time waiting for the elevator doors to open talking about the weather or where we are going for dinner. Sometimes distractions from what is about to be are a good thing,

Wishing for Disneyland's Own Festival of Lights

Several months ago, I was a contributing writer to a very nice Disney website called Disney Dose which covers activities in both Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts. That was back when I had more time (B.F. - before father-in-law came to live with us). I barely have time for this site now, but I keep it going to keep me sometimes smiling in a world that is sometimes lacking in heart. 

Anyway, one of the things I was writing about in Disney Dose was comparing the attractions in WDW and Disneyland. They are becoming more similar all the time but because there is so much more space in WDW, the scale of the place is incomparable. Two of the things I mentioned that I wish Disneyland had that WDW does have, is the ride Expedition Everest - a themed coaster of epic proportions. I also wish Disneyland had something approaching EPCOT's World Showcase where other cultures could be grandly displayed and celebrated.

Well, as the Christmas season is upon us, I sure wish Disneyland had something approaching Disney Hollywood's Studios Osborne Festival of Lights where the sheer power of small electrical light bulbs is put on display in powerful, miraculous ways. It is a spectacle and the Disneyland Castle Lighting and the it's a small world facade can't even remotely compare with what WDW does.

Someday I hope that changes. A lot that goes on in the Disney California Adventure Hollywood Backlot / Hollywoodland area is a waste. Think of that massive time waster ElecTRONica they put back there a few years ago. Think about taking nonsense like that, with its massive lighting structures and projection screens out, then covering the backlots with Christmas lights. That would pack people in of all ages, not just the Glowfest, ElecTRONica, Mad T Party kids which only seems to serve a a flimsy facade to serve elaborate overpriced alcoholic beverages.

Jennings Osborne passed away a year or two ago. Get on the internet or Wikipedia and read about this remarkable man who left a lasting Disneyland legacy mostly as a gift.

Aladdin's Carpet Soars Again

Easily (and I mean easily) the highlight of Disney California Adventure's stage spectacle Aladdin at the Hyperion Theater was the sequence that saw Aladdin and Jasmine fly through the air on a magic carpet ride while performing A Whole New World. Well that sequence has been grounded for about a year and half after a technical mishap had the carpet with its strapped-in performers dangling upside-down waiting for rescue. Since that time (Sept. 2011), the flying carpet has been removed from the show and the song performed from the stage rather than soaring from the rafters.

Without the flying carpet, many fans of the show, myself included, have said that well...maybe...it might be time for another show. After all, Aladdin is about 10 years old and is a bit long in the tooth (but still plays before packed crowds). Well, good news. The flying carpet / A Whole New World sequence has returned to performances as of last weekend. And now fans of the show who have seen it multiple times, can return to saying that Aladdin is clearly one of the best things Disney California Adventure has to offer.

Welcome back carpet....

Muppets Shut Out Of Their Own Theater At Christmas

Now this irks me - which admittedly, isn't hard to do. For the last 6 weeks or so Disney has used the Muppet Theater in Disney California Adventure's Hollywood Land to promote Tim Burton's Frankenweenie movie, a movie few paying customers actually went to see. So here we are, heading towards the Christmas holidays, a time when Muppets shine with holiday spirit, and instead of putting the beloved puppets back in their own theater, Disney is going to use building to promote the Disney Channel's Prep and Landing TV show, which has something to do with Christmas, but I'm not actually sure what because I HAVE NEVER SEEN PREP AND LANDING, nor care to.

Now granted, the Muppets 3D movie shown in DCA, now over 10 years old, doesn't exactly pack in the audience anymore but whose fault is that? The movie is grainy and dated and just looks dull and worn in the age of sparkling digital prints. Guess what? Disney makes movies. They could have easily come with other Muppet adventures to rotate into what is a very nice theater. Instead we get Prep and Landing, cheaply made digital graphic animation over Muppets, endearing characters with hearts and souls and the touch of the human hand of real puppeteers.

Why did Disney even bother purchasing Jim Henson's Muppets? They have done so little with them. Disney made a new Muppet movie last year that was a moderate success. While the movie played in theaters, the Muppets were brought out of their closet and given an actual presence in the theme parks. When the movie passed on into home video land, Disney put the Muppets back into the closet where they are left, neglected. Far too busy with The Avengers and buying Star Wars characters to be concerned about something as trivial as Muppets. Guess what Disney? A lot of people still love the Muppets now decades after their glory days, and neglectfully ignoring their importance only serves to irk those who can still be counted on as loyal fans.

A Second Thought About the DCA Disney Animation Building

I have to admit that I don't give a whole lot of thought about what goes on inside the Disney Animation Building In DCA. Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I go in there because (in no particular order)  1) it's cool inside and on a hot day it's a nice way to get out of the heat  2) we enjoy Turtle Talk With Crush which is often amusing and  3) the Toy Story Zoetrope is amazing.

There are a few other things going on inside the building like the Beast's Library but I have to admit, I haven't gone in there in about 8 years. Disney posted this video a week or so about updates to the Library section of the Animation Building. It's not a Bucket List type thing to get back in there but looks like an interesting thing to do.

Let The Madness Begin! Mad T Party Soft Opens in DCA

Entrance to Mad T Party - USA Today Travel

Though Disney California Adventure's Mad T Party street party isn't officially scheduled to open until June 15th with the rest of the DCA relaunch, last night the audio visual assault on ones senses soft opened to an enthusiastic crowd of mostly a younger demographic than the ol' Disneyland Traveler here. Colorful? You bet. Upbeat? C'mon, it's a party after all. Weird? Well, there's that too.

Anyway, my favorite Disneyland (and all things Southern California) YouTube videographer - Asianjma123 - has already uploaded the Walk Thru of last night's premiere of Mad T Party. Enjoy the sights and sounds in his video.

I was pretty hard on ElecTRONica in some of my posting over the last year until it closed up for good. The street party concept in DCA, now in it's 3rd generation, is just something that seems foreign to my vision of a Disney experience. But they are very popular with a certain age group and Disney parks are supposed to be for people of all ages. I'm not going to be as hard on Mad T Party as I was with ElecTRONica. Mad T Party already has a big plus for me by confining the rigging, sets, and equipment to the plaza area outside Monsters Inc and Stage 17 rather than having it sprawl all over the Backlots (now Hollywoodland) area like the obtrusive ElecTRONica. (My other issue with ElecTRONica was that at just under 2 years, it just lasted far longer than it should have)

Anyway, if Mad T Pary is still playing when Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I make our next trip, we'll make it a point to stop by and take pictures and shoot video to check the box and prove that we were there. I'll stand around scratch my head and wear a look of bemused puzzlement. I'll need one of those $11.50 cocktails to reel in my sanity. And once we've spent about a half hour taking in the sights and sounds, we'll move on probably never to return to the Mad T Party, just like our ElecTRONica experience. 

House of Cards - Mad T Party - USA Today Travel

Changing the Landscape - Removing Stuff from DCA

The X-1 in front of Taste Pilot's Grill - it has now been removed

As Buena Vista Street motors toward its June completion, the decision was made to remove a couple very large decorative pieces that have been in place since Disney California Adventure opened. The first item of note that was removed last week was the replica X-1 plane that came blasting out of the front of Taste Pilot's Grill over by Soarin' Over California.  It appears the rather large plane was rather an eyesore to the Buena Vista St. site lines so John Lasseter himself wanted it removed. I'm not sure how I feel about this.  I rather liked looking up seeing the X-1 and if you don't know its history, it is a replica of the jet plane that Chuck Yeager flew that first broke the sound barrier.  If you have an extra 3 hours, go rent the great movie The Right Stuff and see the X-1 in action.  Sorry to see it go but they could be right about the site lines.  A plane from the early 1950s in view from an area to was built to recreate Hollywood of the 20's and 30's - probably not cool.

The other two items of note removed were the two large elephants that sat on pedestools at the entrance to Hollywood Pictures Backlots (now known as Hollywood Land).  Been looking at these things for years.  Good riddance.  They were actually kind of silly looking.  I'm sure there is a story of what they were supposed to represent but I don't care enough to want to go find out why they were there in the first place.

Aldaddin - A Magical Musical Spectacular

Yesterday at the 4:45 pm performance of Aladdin A Musical Spectacular (that is performed 5 days a week at DCA's Hyperion Theater) the magic carpet that soars above the theater with Aladdin and Jasmine riding it while performing A Whole New World, flipped upside down leaving the two performers hanging in the air by their safety harnesses. The audience was quickly removed and the performers were brought down safely.  Thankfully, no one was hurt. Here is a short YouTube video of the performers dangling from the magic carpet as the audience evacuates:

All Disney accidents are investigated. Sometimes internally. Sometimes by safety officials (OSHA). In either case, I would suspect at least a temporary interruption in the performances of the 50 minute stage show that has a large cast and entertains guests by the thousands each day. Another story has come out that performances would continue but without the flying carpet sequence (the highlight of the show).

Aladdin is one of the jewels of Disney California Adventure and is easily one of the top ten attractions in either park.  This is a true Broadway musical in an abbreviated form but at 50 minutes it still packs music, adventure, comedy, and stunning stage visuals by the score as the story, based on the animated Aladdin film, is told.  I have to say I have probably seen Aladdin 8 to 10 times and enjoyed every single minute of it with the only drawback being having to stand in that miserable queue line outside, as they don't let the guests in until right before show time. 

The Whole New World segment is one of my Disneyland (DCA in this case) goosebump moments.  To see Aladdin and Jasmine soaring above you (or below you if you are well up in the balcony) with that beautiful song being sung is just one of those pure Disney magic moments.

A year or so ago, Disney tried to remove Aladdin. They floated out the rumor of a new stage show (Toy Story The Musical) coming to replace Aladdin and it was immediately met with a chorus of "NO, DON'T DO IT" from the throng of fans of the show. The rumor quickly faded away however, the idea of a new show coming on board once all of the construction/expansion is complete is still strong.

If you go to Disneyland and haven't seen Aladdin.....put it on your must-do list. Yes, it does take a chunk of time both in the performance and the wait to get in but it is well worth it. It's a delight for guests of all ages.

The Amazing Toy Story Zoetrope

I can't help myself. I have probably seen it a dozen times before but on every trip to the Disneyland Resort I have to stop by the Disney Animation Building in DCA to check out the amazing Toy Story Zoetrope. I can't explain my fascination with seeing this thing but it's there. Maybe it's seeing what the human brain is capable of doing when models spinning on a platter hit the magical speed, but it never ceases to amaze me. The Toy Story Zoetrope, built by Pixar, is just one of the things that make visiting a Disney park so special - how a small little attraction adds so much to the detail and intricacies of the parks. Check out the Toy Story Zoetrope below in a video I found on YouTube and you can be amazed too.

Turtle Talk (with Video)

Turtle Talk with Crush in the Disney Animation Building in the Hollywood Backlots (soon to be Hollywoodland) area of DCA is for kids.  Well, kids of all ages, but mostly kids.  It allows them to interact in real time with the super cool Crush from the Finding Nemo Pixar film.  It can be hysterically funny but can also fall a bit flat.  Like most "live" performances, Turtle Talk is dependent to a certain degree of the level of audience participation, the questions being asked, and what is being said.  Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I are Crush fans but I have to say, the last couple of times we have been in there, the performance has been a bit on the flat side.  With Crush, you never go in there quite knowing what you'll get.  You may get a fall down funny jewel or a "why did we go in there?" when all is said and done.  That being said, if you have kids, Turtle Talk with Crush is a must-do.  All others, eh, sometimes yes, sometimes no.

It may be taken for granted at this point but you do have to marvel at the technology that allows a live audience to interact dynamically with an animated character.  Something tells me computers and "blue screens" are behind the magic.

Here is a video Mrs. DisneylandTraveler took of one the more cuter interactions between the audience and the talking turtle.

Monsters Inc. and the Creepy Superstar Limo

I subscripe to the Disneyland Twitter feed that sends tweets to my smartphone. The wonders of technology. So Disneyland probably sends out a dozen tweets a day most of them I delete within two seconds of reading them because they are so trivial. Yesterday morning, they sent out a tweet asking (paraphrased because I deleted it) "What's your favorite thing about Monster Inc. in Disney California Adventure?", It took me about four seconds to delete this one because I had to pause and smile for a second or two because the answer is "Because there's no line". If you have to wait more than 5 minutes to get on Monsters Inc then well, the park must be packed that day because you can mostly just walk on. Heck, if you want a car to yourself, they'd probably give it to you. A Disney ride with no line - that's the best thing about Monsters Inc.

Now to be fair, I've probably ridden the thing a dozen times and sometimes I find it quite enjoyable, other times it seems like a time killer waiting to something better. Sometimes you ride it just because its there. Now for a dark ride, its huge compared to Disneyland counterparts in Fantasyland and Pooh - big show building, nice length but whether I really enjoy it or not may just come down to what kind of mood I am in at the time the car takes off. For better or worse, its just something to do.

Oddly enough, I have the same reaction to Monsters Inc. the Movie. I've seen it about four times and sometimes I like it better than others. It all comes down to the mood I am in. But to be fair, the Monsters Inc. ride has to be a hundred better than the buildings previous tennant the ill-fated, much hated, Superstar Limo. I never rode Superstar Limo in Disney California Adventure because, Disney park management pulled the plug on it very quickly after all the negative things that were being said and written about a mad dash from the L.A. Airport to Hollywood. It opened in February 2001 and by the time I made my first trip to Disney California Adventure in October 2002, the ride had already been shut down several months. Luckily, for those who want to experience the shear creepiness of Superstar Limo, there are ride-throughs on YouTube like the one below. Have fun....sweet dreams....

The Hollywood Tower of Anxiety

When it comes to getting on the one of the "thrill" rides at Disneyland and DCA, I'm a pretty good sport. The way I look at it, a gazillion people walk through the turnstiles and hit these ride - thousands in a day (providing the ride can stay open). Through the years, the safety record has been remarkable. Oh, there has been the occasional fatality but I believe most of these have been attributed to the passenger and not the ride. And there has been the occasional heart attack when getting off but if it wasn't the ride, it probably would have been something else.

So I really do enjoy California Screamin', Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, and the Matterhorn. And certainly Splash Mountain and Grizzly River Run can provide their moment of thrill. Which brings me to the Hollywood Tower of Terror in DCA. I've probably been on the the thing six to eight times since it opened. The ride itself really is a thrill. It also is very, very, short which is what I tell myself every time the castmember closes up those doors with a sinister look on his or her face. It probably last 40 seconds once the assent begins. Hey, what can go wrong in 40 seconds? Yeah, there is that sensation the your seatbelt is going to fail and you are going to fly right out of your seat, but it all comes to a peaceful close.

That's the easy part for me. What's tough is once you go through the study after seeing the mock Rod Serling video and hit the queue line, the anxiety build begins. The line generally moves pretty quickly but still there is that wait staring at the elevator doors knowing you have an appointment with a calculated, programmed free-fall. That is the part that gets me.

Mrs. DisneylandTraveler has called it quits on the Tower of Terror. She did it twice with me but that, I think, is enough. The same is true for my sister, another Disneyland partner in crime. She got off the TOT, patted herself on the back, and said "that's it, I'm done". So I may be done too unless there is a trip ahead with one of my nieces and their families. They'r young and have no ride fear (yet). I could go on the TOT by myself, and maybe after a visit to the Karl Strauss beer wagon, I may but I think my days on the TOT may be over. In my cubicle at work, I got one of those around the neck badges that reads "I survived the Tower of Terror". Yes I did.