>
This One Minute of Magic can be seen every night in the Magic Kingdom, Although not an Unknown Magic, it gives plenty of Magical Experiences. ENJOY!
Category: Magical Disney Experiences
>
I love Disney History. I enjoy learning about the Disney Company’s past and how Walt and his brother Roy did things to keep the studio afloat in the rough times and how they used their profits to make it grow after the Movies started taking off. I enjoy hearing about the recent history of the company also, so, the over the weekend I watched the second of the three documentaries I was given for Christmas. This one was called Waking Sleeping Beauty. It was about how Michael Eisner and Frank Wells brought the company back from the brink of a sell off to make it a thriving World-Wide name again. It talked about how this was done by making animated features a priority again. At the time this was happening (from 1984- 1994) The Disney Theme Parks were being revitalized. There were more Resort Hotels being built in Florida and on May 1, 1989, The Disney MGM Studios opened. When the Disney MGM studios first opened it was a working film lot, with an amusement park built around it. There were a few “rides” but most of the attractions were shows and back-stage peeks. One of these back stage peeks is today’s Unknown Magic.
The Disney Animation Courtyard is an Unknown Magic, because of what is inside the Magic of Disney Animation building. The first attraction in the Animation Courtyard is a short film starring Mushu (Eddie Murphy) from Mulan. This show tells you how the animated movies are chosen and how they change through their production. From here you are led into an interactive area of the building where you can play some games, learn how to draw a Disney Character or meet some Characters (the last time we were there, the Cast from Up were greeting guests). These are all really neat things, especially if you are into the Disney animated Features, but the Unknown Magic of this building comes along as you wander around the building and look around.
As you walk through there are windows looking down on offices. These offices belong to some of the Disney Animators. When the Disney MGM Studios first opened, this area was a self guided tour. If you walked through this area then, you would have seen all of the offices full and a group of busy people. That is because when the studio first opened, this building was the primary location for the making of the Mulan and later Lilo and Stitch and Brother Bear. When these movies were being made, you could walk along the corridor and watch from above as the animators worked on sketches, models, and cells of their characters.
The offices although not used for making movies any longer are still set up as they were when the features were being made. The walls are covered with paint jars and the animators have their work spaces decorated with their favorite things and Disney Characters. This still is a very neat place to walk through. In this building, even if they aren’t making features here any longer; it shows you how the older Disney Animated films were made and the work environment that they were made in.
Another neat thing about this area of the building is the statuettes and the sculptures they have from the features they have made. At one time, they even had the Oscar Awards that Walt Disney was given for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, all eight of them (he was given one regular size statue and seven miniature ones).
So, now you know there is a place in the Disney Hollywood Studios that can give you Magical Experiences by showing you a place where history and some Animated Disney films were made. These historical places are found in the Magic of Disney Animation building. You can still see how the Animators worked and if you’re lucky catch one doing a drawing and maybe it will help you to see how they created some of the Magic.
>
I was watching the Bowl Games yesterday. There were seven this year that were or will be played in Florida. Orlando itself has two of them. This year it wasn’t bad for a bowl game in Florida. The temperature was in the 70’s and the sun was shining, last year it was in the 50’s and rainy. It’s funny you talk to people that travel for these games or to Walt Disney World this time of year and they forget that it is winter. They expect it to be warm and sunny and that they will be able to wear their shorts and tank tops and get some sun. This isn’t always the case. So, today I bring to you the Unknown Magic of Winter in Disney World.
Packing for a trip to Disney this time of year should be done after watching the weather channel’s ten day forecast for the Disney Area. And even then you should pack an extra few things, a pair of shorts or two, a heavy sweatshirt, and a maybe even a fall type jacket. It does get cold in Walt Disney World. They don’t have a dome over the Resort, there isn’t any Magical way that they use to keep it warm and sunny all year around, but even if it is a little chilly, you can still do some of the warm weather things you want to do when you are on vacation, even in the winter. For example, if you are in Walt Disney World in December, January, February, or even the beginning of March, it may be a little cold. Last week in Walt Disney World, temperatures dropped into the high 20’s one night. Two days this past week, they closed Blizzard Beach, because of the weather. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy swimming. The Disney pools are heated. And if you really want to be invigorated, going in a hot tub (which are found near all the pools) on a cold night is wild.
 |
This isn’t to say that if you are traveling to Walt Disney World in winter you should need a parka, you just have to be prepared for weather changes. Today for example they are calling for 80 degrees in Disney. Winter is probably the most difficult time to pack for a trip to Disney World, because of these temperature fluctuations. I remember one year I was in Disney at Christmas time and we walked around in shorts one night and the next night we had to buy heavy sweatshirts to keep warm. It didn’t slow us down though, all the parks are open (except the Water Parks) in colder weather and the attractions that you want to stop into during the summer months to cool off in the air conditioning are the same ones you want to stop into during the winter, but now you do it to warm up.
So, now you know, my advice for anyone going to Disney in the Winter would be to check the 10 day forecast for Disney World before you pack. And, even then be prepared for a cold night or a really hot day when you are there. The Winter Weather in Walt Disney World is as random as the drop sequence on Tower of Terror. So, go and enjoy the Magical Experiences and the fact that there are fewer crowds during those cold days in the middle of the winter, but be prepared for the weather.
>
A few years back I visited the Boardwalk Resort around Christmas. These pictures are of the decorations inside the lobby, the tree is out the back of the resort.The Roller Coaster scene is the Boardwalk’s Gingerbread display. I hope you enjoy today’s Friday Fotos.
>
I was looking through pictures of our last Disney vacation. And there is a man in one of our pictures wearing an Island of Adventures shirt. This is one of those things that makes me pause. I don’t get why you would wear a Universal Orlando shirt to Disney World. It seems odd to me. I know people will say, they are on vacation in Orlando and he got the shirt the day before, he wanted to wear it today, yea, I get it, but it is one of those things that strikes me as being out of place. Then I started thinking about other things in Disney World that seem out of place. There are a few things that just seem like they don’t belong, so today I bring you, the Unknown Magic of objects that don’t seem like they belong in Disney World and why they do.
The first thing actually things that always had me scratching my head and could be found in the Disney Hollywood Studios until just a few months ago were the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out why the Rangers were in Disney at all. Until I did a little research. They were Disney property. When Disney bought Fox-Family Channel way back in 2001, the Power Rangers were part of the deal. So, Disney provided someplace for them to be seen, since they were shown on the Disney owned channels for a while. Disney no longer owns the rights to the Power Rangers, so they have accordingly been dismissed from their duties of protecting the Streets of America, in Hollywood Studios.
This past summer if you had gone into the ABC Commissary for lunch or dinner, while in Hollywood Studios, you would have had the opportunity to see Landon Donovan’s Jersey and cleats from a soccer match in Amsterdam, from back in March 2010. This is a head scratcher to a few people. Why Soccer memorabilia in the ABC Commissary? Well, at the time, the World Cup (Soccer’s Holy Grail) had just finished being played in South Africa. The games were broadcast in the United States on ESPN and ABC (both are Disney Companies). With Landon Donovan being one of the most recognizable names for American Soccer enthusiasts, it would make sense for ABC/Disney to advertise for the World Cup in this way.
Another object that seems out of place in Walt Disney World, and is an Unknown Magic besides, is the building with the grass on the roof. This building is actually Kringla Bakeri og Kafe’s. It may seem odd to have a building with grass for a roof, but In Norway, they still have buildings that are like this. They are very strong structures and with the attention that Disney pays to details, this is actually an appropriate thing to have in Epcot. Also in Epcot it may seem strange when you visit the Canadian pavilion to see Totem Poles. But in the Northwest Totem Poles go back 
for generations, telling Family History and Mythical stories. The Vancouver International Airport for example has a large collection of Northwestern Art and Totems on Display.
In the Magic Kingdom, there is an Unknown Magic that you need to find, but when you do, it may strike you as odd and out of place. When you are riding on the Walt Disney World Railroad, as you are in the waiting room area of the station in Frontierland, look around. You will see a wooden leg with Smith written on it. This may seem very out of place. But in the old west, which is what Frontierland is supposed to be, there were people with prosthetics, and back in the 1800’s and early 1900’s they would have been made of wood. And the fact that the name Smith is written on the leg might not be too weird, seeing as Smith is such a common name, but in this case, the Smith on the leg is a shout out if you will to Mary Poppins. In the Movie Marry Poppins, Bert and Mary and the Children are visiting Uncle Albert, Bert says to Albert “I once knew a man with one leg named Smith,” to which Uncle Albert answers, “What is the name of the other leg?” So, not only could this the leg be historically accurate, it is Disney Imagineering working a joke for you to find.
So, now you know, there are some Unknown Magics and some other objects that seem out of place when you are in Walt Disney World. If you take the time to find them, you may wonder why they are here. But as with everything Disney does, the objects that seem out of place are there for a reason, most likely to add to your Magical Experience, by adding details to the area. So, enjoy the details and the things that seem out of place.
>
Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 were just released on Blu-ray and DVD. Walt Disney once said Fantasia represents our most exciting adventure.” The concept for Fantasia was that Walt wanted his artists to create an animated feature based on what they felt form a piece of music. Some of the scenes of the movie portray this concept better than others, but they all do convey the idea that the music was the important aspect of the film. Although the animators were supposed to let their thoughts just flow with the music, the film ended up with many memorable scenes where the music is now connected with these parts. The Film is truly a Disney Classic. Fantasia 2000, on the other hand hasn’t been given the same status by movie audiences. I personally like the film, I think the musical choices were very diverse and the animation was fun, and sometimes awe-inspiring. The movement with the Humpback Whales are wonderfully done, and the yo-yo playing flamingo is just fun. It is a part of the film which reminds me of the Dancing Hippos and the Alligator from the original. Anytime I think of the Dancing Hippos, I think of playing miniature golf. I know that sounds weird, but almost directly across from the Swan and Dolphin Resort Hotels there is a miniature Golf course. This Course is an Unknown Magic in Walt Disney World that is based on Fantasia and one that is a great place to take a break from the noise and rush of the parks. This Unknown Magic is called the Disney’s Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course.
The Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course is actually two different courses in one; Fantasia Gardens and Fantasia Fairways. Fantasia Gardens is more of the mini-golf course that many people are used to. This course includes many characters from Fantasia, including the dancing hippos and marching broomsticks. Some of the holes include water (watch for these, they sneak up on you) and some reward you with musical tones. The Musical ones are kind of neat; the music plays after you sink your putt.
Fantasia Fairways is more of a practice course for real golfers. This one is set up as a miniaturized version of an 18 hole golf course. This course is set alongside the Fantasia Gardens course and it also has great views of the Swan and Dolphin and also The Hollywood Tower Hotel (which is also known as the Tower of terror).
Both of these courses are fun to play in their own way. We enjoyed the Fantasia Gardens course, as we considered the other one putting practice and since we don’t play golf, we thought it might be a little boring to us. Both courses are open from 10am-11pm, cost below $15, for an adult round.
We enjoy playing miniature golf when we are in Walt Disney World either at Fantasia Gardens or Winter Summerland. We usually use take an afternoon or sometimes an early evening break from the parks to play some golf. Usually my wife wins (we think she cheats) but it is always a Magical experience for the whole family.
So, now you know, you can not only get Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 on Blu-ray and DVD and when you are I Walt Disney World, you can enjoy the fun and music of Fantasia by going to Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course. It is a great way to take a break from the parks and enjoy some Magical Family Experiences.
*This is Bruce’s wife, I do not cheat, at least it hasn’t been proven yet!*
>
42.2 million. That’s how many people AAA says were traveling this past weekend. That’s a lot of people. If you were one of them, I hope you had a safe trip and a good visit. Many of the travelers were by air, but a lot of them drove. That’s how we usually travel; unless it’s for a long weekend away to Disney or something like that. As I have stated before I like driving to Disney, because I like having a vehicle when I get there. We have also found that when we drive we have many more Magical Experiences. So, today I offer to you, the Unknown Magic of Driving to Disney.
When you drive to Walt Disney World, there is a different kind of Magic that happens. First of all, the anticipation/excitement factor grows more and more as you drive along. We live in New Jersey, and it takes us about 19 hours to drive to Disney World. We have found that 10 hours of driving is about as far as we can go in one day and still want to be with each other when we get there. Two years ago, when we were driving down, we went a little further than we should have, about 12 hours and my wife and I were both done when we stopped for the night. It wasn’t a nice night. But that’s from the buildup of anticipation. When you start out, you figure 19 hours, how do we split it up so that we can get there as early in the day as possible? That’s when you start driving a little further than you should. And with every state welcome sign you pass the excitement grows a little more, until you finally are welcomed to Florida. Only to realize you still have a few hours more to get to Walt Disney World. Then when you turn onto I-4 your excitement starts all over again. And again you still have a few more hours. When you get to the Orlando city limits, you start getting the feeling that you are almost there (finally). Then your excitement may
start getting the better of you and you might start taking pictures out the windows of things that later you will have no reason why you took them, except that they were on the way to Disney and you were close.
The excitement during the drive isn’t the only part of the drive that can be Magical. We found that we can’t even be Disney Commandoes when we are driving down. We like to take our drive easy and make stops along the way (kind of the same way we do the parks.) This is when we have had some Magical Experiences. We’ve stopped at some amazing places, on our way to and from Walt Disney World. We have stopped at the Babe Ruth Museum, the Ty Cobb Museum and even the Uncle Remus Museum ( where Disney got the stories for the Song of the South; which Splash Mountain is based on.)
We’ve also seen some cool things while driving down to Walt Disney World, some natural wonders that have just amazed us. Although, my wife is still upset we haven’t seen any alligators in the roadside canals, we have seen some very pretty birds and other animals. We’ve even seen some neat cars and trucks that have gone by us. Many times NASCAR vehicles can be seen around North Carolina, the home for many of the teams.
Another Magical Experience you can have driving to Disney is by experiencing local flavor. Most of the time when we are on the road, we try to eat at a Cracker Barrel, because we know what we’re going to get and we don’t usually do fast food. There have been times though when we have stopped to eat and there wasn’t a Cracker Barrel, so we weren’t sure where to get a bite to eat, so we just kind of hoped for the best. And most of the time, we have lucked out. Of course not always, but even if the food hasn’t been good meeting the people where we have stopped has always been fun.
Of course the most Magical thing about Driving to Disney is when you are actually on Disney Property and you can decide to go where you want. You can pull off the side of the road to take pictures and sight see (don’t just stop in the middle of the road, it is dangerous). None, of the busses will do that for you. Or when you start driving somewhere, notice a different thing and decide to stop there instead, for example when you are driving to Disney Hollywood Studios and decide to turn right instead of left and end up at the Boardwalk; They won’t do that for you either.
The best part of Driving to Disney though is getting to spend that much time with my family. I enjoy the fact that for at least a few of the hours we will spend talking and laughing and enjoying each other’s company. Whoever is not driving might take some time to sleep and watch DVD’s and read, but that will only be for a short time of the many hours we will be driving. The rest of the time is family time, which is my favorite part of the trip.
So, now you know, Driving to Disney can help you to have Magical Experiences before you get to Disney World. You can make memories for you and your family by stopping at different places or maybe with the things you will see as you are driving. You can also stop where you want and go where you want when you are finally in Disney, but even with the excitement and anticipation on the drive, the best part of it will be the time you get to spend with your family.
Picture of the Ty Cobb Museum from: http://mysite.verizon.net/charliesballparks/stadiums/royston.htm
>We just got Toy Story 3 from the Disney Movie Club. We also got the Mater’s Tall Tales DVD at the same time. There is a promotional preview of Carsland, which will be opening in Disneyland in 2012. It got me to thinking about how Disney promotes itself and its products in the Walt Disney World resort. They mostly promote without, in my opinion, being too obnoxious about it. They are so diversified in their businesses that cross promotion is expected, but sometimes unseen. So, today I present to you the Unknown Magic of Disney self Promotion.
First let me start off by saying they are not always subtle about their self promotion in Walt Disney World. As you are approaching the Theme Parks driving on the highway on Disney property, there are billboards that promote rides and special happenings. They also only show their own channels on the Resort Televisions, no Nickelodeon, Sprout or Cartoon network, only the Disney channels are offered for the kids. And this past year, they actually covered one of the monorail trains in “Tron”, to promote the upcoming movie. It became a Tronorail, which was pretty neat, but blatant advertising. So, they are not completely subtle about their advertising for the Disney product in Walt Disney World, but they mostly sell their product, usually television and movies, in a way that is almost an after thought for the guests.
If you ever take one of the Disney buses, you will see promotional cards above the seats, for their television shows. Most of the time, the shows they are promoting get plenty of commercial time on your local ABC channel, but some of the ones they promote on the busses are ABC Family channel shows and new shows that are just coming out. Sometimes they have ads up for a special event or even a movie that that will be opening soon. I always like looking at the ads above the seats. We seem to have more conversations when riding the buses about a show or an actor or actress in one of the shows (because of the ad) than anything else.
Another way that Disney promotes its movies and television shows is over in Disney Hollywood Studios. Which makes a lot of sense if you really think about it, it was after all a working studio for Disney, so you would think they would still make their product known here of all places. The way they do this, besides selling merchandise of the shows, is by billboards and signs. They also do it in an entertaining way in the ABC Commissary, which is a quick-serve restaurant that serves lunch and dinner. While you are eating, you are entertained by televisions that show previews of ABC Shows and this past summer when we were there they had a spoof of the MTV show “Real Life” playing, where the ABC Stars were all thrown into a house to live together for the summer. It was cute and it actually had us wondering about who some of the people were and what shows they were on.
Another way that Disney Promotes new characters and shows are by adding them into the parades in the different parks, before or right after a new movie comes out. Right now for instance you can have a meet and greet with Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder, even though that movie doesn’t come out for a few more days. Other times they present their stars in fun and exciting ways, which are sure to create Magical Experiences. For example, in the Disney Hollywood Studios, you can catch Disney Channel Rocks! This features a bunch of the Disney Channel Stars. When The Princess and the Frog first came out, Disney added a whole new Parade/show to the Magic Kingdom. It took place on the River Boat in Frontierland, and promoted Tiana, as the newest Disney Princess. It was a huge hit.
So, now you know, Disney does use Walt Disney World to sell their other products, mainly movies and television shows, but they do it in a way that isn’t in your face, or obnoxious. Most of the time, the way they are “selling” these “products” are fun and entertaining and add Magical Experiences for you and your family. So don’t be upset when you see a new movie character added to the cast a Disney parade, enjoy the chance to see something before anyone else does.
>
A History lesson today with your Unknown Magic. In 1989, President George H. W. Bush started officially pardoning Turkeys as part of the White House Thanksgiving Tradition. Before that, other presidents had “pardoned” the turkeys, presented to them, but unofficially. In 2005, when President George W. Bush pardoned a Turkey named Yam and another named Marshmallow, the birds were sent to Disneyland to live out their days. The reason for this is because animal activists were upset that the pardoned turkeys were not living very long after their pardons.
Marshmallow became the grand marshall of Disneyland’s Thanksgiving parade, and the sign above his float read “The Happiest Turkey on Earth.” The turkeys then retired to a coop at the park’s Big Thunder Ranch, where three of the other pardoned birds — “Courage” and “Carolina” from 2009 and 2008’s “Pecan” — still live. Florida’s Disney World got the birds from 2007, when they arrived on a United Airlines flight that was renamed “Turkey One.”*
This year however, the turkeys that are to be pardoned are not going to a Disney Theme Park they are going to Mount Vernon, the former home of our first President George Washington. But that doesn’t mean you still can’t see a domesticated animals in Walt Disney World. In Disney’s Animal Kingdom, there is an Unknown Magic that is fun and can create Magical Experiences, especially for the kids. This Unknown Magic is found at the Conservation Station.
The Unknown Magic known as the Affection Section is the Animal Kingdom’s version of a petting zoo. It is located out the back of the Conservation Station’s main building. It is a fenced in area where the animals roam. What is very different in this area than most petting zoos is that the animals do not rush toward you when you first enter the pen. This usually happens in other parks, because the goats and sheep are rushing to you to see if you have food. Here they don’t do this, because you cannot feed the goats and sheep. This is a wonderful thing, especially if you have very small ones, because the children don’t get spooked or even knocked down and hurt by the animals. Disney does however provide you with brushes, so that the kids, or anyone for that matter, can brush the sheep and goats. It is kind of a neat experience, in that you actually have to follow the goats around until they stop moving to brush them. The goats are very tame also and allow you to walk over to them and pet them. They just lay there and let you pet them. Besides the goats and sheep, there are pig, llamas, chickens, and other animals that you can pet and feed.
Compared to the rest of the Animal Kingdom, this is a very small area, but it can create many Magical Experiences. Along with the Conservation Station, this area could help children and even adults to enjoy and understand more about the animal life on our planet.
So, now you know, the Affection Section is the place in the Animal Kingdom to get up-close and personal with some animals, The kids will enjoy themselves and you can too, because although it is a petting zoo, it is a Disney styled petting zoo, making it nicer than most and more enjoyable, too.
Information on the turkeys was taken from Wikipedia article: National Thanksgiving Turkey Present
And the ABCnews article: *George’s House, Not Mickey’s, for Pardoned Turkey
Picture of President Bush from the White House Archive website.
>
They refurbished the Mall around us about a year or so ago. When they did, they closed our Disney Store. It was a sad day. It was a pretty good sized one, and we shopped there from time to time, but I guess not enough to keep it open. Then today I got a twitter message that the Disney Store is reopening. That is a good thing, now I won’t have to pay shipping for Christmas presents. Thinking about Christmas presents and Disney Stores of course makes me think about shopping in Walt Disney World. There are some great places to shop, most people will say the World of Disney Store in Downtown Disney (being the biggest store in the world that sells only Disney Merchandise makes it pretty amazing) or the Emporium on Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom, which is basically a row of stores that take up the whole side of Main Street is the best, but there is a somewhat Unknown Magic of a store in Epcot, that my family loves to go into and look around and shop in. So, I present to you the Unknown Magic of Mouse Gear.
Although Mouse Gear is the largest Disney Merchandise store in Epcot, I don’t think many people see it as a great Disney shopping experience. It is located behind SpaceShip Earth in the Innoventions Plaza of Future World. There are a few entrances into the store, one directly across from the Fountain of Nations, another in the causeway between the store and Innoventions East and the last on the Mission: Space Test Track side of the building. Also for your convenience, there are restrooms located out this door. (On this side of the building there is also a little butterfly garden which is a great place to take a break and sit and relax.)
The store is actually set up in a triangle shape. With different merchandise set out throughout the store. Through the door leading from the Fountain of Nations you come into men’s apparel. Coming in at the causeway door will put you into women’s clothing and the “backdoor” will have you enter in kitchen goods. In between all of these areas are all of the other types of Disney Merchandise you could want to have; everything from Pins and Vinylmations to play sets and candy. They do sell Epcot merchandise, and this past year when we were down, they had Retro Epcot Center shirts. They also sell Disney character stuffed toys and die cast cars and items like that, which may be one of the reasons that the sign under the main store sign says “Gifts with real character.” But I think this sign is
there because if you look closely throughout the store, you can find what are called Hidden Mickeys *. I wrote about Hidden Mickeys in my article “It’s not an Addiction…is it?” There are quite a few Hidden Mickeys in Mouse Gear and they are fun to try and find, which leads to Magical Experiences when you are shopping (which is always a great thing!)
One of the reasons I like Mouse Gear is the same reason I list it as an Unknown Magic, it rarely has a lot of people in it. Compared to say the Emporium on Main Street or the World of Disney Store in Downtown Disney or even the gift shop at the Grand Canyon Concourse in the Contemporary Resort, it never seems really busy. The Cast Members that work here are really great with helping you find things and are pleasant too. The other nice thing about Mouse Gear is that in summer, the air conditioning is always on high.
So, now you know, there is a great, although sometimes overlooked, place to shop in Walt Disney World that offers the fun of searching for Hidden Mickeys while you are shopping for that perfect souvenir. So, next time you’re in Epcot, check out Mouse Gear and have some fun!
*for those of you that do not know, a Hidden Mickey is: “a partial or complete impression of Mickey Mouse placed by the Imagineers and artists to blend into the designs of Disney attractions, hotels, restaurants, and other areas.” This definition comes from Steven Barrett author of Hidden Mickeys A Field Guide to Walt Disney World’s Best Kept Secrets and http://www.hiddenmickeysguide.com/
unknownmagicwithinwaltdisneyworld 