Why My Money's Not Going to Disney This Year

Construction everywhere (in California and Florida) and lame Disney attractions opening in Florida. This is why I am not going to use my heard earned money on a Disney centered vacation this year. 

Star Wars Land is underway. The location in California is just so unfortunate, but I'm sure it will be well done when it debuts in 2018 or so. California Adventure has nothing to offer that cannot wait.

Star Wars Land is also underway at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The beautiful Animal Kingdom is also seeing a surge n additions, with Pandora / Avatar being the new crown jewel. 

The Magic Kingdom is "frozen", but Epcot is getting a misplaced ride in Norway, a quick(?) and dirty re-do of the Maelstrom boat ride. Disney Springs? Beautiful to look at, but it is still a shopping center. 

What's a Disney fan to do? Spend his money elsewhere! It has now been 7 years since I've been to the World. It will be longer before the next visit.

New Frozen Meet and Greet Art

Anna and Elsa in Norway's meet and greet. For my records but certainly not high on my list.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

More Than Just Frozen Ever After at Walt Disney World

Frozen Ever After opens soon in Epcot's World Showcase! Elsa, Anna, and friends make their splashy debut in Norway. But that's not all- there's more! 

Like so many of you, I have long resigned myself to the sad fact that Frozen is now taking over the Maelstrom attraction at Norway. Just to recap old ground, I'm not opposed to the film being turned into an attraction at Walt Disney World. It's just in the wrong park. And no, Maelstrom was not an Epcot Center "E Ticket" attraction of old (that designation would belong to Journey into Imagination, World of Motion, and Horizons). What was it? An old attraction that needed a refreshing, not a character infusion. Now that is all settled...

It's clear to this writer that Frozen Ever After just doesn't apply to the ride replacing Maelstrom. In fact, if you look for it, you can find it all over Walt Disney World!

It seems temporary attractions and changes really aren't, broken effects stay that way, and it's now all about guest manipulation versus guest satisfaction and providing the best experience for the travel dollar. Each park suffers from the malady of Frozen Ever After:

The Magic Kingdom- Where to start? Tomorrowland's Carousel of Progress. Stitch should be ditched. No love from Disney suits, but The Hall of Presidents will be getting a forced upgrade due to the Presidential Election. (And both choices are awful!) Adventureland is a disjointed mess, but at least the New Fantasyland feels somewhat fresh from what I can tell. 

Animal Kingdom- This park has probably made the most strides going forward in light of the coming Avatar / Pandora addition. Yet, Dinorama remains a blight on the landscape, Kali River Rapids continues at best to be a waste of an attraction, and the Yeti on Expedition: Everest sadly continues to trip the light fantastic. 

Disney's Hollywood Studios- Aerosmith needs to be booted out of Rock 'N' Rollercoaster. In spite of the still great songs like Walk This Way, Imagineering needs to bring the attraction into the New Century. Over at the Great Movie Ride, new scenes and updated film choices need to be added, but the dancing girls of the opening scenes are still Frozen Ever After. Fantasmic! needs a serious retooling, and in an odd twist of fate, the one attraction that doesn't need an overhaul seems to be in line to get one: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror as it converts into a Guardians of the Galaxy mess. In reality, the whole park is a disaster. You can't give the guests meet and greets and new dining locations to make up for shuttered attractions and construction walls.

Epcot-  My how the once mighty have fallen!  Circle of Life is in the state of rigor mortis, Figment's personality and face lift need an overhaul, but then so does Ellen at Universe of Energy and Martin Short in the Canada film! Ellen looks particularly stuck in the 90's.

That's just Future World! Things are equally bad over at the World Showcase half of the park. Isn't it time for a whole new country to be added to the place? Or at least brand new films for the countries represented? Or even brand new attractions instead of just milking the guests with new places to wine and dine? 

Yes, Walt Disney World is Frozen Ever After- and not in a good way.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Many Moons Ago

Taken a long time ago for my in-laws 50th wedding anniversary, this beautiful shot captures a moment in time not to be repeated. Make sure you take time to hug those you love, and let them hear you say it!

From the Top of Mauna Kea

The Big Island, Hawaii, is a place of incredible contrasts. From the gorgeous beaches to the Parker Ranch, the the volcano named Mauna Kea, each area seems as if it was created to be separate worlds from each other!

My good friend Len Yokoyama captured this image from the summit. (Check out his Walt Disney World reports and incredible photos on the blog.) The landscape is a dazzling piece of art from the Creator. Wouldn't you agree?

(Photograph copyright Len Yokoyama.)

The Right Decision: Goodbye Castle

Often, the right decisions are the hardest ones. Certainly applies in this case as television's Castle has not been renewed for Season Nine. It's a good thing as the chemistry between lead actors Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic made the show work. 

Cast and crew of Castle.

That's not a jab to downplay the wonderful ensemble cast at all- but the ongoing Castle / Beckett romantic tension gave the series a spark that did not go out even once the two finally married. 

Stana's goodbye note via Instagram.

ABC Television under the leadership of the Walt Disney Company could have done what they have done to other Disney divisions under the leadership of Robert Iger: Let the series continue without Stana so they could go on stuffing their pockets with more cash. (Just look at the state of the U.S. Disney parks in Florida.) However, for once, common sense and perhaps the respect of the art won out. Castle would not continue without Stana. Or perhaps Disney had no choice...

Can the suits make the same decision for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and not convert it into a Guardians of the Galaxy attraction? Probably not.

Risking It All

We know Disney took some calculated risks in order to build Shanghai Disneyland. The Imagineers were forced to retool their ideas to fit a Chinese concept and sensibility of what a them park should be. It looks like the end result will be profitable.

A friend passed on this thought to me today, and I am riveted by it.

What about bigger and more important risks?

Listen to this incredible challenge:

http://thecrossingaurora.org/sermons/sermon/2016-03-13/take-the-lid-off

Initial Thoughts on Shanghai Disneyland

Thanks to terrific sites like Disney and More, the web's been filled with photos and video leaked out of Shanghai Disneyland. And, to be totally honest, I've watched most of the video and looked in detail at the photos. What I've seen is a mixed bag offering.

Let's start with the clear winner: Pirates of the Caribbean Battle for the Sunken Treasure. The new story drives the attraction, and the skeleton to Jack Sparrow in the flesh transition is phenomenal, but it is the combination of filmed segments, detailed sets, and stunning new Audio-Animatronics that pull the whole thing together. From what I can see, Treasure Cove looks fine but suffers from too bright a color palate. 

On the other hand, the massive castle is a bust. The inside might make for a beautiful walk through and really looks lovely, but outside, it's clear the Chinese authorities had something to prove. Clunky, charmless, and without the wow factor of other Magic Kingdom icons. The same can be said for the Voyage to the Crystal Grotto. Prior to entering the basement of the castle, the boats cruise through a garden trough while looking at statues of Disney animated film characters. Boring. And a huge waste of space. The same charmless adjective can be applied to the Tim Burton inspired Alice in Wonderland maze, and unfortunately Peter Pan's Flight- which promised something groundbreaking and delivered little. 

Tomorrowland. Ugh- I had such high hope for this area based on the concept art. Admittedly, Tron's Lightcycles look terrific if somewhat short, and the Jet Packs have potential for a spinner. The interesting piece was looking at the pavement treatment in the land. Seems like it was designed with materials that would be especially easy to replace or hose down should the untrained guests decide to use the walking area as a place to relieve themselves. Perhaps it was just built to deconstruct like so many buildings in the former Soviet Union countries. 

There's not enough footage of Adventure Isle to get a great look, but Mickey Avenue, the alternative to Main Street U.S.A., looks great! The gardens around the castle hub are pleasing- even if it is a bit jarring to see Dumbo and the Carousel on the other side. 

As more photos and video become available, I'll comment. So far, I'd rate Shanghai Disneyland at a "B". Not excellent but with much potential.

Decline of the Religious White Male

I'm in the middle of reading this fascinating book, The Next Christendom, by Philip Jenkins. Well written and objective, it removes the hyperbole often associated with the topic of faith in this nation increasingly hostile to it, taking a look at growth in faith  communities the world over. Do you think the average Christian is a older man in North America? You'd be wrong. I won't give the finer points of the information away, but instead, I encourage you to read this for yourself. Historic, Biblical, Christ-centered Christianity is alive and well- just not where you think.

Norway Art Post Frozen Ever After

Yes, Maelstrom is long gone. Frozen Ever After is on the way. A very astute reader over at WDWMagic found a new piece of Disney Imagineering concept art which shows World Showcase's lovely Norway pavilion after the Frozen layover is complete. The kind reader did not disclose where it was found, but it's a treat for those of us that enjoy concept art. I've cleaned it up a bit to show more detail. With all the additions, Norway now becomes the pavilion with the largest amount of acreage a park guest can walk. Wouldn't it be nice if other World Showcase pavilions were added to? Without the character invasion, that is!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Always Only You

Every once in awhile, a foreign language film comes along that really grips me. This is one of them. Always (Only You). So worth viewing. Starring Hyo-ju Han and Ji-soeb So as the leads.

Notable and Quotable: Vladimir Lenin

"We must be ready to employ trickery, deceit, law-breaking, withholding and concealing truth... We can and must write in a language which sows among the masses hate, revulsion, and scorn toward those who disagree with us. 

                            Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, 1918

(Sounds like so many special interest groups in American politics, doesn't it?)

Disney Set to Ruin a Great Attraction

Months ago, when the "Spirit" at the terrific site WDWMagic told the story about Robert Iger and crew getting ready to overlay the classic Twilight Zone Tower of Terror with Guardians of the Galaxy in order to bring in Marvel, followers of Disney parks had a reason to be concerned. His track record for sharing the truth is absolutely impeccable. 

Miceage/Micechat "broke" the months old story yesterday, and the press finally took notice, taking it seriously. Would the Imagineers really be forced into transforming one of the last great original attractions? Looks like it.

If this isn't a money grab forsaking art, theme, and fan satisfaction, I do not know what is. But that is the state of the Walt Disney Company under the leadership of Robert Iger and his ilk. It's all about the money, nothing more. Look at the state of Walt Disney World compared to Tokyo Disney. That alone should say more than anyone in the Company wants to admit.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Transformational

 The list of great, some would say epic, Disney theme park attractions that transformed their respective parks, is a very long one. Sometimes entire parks change the landscape forever. One single change can have impact for generations.

 The entire addition of EPCOT Center singularly transformed Walt Disney World into a multi-day, week long, resort destination. It was only the warm up act for what was to come in 1989 with the additions of Disney-MGM Studios, the Caribbean Beach Resort, Typhoon Lagoon, and Downtown Disney. Change has continued with New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom.

It's part of a great tradition beginning with New Orleans Square at Disneyland. Pirates of the Caribbean forever changed the way park guests would look at themed entertainment. And the Imagineers followed that up with the Haunted Mansion. Both still the pinnacle of theme park attractions.

Will Pandora / World of Avatar do it to Animal Kingdom? Star Wars Experience will certainly do it again (good or bad) to Walt's original park as well as Florida's now lost studio park. 

And the power of change certainly continues with Cars Land at California Adventure in 2012. This addition transformed Anaheim's second park laughing stock into something special. Now guests flock to California Adventure and are wowed by the experience. The power of change transforms how we see things.

Something just as powerful happened to me a couple of weeks ago. I encountered Jesus Christ in a brand new way, and I don't think I will ever be the same. If you think you know Him, I give you this challenge: Ask Him, the LORD God of the universe, to step into your life and make a difference head to toe. Take the risk of giving Him control in a new way. Let God prove himself to you by embracing the God made Man who gave his life on the cross in payment for your sins. Accept the gift, put him to the test, take the challenge. Be transformed yourself. Let the landscape of your life and heart be changed forever. It's scary, rewarding, and life-giving. Go for it. You know you need something more.

(Art and photographs copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Oh Captain, My Captain

It's almost time to choose. Can't wait! Go Captain America- a hero before he became one.