Disney Things in So Cal outside of Disneyland

There were other thing at the Reagan Library.  The Walt Disney Archives were at the Reagan Library.  I've seen some of the articles from the archives before and some I hadn't.
The archives went in order in of the company and started with his time in Kansas City.  His Laugh-o-Gram Studios was in downtown Kansas City, which I still need to find.  He lost his studio, moved out to California, lost a main character and created Mickey.  

From there the exhibit moved into his animated films.  They had the books that opened at the beginning of each film.  I've seen the Sleeping Beauty cover a couple times already but it never ceases to impress.

Something that I had not seen before were the reference costumes for Snow White and Pinocchio.

Then it was off to the office.  They had a display of Walt's working office.  Wish I could have worked in the Opera house when it was there.  But next to the office was the Mary Poppins nanny costume complete with hat and scarf.  They also had a copy of Mary Poppins owned by Walt signed by P.L Travers.

Then off to Disneyland.  They had Walt's nametag, the first ticket sold, the parking pass, the singing bird (which inspired audio animatronics) and the Disneyland map that sold Disneyland to investors.
Something I had not seen before was the draft for the signs as you enter the parks.  Orginally written - Where you leave today... and visit the world of fantasy, yesterday and tomorrow.  Walt changed it to read as it does today - Here you leave today and visit the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy. 

They added a pavillion outside that housed even more treasures.  What's not to love about seeing the original  head of Maleficent's dragon from Disneyland's Fantasmic.

And as it was at the Reagan library they had a Hall of Presidents display.  They had the sculptures of each of the presidents as they are in the show.  

And you have to love a mouse ear hat that says Mr. President.

Another great place that you can visit any time of the year is Walt's Barn in Griffith Park.  I'd heard about it for years but never made my way up as it is only open the third Sunday of every month.  Luckily my visit coincided with that particular Sunday so off we went.

On the inside of the barn they had lots of different railroad displays.  Some were about Walt, others about Ward Kimball, and some about the Disneyland Railroad.   The best parts of their collection, besides the barn itself, are one of the original train cars and the track map.

Another item that has been completely renovated is a original Disneyland train car.  There were two sets of cars on opening day, one still rides around the park, Holiday 2, while the other is no more (besides the Lilly Belle).  The Carolwood Pacific group rehabbed one of the cars.  I talked to one of the volunteers and as a former conductor they let me inside.  I can only imagine how long this would take people to get in and out of!

Why have I not visited here before.  But I guess better late than never.

The new California Adventure

Now off to everything new.  Why did I leave working at Disneyland again.  I missed out on all the fun this past summer.  Carsland and Buena Vista Street were new since I'd left.  There was quite a bit to see in the few days that I was there.  As I entered the gates all the light posts in the esplanade were covered with new attraction posters for new and old attractions in California Adventure.

Once inside I watched a cute short show around the lagoon called Just Add Water.  Goofy conducts the water like Mickey did in the Sorcerer's Apprentice.  Another new thing for me was the Mad Tea Party.  I'd seen GlowFest and ElecTRONica so this was nothing new to me.  I love Alice in Wonderland but not the Tim Burton version, which is what the Mad Tea Party is based off of.  

And speaking of Tim Burton, there was a display of Frankenweenie in the Animation Building.  Fitting.  They had a couple figures from the film in scenes in cases.  It's always amazing to me to see how small the figures actually are.

Of course the big new thing is Cars Land.  It really does feel like walking into Radiator Springs from the movie.  I just wish that I loved the movie.  Only two weeks earlier I was in Hogsmeade which I love about a thousand times more.  It was hard not to compare.  But it was very cool and a fantastic addition to California Adventure that it desperately needed.

We at Flo's V-8 Cafe.  We had the the Pork Loin in Coca-Cola BBQ sauce.  Defiantly big enough for two people.  But don't order the corn as a side, yuck! 

Once inside Cars Land we hit the attractions inside.  Radiator Springs Racers is a great ride.  Will you win or lose?  Who knows.

I'll be back.  Soon!

Mickey's Halloween Party in Disneyland 2012

Yes. Disneyland at Halloween!  I love it.  It really never gets old to me.  It was my third Disneyland Halloween party.  The first I was a bit out of sorts with no costume.  Last year I was short hair Rapunzel.  This year I was Mary Poppins.  Nanny Style!

Once I was in of course I went straight to the characters.  I can't help myself.  But unfortunately I did not come prepared when it came to something for autographs.  Yes I am that person.

I found some of my friends in the park about half way through.  We went through many Trick-or-treat lines.  I got two bagfuls of candy, probably 4 pounds worth!  Amazing.
We headed up to my old home away from home, Main Street Station, to watch the fireworks.  For once I put down my camera to just watch the show.  Halloween Screams is probably my favorite fireworks that Disneyland has right now.

New this year were the Villians in Town Square next to Main Street Station.  They came out on a horse drawn carriage with the Evil Stepmother and Stepsisters trailing behind.  Kinda fun.  Also new this year were the Dapper Dans singing on the Rivers of America.  They added a lot while trick or treating or waiting for a character!
And I finally met Malificicent in Disneyland!  But no autograph.  Nooooo!!  Oh well it was worth the wait.  I got there about 5 minutes before she was scheduled to arrive and I was the first in line.  Score!

Another first for me was Prince Ali.  I had always missed him in the past.  There was only 2 groups in front of me when I got in line.  Gotta love a less than 5 minute line in Disneyland.
And the longest line of the of night was Jack and Sally.  I hadn't seen them during the day so I waited out the line to be the last on for that set to see both of them together..  Excellent!
As always I had a wonderful time.  I wish I wasn't so far away so I could be sure to visit every year!

Finally Back to Disneyland, in October 2012!

I left in March and I'm finally back in October.  Six months was far too long.  At least I visited during my favorite time of the year, Halloween!  One of the best things about Halloween are the pumpkin carvers in Disneyland.  As always they make the most amazing sculptures.

For 2012 Disneyland opened Festival Arena for the festivities.  They had the Fab 5 (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto) along with Chip and Dale dressed in Halloween costumes.  If only Chip and Dale would be dressed as cop and robber like they used to be instead of cop and cop.  They also had Summon a Villain   A short show where you with the help of a cauldron summon a villain from the great beyond.  I loved the idea of it but both of the villains I saw were ones that are out every day.  I suppose I'd rather have less show and three rare villains like last year.

As always I had to see some characters.  Both of my friends know that I have a problem and indulged me.  They wanted to do the character meet and greets too.  Billy needed to see Tinkerbell.  I wanted to see Cinderella!

Billy Hill and the Hillbillies moved their show from the Golden Horseshoe into festival arena as well.  The show was great as usual.  I heard quite a few songs I'd never heard live

I had so much fun visiting my favorite place with my favorite people.  Who wouldn't love Disneyland at Halloweentime with friends?!

Halloween time in Walt Disney World!

It's been over six months since Halloween, so at this point we are half way to Halloween!  Better start thinking about costumes for this year.  Belle's Blue dress?  Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas?

I have a bit of time until October 31st.  For now it's time to recap the end of my Walt Disney World Adventures.

Rachel left work a bit early so that we could change back at her apartment.  She went as Cousin June from Katamari damacy.  It's a video game character.  She made her dress herself!  

I went as Mary Poppins.  I found everything at thrift stores.  I added flowers and berries to the hat, pin stripes to the jacket, and a bow to the shirt.

We came into the park before official party time and went to take a picture with the mouse himself.  Minnie was there too.  From there we joined the princess line.  For Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party the Princes hang out with the Princesses.  After waiting for an hour and half we met Snow White, Snow Prince, Cinderella, Prince Charming, Flynn Rider and Rapunzel.  Word to the wise, don't wait in that line.  Not worth it!

And to top off my Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom card set we got the limited edition Bag of Tricks card.  61 cards and counting!

From there we found characters that neither of us had taken photos with.  It had been since 2005 since I had seen Jane, not very long since seeing Terk and I've never seen Tarzan.  Rachel waiting in line as I met some other characters.  By the time we got to the front Tarzan had wondered off.  NOOOOO!  So after the fireworks we came back and found all three together.  They were the most entertaining gang of the night!

While Rachel was waiting in line for the Tarzan gang I went over to Pixie Hollow to meet Tinkerbelle.  She always has a friend with her.  With the new movie coming out soon after my visit her friend was her long lost sister Periwinkle.  Both were very cute and I make it back in time to meet Jane and Terk.

Right after meeting with the Tarzan gang we walked deeper into Adventureland to get photos with the Aladdin gang.  Another first was getting a photo with Abu!  Two new characters so far!

Fireworks, or as Disney cast members call it Pyro, was not as good as Disneyland.  The next time I visit for the party, which I'm sure I will, I will skip it!  And I love fireworks way more than parades but the Boo to You parade changed my mind, at least for the night.

Wow!  This is the best parade that I've ever seen.  There were tons of characters in the show that you never get to see in the parks, either in other parades or meet and greets.  All of the lost boys, lots of villains, the hitchhiking ghosts, Kanga and Roo, and more Haunted Mansion awesomeness.  What a parade.  Maybe next time, watch it twice, skip the pyro.

One more new character for me.  Maleficent.  After working in the parks to almost three years and more visiting I've never seen her!  Finally!  And we also saw her nemesis of Aurora and her Prince Phillip.

As the clock was coming closer to striking midnight we found two more characters.  Another first for me was Experiment 626.  Buzz was our final character of the night.

We missed out on so many characters!  No princess line for me next time.  There were Minnie, Mickey, Donald and Daisy in costume.  Gaston was around plus more villains.  Next time...

After collecting many character's autographs and photos we headed out.  Even with broken shoes, 100 percent humidity, and bruised toes we had a fantastic time.  But it was a bit light on the candy.  So I guess I will have to go to Disneyland's Halloween party to make up for it!

Epcot's 30's anniversary! On October 1, 2012!

Well, the anniversary was on October and it is April 30, but who's really counting.  So happy 30 1/2 year Epcot.  

I visited in June 2012 as well which I did not feature on my blog as I was taking time off from it. So here you go.
Brave came out in the summer time and before the film came out they had Highland Games at the entrance to the World showcase.  You could be separated into clans and earn badges (a button) once you completed the games.  The most impressive thing was a huge sand sculpture.  Merida is sand, with all that hair, very impressive!

Then onto characters.  Surprisingly Merida was not in Epcot, but the Magic Kingdom, but there were plenty of other characters to see.  We stumbled upon a character explosion next to the American Adventure and found Mr. Smee and Max!  If only we had made it there about 20 minutes early.  There were about 12 characters out all at the same time.  Why doesn't this happen every visit?

To close out one evening we ate at the Rose and Crown in the British Pavilion.  We enjoyed the dinner on the patio, the side unfortunately.  But I had read that they have a Illuminations viewing patio so we asked and we were let in.  I'll have to say that Illuminations is a not my favorite show.  I fell it's kinda boring, low fireworks, fire, low fireworks, turning globe, low fireworks, then everything together.  Meh.

Now I'm back to September 2012!  In April 2013!

But the real reason why I spent the most time in Epcot than I ever had before was the Food and Wine Festival.  I tried going in 2011 but it didn't work out so I was very happy to make it in 2012.  

All the food comes in tapas form.  Usually about $3-4 you can easily eat your way around the world.

I found Jiminy Cricket and Stitch!  Two unusual characters to me that I had to see.  I was the last one to see Jiminy for the day.  For the win!  Rachel finally found out what my love of characters was all about and had a hilarious game of charades with Chip and Dale.  One of my best memories of the trip for sure!

It was the last day of my trip to WDW that also happened to be the 30th Anniversary of Epcot.  They gave out cool maps that showed the changes over the years to Epcot and a button.  Rachel could not make it into the park because of work so I got her a set too!  I love free buttons!  I wasn't able to make it to any of the presentations because I was occupied by eating around the world and having to fly out at 6pm.

I would love to go back to Epcot during the food and wine festival.  The food, in the restaurants or pavilions  is the real reason to visit Epcot at any time of the year.  But there is nothing really like eating around the world with a friend during the food and wine festival.
Up next, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

Hollywood Studios aka the Park of Terrible Shows

Hollywood Studios is truly a theme park with shows.  Good shows?  Maybe not.  

The first show that I saw was The Little Mermaid.  Thank goodness it's only at 20 minute show because it was awful!  Ariel was underpitched the entire time, Eric was a bit fluffy, and the show was so chopped to bit is wasn't enjoyable even if the actors were good.  I wanted to leave but I was sitting in the middle of the row of a full theater so I stuck it out.

One thing I always enjoy in the park is the Magic of Disney animation area.  They always have displays set up for the next Disney or Pixar film.  As I was there in September they had Wreck it Ralph. 

As always I look for characters both inside and outside the Animal courtyard.

The next show was the parade.  They use music from the two California Adventure parades with only about half the interesting floats.  But I do love the music anyways and seeing characters you can't see in meet and greets in the park.

Rachel and I also hit up the 50's Prime Time Diner.  I got a pot roast and Rachel the pork chop.  And man were both of them delicious.  Followed by their smores, what could be better?  We both cleaned out plates but did not get stickers.  I want my money back!

Now to my last adventure in June.  I saw the Beauty and the Beast show.  It is one of my favorite full length musicals so I was excited.  The theater is very nice but the show again is a bit disjointed, but not as much as the Little Mermaid.  The show was decent but there was one thing that still sticks in my head.  What is the deal with the bright pink dresses?  Why?!  They are so ugly!

And finally from my trip in June was Fantasmic.  I love the show in Disneyland.  It is my favorite show there and when I visit I never miss it.  I must have seen it about 50 times.  

The Walt Disney World show just doesn't quite have it.  Missing are my favorite parts with the large boats around the Rivers of America.  There is one part where characters are stuck it bubbles that goes on for about 2 mintues, why?  The changes from the original show certainly don't make it better in my opinion.

I think that Hollywood Studios may have made it's way to the bottom of my Walt Disney World trip.  I certainly spent the least amount of time there compared to the other three parks.  

Up next, Epcot.