Archive for the 'Magic Kingdom' Category

Splash Mountain: You Know the Ride, but do you Know the Movie

Published by KP, on August 27, 2010 in Disneyland and Magic Kingdom. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Zip-a-dee-do-dah, zip-a-dee-day, my oh my what a wonderful day…. Everyone knows and sings along to this much loved Disney song. It is a staple present in both Disneyland and Disneyworld’s Splash Mountain; a ride built around the premise of the movie, Song of the South. Almost every ride in a Disney park is based around the premise of a Disney movie. The difference with this ride, however, is that unlike Peter Pan’s Flight or Dumbo the Flying Elephant, very few people who ride it have ever seen, or even heard of the movie.

Walt Disney World's Splash Mountain

Song of the South was released in 1964. It tells the story of Johnny, a young boy saddened by the divorce of his parents. He finds help and comfort from the kind Uncle Remus who shares with him stories of adventure based around Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox and Breb Bear. These stories teach Johnny and his friends valuable life lessons and help him deal with situations that arise. It is a movie with mixed live action and animation filled with wondeful messages for people of all ages.

The movie was last released in 1986. Many Disney fans have since called for the re-release of the movie but it has been met with resistance and reluctance, due to an suggested racial tone. I won’t go in to the details on this, it’s complicated, and if you are so inclined more information can be found online.

Poster from Song of the South

The downside of Disney not re-releasing the movie is many riders are unfamiliar with the story behind the ride. It is based around one of Uncle Remus’s many stories. It tells the story of Brer Rabbit’s quest to find his Laughing Place. BUt along the way he runs in to the menacing Brer Bear and Brer Fox who trap him. As you go up the final drop you can see Brer Fox on the side about to devour the poor rabbit. But Brer Rabbit outsmarts them both and tricks them in to dropping him in to the Briar Patch where he is safe. The ride then ends with a safe and happy Brer Rabbit and the loveable song Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.

Inside Disneyland's Splash Mountain

I personally would love to see the movie be re-released, if only to finally see and understand all the little details you encounter on Splash Mountain. But until the day Disney releases Song of the South I encourrage you to check out all the clips on Youtube and familarize yourself with the story behind the ride. It’s a great tale filled with moral values, great tales and classic Disney songs.

Pluto and Goofy are “All in this Together”

Published by KP, on August 17, 2010 in Magic Kingdom and Media Monday. 1 Comment Tags: .

Working as a character attendant I got to participate in many amazing Disney character experiences. One of my top 5 days of work included working a Mickey’s Dance Party during the Magic Kingdom’s extra magic hours. I was assigned to Pluto who I found out has some secret stellar dancing skills. Armed with my camera I was able to shoot some fun footage of Pluto and Goofy rocking out to Disney’s High School Musical. Enjoy and dance along:)

Drink up me ‘earties yo ho!

Published by Andy, on August 9, 2010 in Magic Kingdom and Media Monday. 0 Comments Tags: .

This Media Monday we take a short trip to the Caribbean, and visit a redone Pirates featuring Captain Jack Sparrow.

When it Become a Reality

Published by Andy, on July 5, 2010 in Magic Kingdom and Media Monday. 0 Comments Tags: .

Today on Media Monday, we visit one of my all time favourite Disney World attractions, the Carousel of Progress!

This is just a quick clip, just to give you a taste of the greatness.

Now you’re going to be humming that song alllll day ;-)

Disney’s Electrical Parade Returns to the Magic Kingdom

Published by KP, on June 7, 2010 in Magic Kingdom, Media Monday and Walt Disney World. 0 Comments Tags: .

Equipped with its thousands of sparkling lights and electro-synthe-magnetic musical sounds, Disney’s Electrical Parade makes it’s return to the Magic Kingdom after 10 years.

Disney's Main Street Electrical Parade in California Adventure

Here is a short video taken in Disney’s California Adventures by yours trully before the parade was moved to Florida for Summer Nightastic:

To see a video of the parade in it’s new home in the Magic Kingdom check out the Disney Park Blog http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/06/video-preview-main-street-electrical-parade-returns/

and our Youtube Page to see a great video taken by Inside the Magic on opening night

The Often Overlooked Tom Sawyer Island

Published by KP, on May 21, 2010 in Disneyland, Disneyland Resort, Magic Kingdom and Walt Disney World. 1 Comment Tags: , .

In both Disneyland and DisneyWorld there exists an island accessible only by raft. It does not contain any white knuckle rides, 3D shows or parades. But to the unsuspecting park goer Tom Sawyer Island can be a lot of fun and a time to relax and adventure with friends and family.

It begins with a quick raft ride departing from Frontierland, traveling across the Rivers of America and arriving on the island. Both parks have twisting trails, forts and hidden underground caverns but the Disneyland and Magic Kingdom islands are quite different.

WDW Raft to Tom Sawyer Island

Disneyworld’s Tom Sawyer Island is true to the classic stories of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. It is two islands connected by a suspension bridge. While on the island I love to travel across the barrel bridge, try out the shooting games on Fort Langhorn and walk through the mill. But I have two true favourites including Injune Joe’s caves, which are admittedly quite spooky with their near darkness and eerie noises. I also love Aunt Polly’s located on the edge of the river. In the past this place served as a place to get a drink and snack but has been closed for awhile, now instead offering the perfect quiet oasis to sit back in a rocking chair and soak in the Disney magic.

Aunt Polly's on WDW's Tom Sawyer Island

Aunt Polly's on WDW's Tom Sawyer Island

Disneyland’s Island has received a new name of late, now going by Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island as Jack Sparrow and his crew have taken it over. You can cross the suspension bridge into Smuggler’s Cover complete different tasks to find hidden treasure in the water and maybe a skeleton or two. There are also the Bone Cages used in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies that Andy and I had fun swinging on.

Andy and I in the Bone Cages

Andy and I in the Bone Cages

Unlike the relatively quite island in WDW, Disneyland’s offers various forms of entertainment. Jack Sparrow has been known to visit the island on occasion, normally hanging out near the Pirate treasure or as we found him, scurrying around the island on an adventure. At the front of the island there are various pirate themed singing groups performing on a flat piece deck of wood that doesn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the island. That’s because this very spot transforms, with a little bit of Disney magic, into my favourite show, Fantasmic! (perhaps that is another reason I love the island so much).

By Night Mickey Fights Evil on Tom Sawyer Island

Entertainer's By Day on DL's Tom Sawyer Island

But the one thing you have to experience on the island is the pirate caves. If you have ever been in WDW’s caves and thought those were claustrophobic you haven’t experienced Disneyland’s. In my opinion these caves are the scariest thing you could experience in a Disney Park; even the haunted mansion has nothing on these. At times you must crawl through on your hands and knees feeling your way forward with your hands in the darkness.

So next time you visit a Disney theme park remember to not overlook Tom Sawyer Island. Keep in mind though that the island does close at dusk as there is no lighting on the island (and to prepare for Fantasmic in DL). Bring your imagination, run around and see what adventures you can get caught up in!

He’s Crazzzy! He Drinks Alot!

Published by KP, on May 11, 2010 in Magic Kingdom and Media Monday. 0 Comments Tags: .

Everyone loves Jack Sparrow! So I hope everyone loves this short clip of Pirate Tutorial in the Magic Kingdom hosted by Jack Sparrow and his crewman, Mack. A little Yo ho and a little King’s ransom!

George the Ghost

Published by KP, on May 7, 2010 in Magic Kingdom and Walt Disney World. 0 Comments Tags: .

By now, it is no secret that Andy and I love the hidden details found throughout Disney parks. It can make any visit to the parks more exciting by investigating and hunting down the little things that make Disney so special. These hidden secrets placed by Imagineers help make Disney such an amazing place to be. But there are also myths and legends created by visitors and employees over the decades that have evolved and earned a spot in Disney lore. One of my favourite stories involves the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Walt Disney World and a ghost named George.

POTC

When riding through the burning city scene take a look to your right and notice the tallest tower. This is George’s tower and where his story begins. George was an engineer involved in the building of Pirates of the Caribbean. One day during construction he was working up in this tower. As the stories say, one morning George accidently slipped and fell to his death. It is believed that his ghost still haunts the ride to this day.

Any ride operators working at this attraction make a point of saying good morning and good night to George at the beginning and end of every day. It is said that if they fail to do so, the ride will unexpectedly break down. I have asked two different operators about this and both have confirmed this daily task. Rumour is that at the bottom of the tower you can find his initials carved in to the stone and if you try to paint over them, the initials will seep through.

Skeletons Playing Chess in Queue Line for POTC

Skeletons Playing Chess in Queue Line for POTC

Next time you take a boat ride down Pirates of the Caribbean there are two signs to look out for. Before you pass through the auction scene, look to your right and take a look at the tower if you see a light burning at the top, it means George is home. If you then pass through the burning city scene and still see this light then something is going to happen to the ride system. Another thing to look for involves the jail scene with the dog and 3 prisoners. On the opposite side of the water are a few steps leading to a door. This door is normally closed, but if open expect something to happen to the ride.

Fact or fiction no one knows, but it has created a fun and exciting story. Next time you head to Pirates of the Caribbean make sure to ask the ride operators about the ghost of George, sometimes they may even have a story or two to share…oh, and don’t forget to say hello to George.

The Elusive ‘Kiss Goodnight’

Published by KP, on April 8, 2010 in Magic Kingdom and Walt Disney World. 0 Comments Tags: , .

During my many hours researching everything Disney on the internet I had found out information about a so called ‘Kiss Goodnight’. Rumour? Old event? created to drive KP mad? All plausible answers.

In fact, the ‘Kiss Goodnight’ entails a short 3 minute audio recording that is played in the hub of the Magic Kingdom after park closing when guests are still trickling out of the various lands, making their way down Main Street. It’s accompanied by changing colours on Cinderella’s castle and ending with a “See ya real soon” from our pal Mickey. It isn’t anything special, often being compared to the water parade in the Seven Seas Lagoon. It’s more something to entertain the guests as they walk away, a goodbye if you will. But I pride myself on watching every show and riding every ride available in the Magic Kingdom and therefore I must see the ‘Kiss Goodnight’.

After finding multiple YouTube videos of it, I knew it existed. Now all I had to do was catch it! I asked Andy about it, yep she’s seen it, of course. I questioned many of my fellow Disney employees, the majority of which had no idea what I was talking about. The few that did knew about as much as I did; that it played sometime after park closing and not every night. So I set out on my quest to stay in the park till after closing to finally see it.  Many nights I listened, watched and waited patiently….nothing.

To this day I have yet to view it. Referring to it now as my unicorn, the elusive event I have yet to witness. I hope to one day be able to write a blog entry about finally seeing the ‘Kiss Goodnight’.

In the Meantime you can watch a video of the \’Kiss Goodnight\’ at MaketheMagic.ca\’s Youtube Channel

Four Parks, One Day

Published by Andy, on April 1, 2010 in Epcot, Food, Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Sounds like an impossible task: visit all four theme parks at the Walt Disney World Resort. There are many naysayers who don’t think it can be done. But KP and I took on the challenge – and did it! Not only that, but we managed to ride one attraction and see one show at each of the parks!

To celebrate our having worked one month at Walt Disney World, we decided to take on this challenge.

On June 27th, 2007, we set out from our apartment in the morning (after having slept in a bit even) and headed to the Animal Kingdom. Initially the plan had been that we would each choose something in the parks to do (our friend Carol was with us), so that meant accomplishing three things in each park.

Park #1: Animal Kingdom

Park #1: Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom was busy that day, and thwarted our attempts to get on Kilimanjaro Safaris. But we snagged a fast pass for Kali River Rapids, and then headed for It’s Tough to be a Bug. On our way back to Kali, we passed the Finding Nemo musical and decided to go for it. Luck was on our side this time, as we managed to get into the theater despite the long line and wait before us. From there we used our Kali River Rapids fast passed and took the plunge. Luckily KP and I didn’t get wet, since we still had a long day before us!

KP worries she may get wet on Kali River Rapids.

KP worries she may get wet on Kali River Rapids.

From there we caught the Disney Transport bus over to Disney MGM Studios (now called Disney’s Hollywood Studios). I’d never ridden a Disney Transport bus before, and it was pretty quick between parks.

At MGM we grabbed lunch at the ABC Commissary, and then jumped on the Backlot Tour. Unfortunately we weren’t lucky enough to get chosen as volunteers for Harbour Attack. From there we caught the High School Musical Pep Rally, which is always an upbeat and fun show to see.

Andy and Carol pose outside the ABC Commissary.

Andy and Carol pose outside the ABC Commissary.

With a quick snack (slushies, yum), we headed out of the park and towards the Friendships to head to park #3 of 4…

Catching the Friendship to the next Park.

Catching the Friendship to the next Park.

Epcot! Before we’d left for our adventure that morning, we’d called the Disney Dining Reservations hotline and managed to snag a reservation for dinner at Alfredo’s in the Italian Pavilion. Such great food there (unfortunately Alfredo’s no longer exists). Definitely the best alfredo and food ever! While we were there we were serenaded by two of the wait staff. When we left we were all quite full, but that didn’t slow us down. We headed towards Norway, and managed to get onto the Maelstrom. From there we made a quick stop in at MouseGear, then jumped onto the Monorail for…

Enjoying alfredo at Alfredo's.

Enjoying alfredo at Alfredo's.

The Magic Kingdom! The last park we needed to see! While we were on the Monorail from the Transportation and Ticket Center, we could see Wishes going off above MK. It’s quite a beautiful sight to see from the Monorail. We made our way through the post fireworks crowd to Tomorrowland to ride Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, and have a nice evening ride on the Tomorrowland Transportation Authority. Our last ride of the night was the AstroOrbiter.

KP on Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.

KP on Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.

Andy soaring on the Astro Orbiter.

Andy soaring on the Astro Orbiter.

So to all those disbelievers out there (and yes we did talk to many that day who couldn’t believe what we were doing, or those who thought we wouldn’t succeed).. it is possible to do all four parks in one day! It’s actually quite a fun adventure, and if you have a day where you want to give yourself a challenge, I recommend you try it! Considering we’d planned it very little, we succeeded fairly well.

Four parks, one day. Do it!

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