My Favorite Cup of Coffee

Like most mornings on my days off, I got up early and made a pot of coffee. I'm enjoying a cup right now. And on the mornings I go off to work, the first thing I do when I go through the front doors of the building is made a sharp left hand turn and head for the cafeteria to pick up a cup of coffee before I do anything else. I'm just one of those people who happen to think that mornings and a nice cup of coffee just go together.

But what is my favorite cup of coffee? Easy question. I head over from my hotel room to Disneyland just as the park opens and go to the Market House on Main St. Forget the fact that I may have already had two or three cups of coffee back at the hotel, there's just something quite special about starting a day at Disneyland with a cup of coffee from the Market House. 

There's a few tables and chairs in the little alley way outside of the Market House. I grab a seat and spend a few minutes sipping the hot coffee and watch the Disneyland early risers plow their way up Main St. When most people think of Disneyland, they think about the rides, the attractions, the food, the shopping, and I'm no different. But I would also count the few minutes I spend with that nice cup of coffee as special as anything else I'm going to do in the park that day. Sometimes it really is the little things.

Interior of the Market House. Main St. Disneyland

Thomas Kincade Passes Away

Thomas Kincade's Painting of Disneyland's 50th Anniversary

The artist Thomas Kincade passed away suddenly yesterday at the very young age of 54. Kincade was born and lived for years a few miles up the road from where I now live. He's kind of a legend in these parts. Kincade might will have been the world's most popular artist. He was certainly among the wealthiest. The paintings and lithographs of Thomas Kincade did not hang in museums or galleries (unless he owned them), Kincades's works hung in the homes of people, everyday people who loved his "paintings of light". He billed himself as "the painter of light" because of the presence of some form of illumination in all of his work. But there have been "painters of light" for 500 years with reputations in artistic community that go far, far, beyond anything that Kincade ever did.

And Kincade found a way to mass market his works so people of all incomes could afford them. The original paintings were certainly expensive but there were lithographs, and posters, and right on down to post cards. If you really wanted a Kincade on your wall, you could have one.

Kincade struck a deal with Disney to produce artworks based on classic Disney films and theme park settings. These were enormously popular and profitable for both Kincade and Disney. These "artworks" are among high echelon of Disney collectibles. Even though I didn't have too much of a regard for Kincade and his assembly line art, I did like his Disney pieces. In a sense, Kincade's mass produced artworks are like the mass commercialism of corporate Disney but if you look at Kincade's Disney paintings they do evoke the Disney of Walt's dreams and imagination. Thomas Kincade did succeed at that.

Lawyering-Up at the Cadillac Range in Cars Land

Disney artwork for Cars Land

Way back when, early 70's I suppose, the great (and late) satiric songwriter Warren Zevon penned a tune that simply solved most of life's predicaments. Zevon wrote the rock classic called (Send) Lawyers, Guns, and Money...

So Disney had a predicament with Disney California Adventure. Everyone made fun of it. Disney's answer to fix the problem 10 years after the park opened came in the form of money, about a billion dollars or a little more. This doesn't include other band-aid fixes like the Tower of Terror that Disney spent big money on over the years trying to bring atmosphere to a park that rose like a phoenix out of a parking lot.

The center piece of their billion dollar make over was recreating the town of Radiator Springs from the popular Pixar movie Cars (little is seen of Radiator Springs in Cars 2 one of that movie's many problems). Dominating the landscape of Radiator Springs are the mountains known as the Cadillac Range in the movie. So for a couple of years now, guests of the Disneyland Resort have been seeing the massive recreation of the Cadillac Range impressively go up in California Adventure. 

The Cadillac Range is a slight deviation of the old Route 66 iconic landmark in Amarillo Texas know as the Cadillac Ranch where a series of finned Caddies from the late 50's and early 60's are partially buried in the ground. Instead of flat ground, the Cars artists creatively built the finned Caddies into a mountain range.

Cadillac Ranch - Amarillo, Texas

But we have a problem here, a predicament. You see the word "Cadillac" is a registered trademark of the General Motors Corporation.  So now we get back to our old friend Warren Zevon .... send lawyers .... So Disney lawyers and GM lawyers get together to see if they can cut a deal where a little piece of the huge profits Disney expects to made from the opening of Cars Land get sent over GM's way for use of the word "Cadillac" in Disney's official marketing. Lawyers being lawyers, they can't cut a deal and now Disney is expressly forbidden to use the word Cadillac in any of their official Cars Land marketing even though anyone who is familiar with the movie Cars and the town of Radiator Springs knows those huge mountains are the Cadillac Range.

The other oddity in all this is the main attraction of Cars Land is the Radiator Springs Racers ride that scoots through the mountains. Radiator Springs Racers is variation of the Test Track ride in Walt Disney World's EPCOT which sponsored by.......you guessed it.....General Motors. 

Bruce Springsteen wrote a great song that paid homage to thundering Cadillac's of a bygone age called oddly enough - Cadillac Ranch.  I wonder if he had to pay off General Motors. I'm sure there were some conversations between Bruce's lawyers and GM's lawyers. That seems to be the way the world works.

Just Look Up

While looking for some other photos I came across the one above.  Any guesses?  That's what's painted on the overhanging structure that is above the Tomorrowland Terrice counter service dining facility and reason number 2,178 as to why Disneyland is so special.  Who else is going to a mural like that on what is essentially the ceiling of a mostly open air everyday dining place.  I want that on the painted on the ceiling of my bedroom.

But I Miss the Electrical Parade (I Think)

With all the excitement about Cars Land and Buena Vista Street opening up in what now seems to be weeks instead of forever, the plans are to resume the Pixar Play Parade (slightly upgraded according to insiders) on what is now an incredibly long parade route winding through Disney California Adventure.  The new route now extends from the Tower of Terror in Hollywood Land through the front section of Paradise Pier.  That should allow plenty of space to allow spectators to enjoy views (including packaged premium views) without the claustrophobic conditions that can exist in Disneyland with parade viewing.

Now don't get me wrong, I really like the Pixar Play Parade the far superior effort to its Block Party Bash predecessor.  PPP has great parade pieces, a catchy musical score, and provides some degree of fun for everyone (though not everyone - Mrs. DisneylandTraveler - enjoys being squirted with water).

There was a time when DCA ran both the Pixar Play Parade (late afternoons) and Disney's Electrical Parade (after dark) on the same days.  When DCA went into major construction overhaul, the Electrical Parade was sent packing to Orlando.  Is it time to ask for it back?

They Electrical Parade is a classic.  But its also one of those things where you really can get too much of a good thing.  Like the it's a small world attraction over in Disneyland the music of DEP can grate on a person with repetitive viewing.  And the parade has been around for so many years in both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure that its most impressive pieces seem a bit tiresome.  I really don't need to see Pete's Dragon a dozen times.

But I have to admit, I kind of miss the Electrical Parade now that its been gone awhile. If it were to come back (and I don't think there are any plans to bring it back just yet) I would want to see it again.  Its like seeing an old friend.  But I would also have to say that after seeing it, I might be good for a few years from not seeing it and maybe that's why Disney should keep it away for awhile longer.  Let the longing keep building to where when it does come back, it will pack people in.

Then there is the logistics factor.  How can the Disney Electrical Parade (in DCA anyway) co-exist with the nightime World of Color crowds?  Not sure how to work that out but if Disneyland can figure out away to run two Fantasmic shows, fireworks, and a parade in the evening hours, I'm sure some bright guy can come up with a workable schedule.  

I don't need the Electrical Parade just yet.  Maybe by next year, it would be welcomed back with open arms.

Home of the 'Brave'

Disney Parks Blog posted last week that a new Meet & Greet will be constructed in Fantasyland for Merida, the title character of Pixar's upcoming film Brave which will hit the screens June 22.  Knowing the popularity of these promotional meet & greet's there's probably 8000 kids with their parents planning to be first in line. 

There have been a few TV trailers for Brave but I haven't seen enough of it to form any preconceived opinions one way or another.  The only thing I am sure of is that after the absolutely abominable Cars2, there is only one way for Pixar to go.  Cars 2 was so bad that I heard the Academy Awards asked John Lasseter to give one of his Oscars back as penance.  Anyway, with Brave being sandwiched in between Cars 2 and Monsters Inc 2 its appreciated that Pixar is once again producing an original story for which they have set a very high bar for themselves.

But here's the question.  It's not a sexist thing, but can a female lead carry a Pixar film to box office glory?  The Princess label has been batted around Disney offices for a few years now.  Many at Disney blamed the word Princess for causing the film Princess and the Frog to under perform at the box office.  That later forced the re-titling of Rapunzel to Tangled to make it seem like less of a 'girls' movie.  Here is the thinking, whether its true or not is subject to debate - its not hard to get girls to see movies about cars, toys, houses floating in the air with balloons, or cute little robots - it is hard to get little boys to go see movies about girls.  Just saying, not trying to pick a fight.

So Brave is going to be an interesting case study for Pixar on many levels.  I have a feeling its going to have fine success.  But I also could be wrong.

Can Disneyland Be Boring?

A few days ago, a frequent poster the MousePlanet.com discussion forum asked the wonderful question "Can You Ever Get Bored (at Disneyland)?".  Bingo, I was off and writing, crafting my response.  Though many of these thoughts and sentiments have appeared elsewhere in the blog over the last year, here is what I wrote this past Saturday morning.  Many very nice people from the MousePlanet community have said some kind words about it and I am most appreciative.

______________________

I didn't want to get too far into my day without responding to this question because its a good one. For me, going to Disneyland is like visiting an old friend, maybe my best friend. And like real friends, Disneyland can wear on you a bit, maybe it aggravates you at times, sometimes you feel like you've had enough and need a break. But you keep on visiting your friend because there is a warm honest connection that starts with the heart. There's a history, through the years, through good times and bad, its always been there for you to bring you smiles, laughter, comfort, and warmth. You can't beat it.

I've passed through those turnstiles many times, too many to count, with my wife, my son, other friends and family members. But it doesn't seem that many years ago that I would pass through that same entrance holding the hands of my parents. That's an experience that hard to come by and needs to be treasured. I can sit in the same Tiki Room with my family that I sat in with my parents who have long passed away. Some people go in there to look at a talking bird show. I go in there to reflect and remember a life well blessed. Boring, never.

Sometimes I just shake my head when I see people, especially young people, race by Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln saying "we've got to get to Space Mountain". Don't they know that by the time they go to SM, it will have probably broken down? Stop in and see Lincoln. Watch the hand movements on the animatronic. That is so amazing and it takes a whole team of dedicated people to create something like that. Why bother to do it - to give that amount of detail to something that is sparsely attended, doesn't bring in a cent of revenue to Disney, and many find well, boring? The answer is what makes Disneyland great, you can peel back layers, ask questions, and find amazing answers. Boring, no way.

When I've been away for awhile and make that first trip under the entrance tunnel and into Main St. I just have to stop, take a look around, and think "I'm home again". Over the years I've been fortunate enough to visit countless cities and see many things but when I return to Disneyland, I am home again and there is nothing boring about that.