Category: Weenie


>My wife picks on me. I still call Disney Hollywood Studios, MGM. This is what I know it as. I don’t mind it being Disney Hollywood Studios, but I know it as Disney MGM Studios. It’s kind of like when you are in School and your teacher gets married. You have a tough time calling her by her new name.

And I could pick on her, because when we’re down in Walt Disney World, she does something that many people do. She calls the Magic Kingdom, Disney World. I believe this happens, because the Magic Kingdom is what most people knew of Disney World when they were kids. Epcot, Animal Kingdom, the Studios, are all the add-ons to Disney World. So people call them by name, but the Magic Kingdom is Disney World. And that is appropriate, The Magic Kingdom is the most Magical park, you seem to see more characters there, more of the Disney from your childhood is there. But it’s even more than that. It’s like when you approach it, it’s special.

The Entrance to the Magic Kingdom is probably the most magnificent entrance of the four parks in Walt Disney World. This was the Original one in Florida, this was the one where the first “Weenie”** was put in front of the guests and this was the only one that Walt Disney Designed himself. I give you today’s Unknown Magic, the Entrance to the Magic Kingdom.

As you approach the Magic Kingdom, either by Boat, Monorail, bus or even walking, you start to feel the excitement in the air. The people going into the park seem to get a little more energy the closer you get to the entrance. I’m not talking commando, gotta run to get to Space Mountain energy, I’m talking a positive excitement energy. The anticipation starts to build on the Monorail as you hear,

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we are approaching our Station at the entrance to Main Street USA. Gateway to the seven themed lands of the Magic Kingdom.”
It builds as the bus turns left away from the Contemporary Resort into the Bus drop-off area of the Magic Kingdom, and when your boat is docking and you have watched Cinderella Castle get closer and closer to you, the anticipation is bubbling up inside of you.
Now as you disembark each of these modes of Transportation, you walk through the security area, you go through the turnstiles and you see the Main Street Train Station right in front of you. The grassy knoll in front of the Train Station is usually decorated with a special mosaic in flowers. The wall that comes down from this knoll is a favorite place for people to meet at the end of their visit to the Magic Kingdom. It is also in this area that many of the characters are seen for the first time during your trip into the Magic Kingdom. Many of the Characters, including the Fab Five (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto) are here when the park first opens. This is the area first thing in the morning where Magical Experiences are made for little one. It is here that you start to realize that this was Walt Disney’s greatest production.

Walt Disney saw the Magic Kingdom as an experience of being in a movie; where you were the star. With this in mind, the Disney Imagineers made the entrance to the Magic Kingdom reflect this idea. As you walk away from the turnstiles and toward the tunnels under the Main Street Train Station, the ground turns red. This is to simulate the guests walking on the “Red Carpet” before a movie premier. As you walk up Main Street USA (as discussed in The Windows on Main Street on 6/10) you will notice names on the Windows. These are the opening credits, to the Magical Experience you are now starring in.

Even if you don’t get the movie theme reference, the Entrance to the Magic Kingdom is a neat one. After you get through the through the courtyard out front of the Train Station you have to walk under the Train Station, which is kind of neat. You see old attraction posters on the wall, there are lockers under here that you can rent for the day (the lockers are rented from the information station in the middle of this area. When you emerge from underneath the Train Station, you have your first Perfect view of Cinderella Castle. As I said in a post earlier this week, Take your time and enjoy the view.

Now you are in Town Square. Here you may run into different ”Citizens” of Town Square such as Mayor Weaver and Scoop Sanderson or if you’re lucky, you may be able to hear the Dapper Dan’s sing. At the Town Square Park, is where they have a Flag Lowering Ceremony every afternoon at 5. There are different buildings that surround Town Square and each one of them is very neat to go into and see; Town Hall, the Main Street Emporium (talked about in a post on 6/25), the Firehouse and of course the Train Station itself.

Another neat thing about this area is this is where you can get on a Main Street vehicle to go to The Castle. There are a few different modes of transportation here for you to get on. Horse drawn carriage. Old Fire Truck and trolley are a few. They stop right in the Town Square area and take you up the street until you are in front of the castle. When we were In Walt Disney World a few years ago, my dad wanted to ride on every means of transportation he could, so we got on a few of the Main Street Vehicles. It is a nice way to approach the castle.

Some people say that “Being in Town Square is when you realize you are in Walt Disney World.” And I can understand that, because here is where the excitement of the anticipation is finally realized. This is where you need to start out to get to the “Seven Themed Lands of the Magic Kingdom”.

So, now you know, The Entrance to the Magic Kingdom is an Unknown Magic that was originally set up for you to the have Magical Experience of being the star in the movie that is your day in the park. The rest of the Magic is in Town Square itself, the feelings of Magic and excitement await you.

** If you are not sure what a “Weenie” is, check out my post from 6/28 Animal Kingdom Weenie.

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Last Monday’s post* about the entrance to the Animal Kingdom mentioned Walt Disney’s idea of the “Weenie” the focal point that catches your eye and helps you move forward into the park. In Disney Hollywood Studios, the “Weenie” wasn’t added to the park until 12 years after the park opened. The first “Weenie” that was used was the recreation of the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, which houses The Great Movie Ride. This wasn’t the Icon for the park though, The Earful Tower was. In 2001, The Sorcerer’s Hat from Fantasia was added to the area in front of the Great Movie Ride, and has become both the “Weenie” and the Icon for the Park. The Entrance to Disney Hollywood Studios is very different from the entrance to the Animal Kingdom, and thus is a different kind of Unknown Magic.
The Entrance to the Hollywood studios is not as open as the entrance to the Animal Kingdom. It is more like the entrance to the Magic Kingdom. The buses and trams, drop you off right in front of the main gates and to get in, you walk through the security aisles, then go on to the turnstiles. There is very little room in front of this area from the drop off to the security lines. There are the ticket windows that you pass by, but then you are right into the turnstiles and into the park. The Entrance also reminds me of the Magic Kingdom, because you can get to the Studios by boat. The Boat drop-off is kind of like the Monorail Station at the Magic Kingdom, because you disembark from the launches off to the left of the main gate and must walk to get there.

Once you pass the main gates and have entered the Hollywood studios, you are thrown back in time. Very much like the Magic Kingdom, however here you are thrown into Hollywood of the 1930’s not Walt Disney’s hometown at the turn of the 20th century. If you come into the Hollywood Studios at night, it is alive with colors and sounds and lights. During the day, it isn’t as exciting, but it still has some Magical qualities just the same.

Off to the right as you walk in is Oscar’s Super Service Station. This is where you can rent Strollers and find a locker. On the other side of the entrance is Sid Cahuenga’s One of a Kind, which sells Movie Posters (Disney and Classic movies) and Autographs from famous actors and actresses. Right in the middle of the entrance area is the Crossroads of the World. The Crossroads of the World is a stand that sells small souvenirs and camera equipment. The Crossroads of the World has what looks like a giant Antennae standing on its roof, with a round globe and Mickey Mouse standing on the top.
 The secret to this Mickey Mouse is that his left ear serves as a lightning rod.

As you pass the Crossroads of the World, you are on Hollywood Boulevard. Hollywood Boulevard is the Studios’ version of Main Street USA. The Street itself isn’t as wide as Main Street USA and doesn’t seem as long. All along this roadway, there are buildings that look like they came out of Hollywood in the 1940’s. There are clothiers, and a toy shop and many other great places to shop, but it is the architecture that is the Unknown Magic that transports you into the Hollywood of old.
The neat thing about the Entrance to Disney Hollywood Studios and Hollywood Boulevard is that they want you to believe you are actually on a street in 1940, in California. There are cars parked on the side of the road from time to time, there are billboards that are on top of the buildings and there are street signs and all kinds of details that add to this feeling. Sometimes, there are Hollywood starlets and movie producers walking around near the entrance or on Hollywood Boulevard that stop people and ask them to perform or just start talking to them. This total immersion into Hollywood helps you to feel the Magic throughout the rest of the park, the Magic of being in Hollywood and around the excitement of the Movies.

So, now you know, the Entrance to Disney Hollywood Studios creates its Unknown Magic, by putting you in Hollywood. If you’re lucky, you may be chosen to help out with a scene or even a show and then maybe a Star will be Born. And if not, you can still add some Magical Experiences to your trip by checking out the area and enjoying “Hollywood”.
*This is the second installment of the Entrances to the Parks series. The last two will be posted on the coming Mondays.

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When Walt Disney was creating Disneyland, and even planning the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, he had the idea, that as you enter the park he would give you a focal point to move toward. The name he gave this focal point was the “Weenie”. All the Walt Disney World Parks still follow this philosophy and have a “Weenie”. This makes all the Park entrances in Walt Disney world the same, even though they are very unique. In Yesterday’s post, I mentioned “The entrances to the parks are different, but still the same. The Entrances themselves can be very magical and very exciting,” With that in mind today’s Unknown Magic is the Animal Kingdom Park Entrance.

After disembarking from the tram car or from the buses, there is a very wide, area for you to walk toward the park. As you walk forward, off to your left is one of the two Rainforest Cafés that are located in the Walt Disney World Complex (The other is in Downtown Disney). If you have never been to one, the Rainforest Café is a neat restaurant that bills itself as “A Wild Place to Eat”. For kids, this can be a very exciting place to get a bite before you go into the park or as you are coming out.
Off to the left of this walk-in area, there are usually characters waiting for you to stop and say hello. We always seem to run into Chip and Dale here. This walk-in area is also the place where you might run into a Wes Palm, the talking Palm Tree. Like Pipa, the talking Recycle bin in Rafiki’s Planet Watch, (also in Animal Kingdom) the Wes Palm interacts with people passing by and can make Magical Experiences for your family as the little ones will be enthralled with a talking, moving tree. Right in the middle of this large walk-in area, there is a great spot to get a family picture, with the Tree of Life in the background. Of course the Disney PhotoPass people will be available to help you get the perfect picture. In this area you can also find Garden Gate Gifts and the Outpost, two small shopping places that can provide you with camera equipment, snacks, hats and other assorted items.

As stated above, every park has a “Weenie” for you to go toward. In the Animal Kingdom it is the Tree of Life. The Tree of life can be seen from the Park Entrance and after you pass the actual entrance gates (the Turnstiles and security checks) you have to walk through the Oasis and across a bridge to get to it. This is another one of the things that makes the Entrance to the Animal Kingdom an Unknown Magic that can lead to a Magical Experience. The Oasis itself is a Unknown Magical Experience, because of the beauty and peacefulness that surrounds you. Many guests just walk right through the Oasis to get to the attractions on the other side. If you take the time and look at your surroundings, you may discover some very interesting things. Look to the treetops and look at the ground. You will see different species of birds and animals that you might have missed if you just rush through. Another neat thing is that there is not just one path leading through the Oasis. There are many. Some of these paths have exhibits that present different animals and species that you may never have seen, things like: Parma wallaby, tree-kangaroo, and the giant anteater. There are also many Species of exotic birds that call this area home.

At this point, although you are already in the Animal Kingdom Park, and may have enjoyed a Magical Experience, you still haven’t even gotten to what many people would consider the actual park. To get to Discovery Island which is basically the hub of the park, you still have to walk across a small foot bridge. Form this bridge you can see many things, Expedition Everest, parts of DinoLand U.S.A., and some of Camp Minnie Mickey, and from the Bridge you can also get some  very good pictures of the Tree of Life.

From this bridge one year, we had a Magical Experience, that is only usually only available to Florida Residents, but we were lucky enough to be able to see. We actually got to see the Space Shuttle take off. It was the first one after they had the second accident where the shuttle exploded over Texas. So, it was a very exciting, not just because it was a shuttle launch, but because it was the first one again. You could see it all very clearly and for quite a bit of time. It was a very exciting Magical Experience that we are very lucky to have had.

After this bridge you are no longer in the “entrance“ of the Animal Kingdom, but this entrance is an Unknown Magic that can help you have a Magical Experience, as long as you take your time to explore.

So, now you Know, Slow Down on your way into the Animal Kingdom, talk to a tree, say hello to a character or get a bite to eat then enjoy the Oasis. Create a Magical Experience by not rushing to the “Weenie”.