Liberty Square Keeps Florida's Kingdom Unique

As a Disney theme park fan, one of the delights of visiting the different parks is seeing the unique attractions and lands each has to offer. It is one of the main reasons I am so against the quick cookie-cutter additions of attractions placed in several parks at once. It may be economically a smart move (or is it?), but in the long run, doing so only detracts from the overall experience. Even the same themed attraction can take on a new and fresh perspective and presentation, making it a must-see adventure for the fan to explore several different parks. The perfect example would be in the quintessential park attraction, Pirates of the Caribbean, uniquely different in the original vs. the excellent Parisian version and also in the new crowd pleaser in Shanghai Disneyland.  The same could be said for the Haunted Mansion / Phantom Manor / Mystic Manor trio of attractions.

Abandoned Disney's America.

For this reason alone, I remain thrilled that the Magic Kingdom's Liberty Square has yet to be duplicated anywhere else. Certainly if built as planned, the Disney's America project would have made Florida's land look like the standard cliff notes version, but for now, this elegant area remains an exclusive to Florida.  

The outstanding Hall of Presidents and the spirit filled Haunted Mansion are the headliners here, but a cruise on the riverboat is another must do. Looking around the land, two smaller items are worth notice. One, a copy of the Philadelphia Liberty Bell itself, and also, the Liberty Tree- a massive specimen that holds 13 lanterns representing the original states in the Union. These bits of history and historic reference strengthen the theme, making the area more compelling. (In an odd move earlier this year, Disney made a mistake adding the 20th century Muppets show to the land, but a guest can visit the area off times and not experience the break in theme.) 

Liberty Square is so much more than the sum of its attractions, however. The land is filled with shops once offering unique items completely in theme. Sadly, that is no longer. Even though the buildings are now filled with generic Disney merchandise, they remain wonderful pieces of architecture. There's still a couple of great places to eat, however, the Columbia Harbour House (one of the few places in the Magic Kingdom offering seafood) and the Liberty Tree Tavern.

The concept art (top) is not an often seen piece of Imagineering art. We usually find the more common finished product depicted instead. If you look closely, you'll find the Liberty Tree is there. What you'll also see but was never built is directly to the left of the Hall of Presidents: the beginning of a series of streets and even courtyards a la Disneyland's incredible New Orleans Square. Would it not have been great fun to explore colonial America by getting lost in a network of shops and cafes? New Orleans Square is certainly one of the greatest pieces of design at Disneyland, effectively mimicking real world New Orleans as well as places like Montmartre in Paris and numerous bazaars found in the Middle East and Asia. 

One day, the Imagineers may choose to expand the area around the Rivers of America, opening up a pathway beyond the Haunted Mansion to ease guest traffic flow or to provide access to new lands and attractions. If so, I hope they include a bit more Liberty Square into the mix. It's a land that keeps the Magic Kingdom unique and celebrates a country like no other.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Christmas From Aulani

Hau’oli Makahiki Hou (Happy New Year in Hawaiian) from the island of Oahu and specifically, Disney’s Aulani Resort! Your friendly neighborhood blogger Mark Taft has again kindly allowed me to take up bandwidth to amuse, bedazzle, and mostly irritate his reading audience with my random thoughts, words, and befuddling images.

For this guest post, I wanted to share some photos and thoughts from the Disney Aulani Resort! There won't be much reporting on the activities and events at the hotel as I was there for barely a day. My good friend is a DVC member and she invited me to spend some time with them. Since I arrived at Aulani in the late afternoon, most of the evening was spent shooting sunset and long exposure images. I did a lot of interior and people shots on my last visit, so there won't be much of that for this report. Hopefully, you'll get a feel for the overall ambiance and theming of the resort told through my pictures and words. But again, not much first hand reviews or anecdotes about dining, swimming, or all the other cool stuff one can do at Aulani . 

Let's start with some photos of the resort area just prior to sunset. Aulani is located at the Ko Olina Resort & Marina in Kapolei. Situated on the west side of Oahu, it’s about a 45 minute drive from Waikiki (up to 2 hours during peak traffic hours). While it’s pretty obvious the hotel is immaculately designed and up to Disney standards, the area its located in is nothing to sneeze at either! With its pristine beaches and a skyline overlooking the mountainous landscape, the resort truly feels unique and apart from the daily lifestyle of most local residents.

I live in east Oahu, so I rarely make it to this side of the island. Because everything is new and mostly unexplored, it almost feels like I’ve traveled to another part of the world. While I remember initial resistance to Disney building a hotel in the area, I never doubted that the Imagineers would do a respectful job of integrating Hawaiian culture into the fabric and theme of the hotel. It’s obvious they did their research and worked with local experts to get the details right. I was lucky to encounter Imagineer Joe Rohde when the hotel first opened. He was walking the grounds early one morning so I ventured forward to ask for a picture and we talked a bit about the design process. Joe is obviously an extremely talented artist who takes great care and pride in his work.

The two towers, impressive in height, never seem to overwhelm or stick out like a sore thumb from the rest of the property. Each and every element works in smooth harmony with the others to incorporate a breathtaking, yet natural vista. Much thought was also put into the surrounding attractions and eating establishments. “Makahiki” is clearly the centerpiece restaurant of the resort, with its traditional Disney character breakfast and buffet. I ate there when Aulani first opened and thought it was a mixed bag. Some of the food, especially the local cuisine (lau lau, kalua pig) seemed a bit bland, but I chalk it up to the kitchen staff getting their feet wet and finding that right mixture of flavor and taste. I’m sure the dining experience has much improved by this time.

While it’s hard to make up for the absence of a Disney park down the road, the Imagineers worked up a little magic in the form of a mini water park. From the active volcano that serves as a base for the water slides, to the lazy streams running throughout the property, children (and many adults) will find the poolside areas the highlight of the stay. I’m particularly impressed with “Keiki Cove’, a play zone for kids. The design work allows this attraction to seamlessly integrate with the resort while providing its own unique taste of Disney. While I was photographing the area after midnight, voices of menehunes (strange, magical creatures) were still being piped throughout the area (reminiscent of the snoring bears at Disney’s Frontierland).

One of the biggest surprises for me on this visit was the overall subtlety of the Christmas decorations. Part of it maybe a conscientious decision not to overwhelm the Hawaiian motif with tons of lights and Christmas décor. But after experiencing the beautiful lobby trees of such fellow Disney resorts as The Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge, not seeing a huge tree was a bit of a disappointment. Thinking of how the AK trees were adorned with ornaments that paid tribute to the local culture and arts, I could see something similarly done for the lobby here at Aulani. There were two small trees placed at the ends of the ground floor, but they were rather pedestrian and something you would find on display at your local Walmart store.

For a kamaaina (local), the cost of a night makes it prohibitive for most to stay at the resort. Being a visitor, and especially if you’re a Disney fan, I can see how this place would be a destination point regardless of the high costs. So if you’re thinking of planning a trip to Hawaii, Aulani should definitely be on your radar.

Until my next intrusion, take care, stay safe, and God bless us all!

(Photographs copyright Len Yokoyama.)

Carpenters Christmas Memories A Winner

Sometimes a guy just has to buy himself a Christmas present, and mine came in the mail today. Richard Carpenter has put together a beautiful DVD comprised selections from their two Christmas television specials and two of their appearances on others. (Perry Como and Dorothy Hamill.) The sound and picture are nearly flawless considering they were recorded as early as 1974. 

Karen Carpenter proves once again to be the voice of Christmas for her generation. Merry Christmas Darling may be the only Carpenters song you know, but trust me, after watching and listening to this DVD, you'll want to find both Christmas Portrait and An Old Fashioned Christmas and add them to your holiday music collection. 

For more information on how to order this excellent disc, go to this post on the A&M Corner website.

Blossoms of Light

One of the most anticipated winter activities in our house - at least with me- is the once a year opportunity to see Blossoms of Light at the Denver Botanical Gardens. Parking is always a mess (the city was not built to handle the numbers of people who now call this home), and the crowds are high, but the experience is worth it.

My favorite shot of this year's event.

The entire trip through the gardens takes about an hour or so. In the early visits, they used to serve hot chocolate and even had small plates for purchase, so you could "nosh" your way around the place.

The not so hidden path.

In addition to the crowds, the one change I did not appreciate this year was the new absence of Christmas music as you walked around. This always made it extra special, a bit of charm that you only got during this season. 

The gazebo.

There were a few new additions that added immensely to the evening's experience. Outdoor gazebos were decorated as well as the elegant home that is part of the grounds. I'm fairly certain I saw Santa and his elves working upstairs!

(Photographs copyright Mark Taft.)

Going Home

Even after all these years, as someone who is not a native to this state, I always get a twinge of envy when one of my friends gets the opportunity to move back home- especially under good circumstances. It happened again this week. And the pang hit. I guess I still see myself as a Californian at heart.

Yes, I have a good life here, and yes, God is good. Yet, I still long for home. Maybe it's just that I will long for home until I die and go to heaven to be with Jesus for eternity. (John 14:1-3) That's my real home anyway. All this is temporary.

San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts

Does this lovely building look familiar to you? If you're big a fan of Disney theme parks, you probably recognize it as being the inspiration for the California Adventure building which housed Golden Dreams starring Whoopi Goldberg. The film was actually pretty good even if it was originally supposed to be an Audio-Animatronics attraction like the American Adventure at Epcot and even if it included the obnoxious Ms. Goldberg as its star. Now, the repainted rotunda is just the entrance to the Little Mermaid attraction.

Back to the building. In reality this structure is the beautiful, stunning, and very large Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. My wife took this shot on an exceptionally beautiful Northern California day as we were touring the city and the surrounding towns this past June. San Francisco is a must-see city justifiably famous for its landscapes, restaurants and attractions.

What a view! What a city!

I have about 400 photos of our time there in the city as well as at the coast of the Pacific Ocean and Napa. My original goal was a trip report to cover it all including my first visit to the Walt Disney Family Museum. But I make no promises. Remember my Switzerland series?

(Photographs copyright Mark Taft.)

Evolving Disney's Hollywood Studios

Oh, no! Honey I Shrunk the Disney-MGM Studios concept art! Here's a cool little piece of history. Back in 1989 when the park opened, the backstage studio tour offered a walking portion with a chance to ride a giant ant from the movie hit Honey I Shrunk the Kids. There wasn't much else to do then, but the Studios eventually evolved into almost a full day park.

With the rise of Star Wars Land and Toy Story (Play) Land, the park is down to minimal attractions once again. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, the Great Movie Ride, and Rock N Rollercoaster seem to be all that's left of a park that once showed so much promise.

The history of the park is quite amazing! Here's one of the largest, most detailed, posts ever on this blog: a 25 Year anniversary look at the park- filled with vintage photos, concept art of what was built and what was considered and much more. If you love this park or just want a good read, it's worth your time. Plus there are dozens more of separate posts about the third Disney park in Florida. Enjoy!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

New Star Wars:Galaxy's Edge Art?

Here's it is. This is what seems to be a brand new piece of very impressive Star Wars Land Disney Imagineering concept art - at least to me. (It's huge blown up full size!) I did not see this on any television special, but it's branded ABC. The more I see, the most impressed I am with this project. It should be a spectacular experience at both Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World. 

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

From Our Family to Yours

As you celebrate the Christmas season, may you deeply enjoy your friends, family, and the God who loved you so much He gave you the best gift ever- eternal life through Jesus Christ. Be blessed, and pass the blessing of the Good News on.

Definitely a reason to celebrate!

Must See: Who Was Where at Christmas

Just discovered this incredible piece of work- and you have to see it for yourself in the largest size when you click on it. This is so well done! What is it? A timeline of where everyone was at the time of the birth of Jesus. If you've ever read the Bible's accounts of what led up to the biggest event in history (God coming to earth as a Man), you might have wondered how it all came together.  

From here on out, I'll let the text from BibleGateway do the talking... 
(Please note that the image above is referenced below several times.)

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Who Was Where at Christmas? A Christmas Story Timeline

Andy Rau

Senior manager of content for Bible Gateway.

Chances are you’ll be reading or hearing the Christmas story sometime this week! As a companion to your reading, here’s a timeline that shows where the myriad characters of the Christmas story were during events surrounding the first Christmas (click on the image below to enlarge):

(Also available: high-resolution image and PDF.)

This visualization traces the Christmas story as told in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2, showing you who is with whom throughout the story. Verse references are provided so you can look up each event in the Bible for details.

Each line represents a person, and the narrative unfolds as you follow from left to right. When character lines meet up and run alongside each other, those characters were together during that event. It starts with the angel Gabriel appearing to Zechariah and ends with the return to Nazareth of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

The following detail shows the most famous part of the story, the birth of Jesus:

In this part of the story, Joseph and Mary arrive in Bethlehem and find no room in the inn, so Jesus is born in a stable. Angels appear to nearby shepherds, who seek the newborn child and then depart, “glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”

This visualization is a companion to our Holy Week Timeline, which takes a similar visual approach to the Easter story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Also see the Bible Gateway Blog post, Bible Gateway “Holy Week” Infographic Published in Newsweek.

It's a Small World Holiday

Perfect- Just an absolutely beautiful photo of Disneyland at Christmas. It's a Small World Holiday is one of the best overlays the park does each year. This great photo is from MouseInfo.

Prepare for Pandora

Apparently these "forbidden" images are from a recent Walt Disney World cast publication, announcing that Pandora - World of Avatar will be open to the public Summer of 2017.  The graphic and design work here all looks very 70's / early 80's- much like EPCOT Center to me. (Together with the type of science fiction represented here, this also seems to be the "future fantasy" look that park's Future World will eventually embrace.)

Once guests arrive on Pandora, the Flight of Passage and the Na'vi River Journey will be the two headlining attractions while they are "on tour" with Alpha Centauri Expeditions. The real showpiece isn't found inside these but instead all around. Disney Imagineers have created a stunning environment as never before. Looks to be Cars Land on steroids- and with a price tag to match. The recent aerial images found on WDWMagic (as where the above pieces of  promotional materials were also found) are jaw dropping. Hopefully, the attractions will be as stellar as the land they inhabit.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Another Tennessee Christmas

Clearly, Amy Grant loves Christmas- and why wouldn't she? As a Christ follower, the season is a celebration of Jesus coming to earth in the form of a baby to die on a cross for the sin of man. In our place, paying a price we can't pay.

As a singer, this has to be like Amy's 7th or so collection of songs both sacred and secular. The rarest being a collection recorded with Art Garfunkel in about 1986- hard to find but worth it. 

The first of many Amy Grant Christmas albums.

This album contains her update on the classic Tennessee Christmas, recorded first in 1983 and written by Amy and ex-husband Gary Chapman.  There's also her take on Baby, It's Cold Outside with husband Vince Gill, and finally a version of White Christmas. 

There are many, many songs I love from her multitude of albums, but Christmas Lullaby (I Will Lead You Home) from A Christmas to Remember probably ranks as my favorite ever. Akin to the classic  I'll Be Home for Christmas, there's a tender sweetness and innocence to the lyric and melody that makes it instantly memorable.

Don't misunderstand: Tennessee Christmas has a charm all its own. But it's a charm that comes from years of living through both good and hard times, a sweet melancholy that this new grandmother (!) now understands at a level her younger self never did. Bless you, Amy- and thanks for another special recording.

A Wild Ride With Mr. Toad

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. What a kick! I love this vintage photograph, showing Disneyland's Fantasyland in its early charm.  Even though its black and white here, we know the colorful buildings, banners, and pennants created a fun medieval environment to celebrate the joys of childhood. Really the simple joy of family and friends. The land itself has gone through so many changes and additions over time- most noticeably the entire revamp in 1983, but Fantasyland still remains the heart of the park. Just as Star Wars Land will soon represent its business mind.

Codenames

Here's a great little card game to enjoy over the Christmas holiday. Codenames. It's a simple concept, but it takes a very intriguing twist as you play. I won't give this game of spying away, but let me say it certainly reveals how well you know the other players and how they think. (Plus, the graphics are pretty cool!)