SONG OF THE SOUTH – Never Forget the Past!

Posted on August 18, 2016 by Dis-LEE

I follow a blog called Mr. Fun’s Journal created by and basically about the experiences of Disney Legend Floyd Norman. He is an African-American Disney animator who often has some very pointed things to say.

Recently he posted something about The Song of the South that I appreciated in a post he called Forgetting History is Never a Good Idea.

You can see the image above and read his thoughts on the current situation of this classic movie by clicking the links above. I highly recommend it as he, as an African-American, makes some very insightful comments. Among them he says:

“It is with deep regret the film remains mired in accusations of racism and insensitivity to African-Americans. Those who know their Disney history know this is exactly what Walt Disney hoped to avoid.”

With all the fluff pieces on the Internet these days, this is refreshingly something meaningful to read!

Posted in Blogs, History | Tagged Blogs, Br'er Bear, Br'er Fox, Censorship, Disney Legend, Floyd Norman, History, James Baskett, Mr. Fun's Journal, Prejudice, Racism, Song of the South | 2 Comments

TOP 5 Disney’s California Adventure Attractions

Posted on August 17, 2016 by Dis-LEE

This much-maligned park has made some amazing strides in recent years. At this point it has some of my favorite attractions to be found in any Disney theme park!

So without further ado, let’s look at the Top 5 DCA attractions:

A T T R A C T I O N F I V E

REDWOOD CREEK CHALLENGE TRAIL

Synopsis: Take in glorious wilderness sights and embark on exciting adventures along the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. You’re free to explore the area in any order you wish, but wherever you go, you’ll find plenty of fun activities that the whole family can enjoy together!

From climbing to exploring your youngsters will wear themselves out in no time! And you just might meet Russel and Dug from the Pixar movie UP! This fun area is at number five due to its selected target audience that somewhat excludes older guests.

A T T R A C T I O N F O U R

MATER’S JUNKYARD JAMBOREE

Synopsis: Board a trailer pulled by an adorable little tractor and swing in time to lively music. Mater rounded up a herd of little tractors for some old-fashioned dancing fun. If you look closely, you’ll notice that no 2 of the 22 tractors are the same. They have different spots, mouths and eye colors. The one thing they all share: they love to dance!

This won’t appeal to every age group and is of course aimed at the shorter members of Disney fandom. But even taller riders are sure to have a good time as they sing along with Mater! This sits at the number four spot because of its selected target audience.

A T T R A C T I O N T H R E E

SOARIN’ AROUND THE WORLD

Synopsis: The globetrotting kicks off in the Swiss Alps, as clouds clear the way and unveil a towering sight familiar to longtime Disneyland fans. But the adventure doesn’t end there… it’s just beginning! Throughout your tour, you’ll hop past The Great Pyramids of Egypt, sail across the spectacular Sydney Harbour, cruise near Mount Kilimanjaro and explore many other picturesque locales.

This is your chance to feel like you’re flying on a hang-gliding ride along the horizon—all set to an iconic musical score—before coming in for a climactic and unforgettable landing!

With new locations this fan favorite just got even better! But its only number three on the list because it isn’t unique to this park, appearing in Walt Disney World’s Epcot as well.

But it does begin to ramp up the selections preparing the way for the top two attractions that both deliver all the thrills and chills anyone could possibly handle:

A T T R A C T I O N T W O

CALIFORNIA SCREAMIN’

Synopsis: Race up a steep incline to an altitude of almost 120 feet, then take the plunge downward! Buckle up in a coaster car and glide to the launch zone along a rocky jetty on Paradise Bay. As you anxiously wait for the starting signal, hold on tight as the excited voice of a carnival sideshow barker overhead begins the countdown to your whirlwind ride. And then, take off!

Catapult past splashing waves and swoop, swirl, dip and curl in and out of the Paradise Pier boardwalk area. Hurtle into the sky blue “scream tube” and then twist and turn until you reach a brief lull at the peak. Catch your breath for half a second before diving into the loop-de-loop that winds 360 degrees around a blazing sunburst.

This is the longest and fastest roller coaster at the Disneyland Resort and one blast of a ride I can tell you! If you love fast and furious, you need to experience this attraction!

A T T R A C T I O N O N E

RADIATOR SPRINGS RACERS

Synopsis: Kick the fun into overdrive on this auto race attraction that features familiar characters, fantastic scenery and “wheel” thrills! Come side-by-side with your competition. Your car is pitted against another for a friendly race for first place at the checked flag. Zip over hills, zoom around high-banked turns, and cruise down camelback straightaways past spectacular red-rock formations.

While there is only one winner, everyone is sure to have a great time. Just like in the Cars movie, the focus is on the journey, not the finish line!

Test Track in Walt Disney World’s Epcot was the inspiration for this hyper-attraction. But in my opinion the Racers take the technology to all new heights! The environment is truly immersive and I dare anyone to deny this attraction belongs in the top spot.

Conclusion: DCA has many other great attractions from shows to dark rides. But I think I have chosen the best five must-try offerings in this park. Do you agree? Let us all know what your favorite DCA attraction is in the comments below!

Posted in Attractions, Disneyland, Lists, Theme Parks | Tagged Attractions, California Screamin', Disney's California Adventure, Disneyland, Lists, Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, Radiator Springs Racers, Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, Soarin' Around the World, Theme Parks, Top 5 | 4 Comments

Disney MOVIE NIGHT – The 1980’s

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Dis-LEE

Today we are sharing movie night ideas based on Disney movies from the 1980’s.

C O N D O R M A N

Condorman? Really? Yup, we’re starting the loop off with an old live-action superhero romp from 1981.

Condorman is an all-but forgotten Disney adventure comedy superhero film directed by Charles Jarrott, produced by Walt Disney Productions, and starring Michael Crawford, Barbara Carrera and Oliver Reed. Inspired by Robert Sheckley’s The Game of X, the movie follows comic book illustrator Woodrow Wilkins’ attempts to assist in the defection of a female Soviet KGB agent.

Both Super Spy and Super Hero

With Michael Crawford in the lead role (he of Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em fame) one might assume that he would fail miserably at being both! But surprisingly he does quite well, although in many unorthodox ways. Like strapping on a highly improbable glider suit and jumping off of very high places while carrying a woman on his back. Hey, you can’t call yourself ‘Condorman’ without wearing wings and flying!

It doesn’t hurt his chances for success either that he has a deep-pocketed government backing him up and creating all sorts of cool spy gadgets directly from out of his comic books. Like this super car:

Three pursuing Porsche? No problem!

The Condormobile was a modified Nova Sterling kit car. There are more gadgets, but I’ll let you be surprised when you watch the movie for yourself. On that point it may be hard to find new copies as it is out of production. It was available through the Disney Movie Club at one point (see first picture above) but not now. All is not lost however as you can get copies on eBay ($25 US/$32 CAN and up) or download it like I did from iTunes ($9.99 CAN). And forget about Blu-Ray!

Although Condorman isn’t one of Disney’s most recognized properties, you would expect an accomplished super hero to show up from time to time. And Condorman has done just that:

From left to right: A Disney Infinity Glider upgrade, a silly toy, and a Vinylmation figure, just to name a few. And of course he had his own three-part comic book adaption from Whitman Comics:

Pictures from www.mycomicshop.com

But was the movie any good? Here is My Review: This movie plays like one of the made-for-TV movies shown on Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. Not one of the best ones, though, maybe just slightly in the middle! It offers nothing new to the spy genre and is slow in places but still offers up some truly entertaining moments.

For me the best part was watching Michael Crawford act in a semi-serious role. You may best remember him from The Phantom of the Opera but he was a major comedy star long before that. Be sure to check out this posts Fun Fact for more on Crawford.

I would give this movie 3 out of 5 Stars but still recommend it for a family movie night!

Fun Fact: Michael Crawford appeared in Wall-E by means of the video clips Wall-E played in his ‘home’. You can see him singing, dancing, and most importantly, holding hands.

Posted in Movies, Reviews | Tagged Barbara Carrera, Charles Jarrott, Condorman, Disney Infinity, Michael Crawford, Movie Review, Movies, Oliver Reed, The Game of X, Vinylmation, Wall-E, Whitman Comics | 4 Comments

BOOK REVIEW: Funny! (The Pixar Story Room)

Posted on August 14, 2016 by Dis-LEE

Twenty-five Years of Laughter from the Pixar Story Room

Forward by John Lasseter / Intro by Jason Katz

Right out of the gate I will say this book was a disappointment. ‘Not Very Funny!’ would probably have been a more appropriate title.

The book covers the first sixteen animated movies released by Pixar up to The Good Dinosaur. It contains sketches from the story department that were used to pitch gags to the various directors of the productions. I have no doubt that it must be very funny, and fun, to work in the story department at Pixar, but no real hilarity comes across in this publication.

Cute, but no belly laugh

Each film is featured in a chapter with brief snippets of wit and wisdom from one of the story persons who worked on it.

OK, I would buy this in die-cast!

Some of the ideas, pictured in this post, are amusing. But I wouldn’t consider the majority of them to be ‘funny!’ at any stretch.

It took all of one hour to read through and digest the images in this book making the purchase price of $29.95 US feel a bit high. I’m glad it wasn’t priced at the much higher figures of similar books from Disney Press. Perhaps being manufactured in China by Chronicle Books brought the price down?

My expression after finishing the book

Final Review: I’m not always gushing with my praise for Disney books and I certainly rarely pan a Disney book so thoroughly! But I can only give this effort a 2 out of 5 Stars.

The potential was high but the reality ranged from boring to disturbing with only a few chuckles in-between.

Posted in Artwork, Books, Pixar, Reviews | Tagged Artwork, Book Reviews, Books, Buzz Lightyear, Charlie Chaplin, Chronicle Books, Dug, Funny!, Inside Out, Jason Katz, John Lasseter, Mater, Monsters University, Pixar, Sadness, Story, Time Machine Mater, Up, Wall-E | 1 Comment

HANK the SEPTOPUS from Finding Dory

Posted on August 13, 2016 by Dis-LEE

And just who this character? Pixar Wiki gives us his bio: Hank is an octopus. Actually, he’s a ‘septopus:’ he lost a tentacle — along with his sense of humor — somewhere along the way. But Hank is just as competent as his eight-armed peers. An accomplished escape artist with camouflaging capabilities to boot, Hank is the first to greet Dory when she finds herself in the Marine Life Institute. But make no mistake: he’s not looking for a friend. Hank is after one thing — a ticket on a transport truck to a cozy Cleveland facility where he’ll be able to enjoy a peaceful life of solitude.

If that bio is to be believed, then why did I have these sightings in my kitchen last night?

At first I thought I was just seeing things as he vanished almost as fast as he appeared. But then…

There he was again! And to add insult to mystery, I think he said (in a perfect imitation of the actor Ed O’Neill) I needed to clean my coffee pot…

He hadn’t found Dory yet

When I finally nabbed him, he just froze and expected me to believe he was just a hand-sized plush…

He even left this marketing tag where I could find it to further his deception…

After losing seven straight staring contests to him I gave up and made the mistake of looking away. And he was off again! But I saw him one more time…

At least… I think I did! Maybe I need to cut out those late-night nachos.

Posted in Humor, Merchandise, Pixar, Plush | Tagged Ed O'Neill, Finding Dory, Finding Nemo, Hank, Humor, Merchandise, Pixar, Plush, Septopus | 2 Comments

Choo-Choo Mickey HALLMARK Keepsake Ornament

Posted on August 12, 2016 by Dis-LEE

I love Mickey Mouse. I love trains. I love toys. I love collectibles. Who knew I could fulfill all of these loves in just one piece of Disneyana?

A pull-cord and wheels? Gimme!

This is a Keepsake Ornament from Hallmark by artist Nello Williams. You can see another ornament in my collection by Mr. Williams by checking out the post entitled Mickey Mouse: Born to Ride. It’s another transportation-themed offering.

I find the best ornaments are those that are designed to be timeless and so can be displayed year round.

This ornament plays into several Disney themes. Walt was well-known for his love of trains. He also collected and studied toys so as to better understand children and also for use in designing attractions for Disneyland. Mickey has also had a long history with transportation, using almost every form of it in his many Shorts.

Choo-Choo! Toot Toot!

When Hallmark releases ornaments like these it’s like taking candy from a baby when I walk into the store! They just ask for my wallet and direct me to the display wall.

Posted in Collectibles, Ornaments, Transportation | Tagged Collectibles, Hallmark, Hallmark Keepsake Ornament, Mickey Mouse, Nello Williams, Ornaments, Toys, Trains, Transportation | Leave a comment

Disney Babies in Dreamland Collection by ASHTON-DRAKE

Posted on August 11, 2016 by Dis-LEE

Karen and I have finally decided to adopt a little boy! We held off for many years because we didn’t want the disruption of our lifestyle and/or dirty diapers. But we think we have finally found a way to have the best of both worlds:

Shhh, we finally got him to sleep!

This line of Disney-related dolls was released between 1998 and 2001. I don’t know the exact number of babies in the batch but I do know that dolls with Mickey and Minnie were released in 1998, dolls with Goofy (shown in this post), Donald, Daisy, and Pluto were released in 1999.

This series of dolls was released by the Ashton-Drake Galleries. Here is what the official website has to say about their products today: Dolls, dolls and more dolls! The Ashton-Drake Galleries Online offers a wide selection of unique and exclusive collectible dolls – each one created with exquisite care, expert craftsmanship and quality that is unparalleled. Showcasing the work of Master Doll Artists like Linda Webb, Waltraud Hanl, Cheryl Hill and Linda Murray, these beautiful babies are second to none!

Featuring a dazzling selection of collectible baby dolls, child dolls, fantasy dolls portrait dolls and even monkey dolls, you’re sure to find a doll that captures your heart. When you shop our unique gallery of collectible dolls, prepare to experience beautiful originality, exquisite details and expertly tailored costuming. You’ll find adorable NFL dolls that celebrate your favorite football team in style and Disney dolls that bring you the enchantment of their beloved tales through superb hand craftsmanship. There are so many dolls to choose from and they are sure to warm your heart, which ones will have a forever home with you?

The artist that designed the dolls for the Disney Babies in Dreamland collection was Yolanda Bello. Yolanda Bello was born in Caracas, Venezuela and moved to the US at the age of 14. Although lacking in formal training, Bello began sculpting dolls in the late 1970s and won the DOTY prize for doll design in both 1985 and 1986. After producing a small number of her own dolls, Bello was recruited by US doll manufacturers Ashton-Drake and Knowles. She founded and is the president of Chicago-based Bello Creations, a specialist doll producer.

The Disney Babies in Dreamland dolls came with a receiving blanket and a small version of a Disney character wearing a bib with his or her name on it:

Baby Goofy

Notice baby Goofy has only one of his teeth. Too cute! Value on these dolls is between $10 and $20 at auction, but you will see them for sale on sites like eBay for anywhere between $75 and $100 or more.

FUNNY STORY: My wife and I love children but have decided not to have any of our own. But just to make sure my wife maintains that resolve I have threatened that if we have any children, I would name a boy Hebrew (Heb for short) or a girl Aramaic. These are two of the three main languages that the Bible was originally written in.

What has really succeeded in keeping my wife with the baby-free program is the thought of having a son named Heb! 26 years of marriage and not a diaper in sight!

Posted in Collectibles, Dolls | Tagged Ashton-Drake Galleries, Babies, Collectibles, Disney Babies in Dreamland, Dolls, Yolanda Bello | Leave a comment

Minnie Mouse SIGHTED in London, ON

Posted on August 9, 2016 by Dis-LEE

Friends of mine were checking out the Masonville Mall in London, ON and came across a famous Disney personality:

How to Draw a Crowd 101

Apparently she was there with Mickey (not pictured) to help open a new Disney Store! This is good news for us as we live just over an hour away. Check out the news report here.

FUN FIND: How many Disney Store Cast Members can you see in the picture?

Posted in Cast Members, Disney Store, Promotions | Tagged Cast Members, Disney Store, London, Masonville Mall, Minnie Mouse, Promotions | Leave a comment

Places: POP CENTURY Resort Icons

Posted on August 4, 2016 by Dis-LEE

The value resorts at Walt Disney World may not provide the most luxurious accommodations but they definitely trump any other resorts when it comes to the fun factor!