Yet Another Disney Blog: 2010

Saturday, November 20, 2010

non-Disney Disney: Fisherman's Wharf

When a character resonates with the audience, it sometimes takes on a life of its own and becomes part of our pop culture.

I found two such examples of "non-Disney Disney" one afternoon at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf that I wanted to share:

[Taxi] Acceleratio Semper Absurda !

If Captain Jack has been to Signapore, then I suppose

he could have made his way through the Golden Gate as well.

Of course, if you're in San Francisco, you should also check out The Walt Disney Family Museum.

Until next time,

- Chris.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

The Mickey Puzzle

A few years ago, I received a cool Mickey photographic mosaic jigsaw puzzle. I don't usually work on jigsaw puzzles - but in this case I was drawn in by the thousands of single-frame images from Walt Disney Feature Animation.

If I had known in advance how much work it would be, it would probably still be sitting in the box.

I really don't know puzzle strategies all that well, so I started by trying to sort the pieces into piles based on the movies depicted on each one. In retrospect, I doubt this was the most efficient way to solve the puzzle, but it did give me hours of brain-teasing (and eye-straining) fun trying to identify film frames based on the image fragments on each piece.

NOTE -- The fact that each puzzle piece contained parts of three or four different film frames makes this much more difficult than it sounds.

Anyway, after a few false starts, and lots of help from innocent family members, we finally managed to get Mickey back into one piece:

Now I just need to find a good way to mount this for display.

Any ideas?

- Chris

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Double-Take: The Two (WDI) Towers

Isn't it strange how sometimes you can look at an image without really seeing it?

I've been working my way through the WEDway Radio archives (well worth checking out, BTW), and something I heard in Episode 13 caught me by surprise.

WEDway Radio episode 13 compares the two domestic versions of the Tower of Terror attraction. While I was well aware of the substantial mechanical differences between the attractions, I was surprised to hear that each rendition of the "Hollywood Tower Hotel" is actually constructed in a different architectural style.

Even though I've seen (and photographed) both towers in person, I never noticed just how strikingly different they are:

The Hollywood Tower Hotel,

Sunset Boulevard

Walt Disney World Resort, FL

The Hollywood Tower Hotel,

Hollywood Pictures Backlot,

Disneyland Resort, CA

Yet Another reminder to always keep my eyes (and my mind) open!

Until next time,

- Chris

P.S.

Yes, I know there's actually *four* versions of the "Tower of Terror" attraction. However:

1) from the pictures, the Disneyland Paris version looks like a twin of the DCA version,

2) the Tokyo tower is radically different, and isn't even a "Hollywood Tower Hotel",

3) Calling the article The Two Towers appeals to my inner Tolkien geek :-]

- C.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

The Walt Disney Family Museum

Last March I had the opportunity to tour The Walt Disney Family Museum.

If you are a fan of Walt Disney, or a Disney fan that would like to learn more about the man who started it all, then a visit to this museum is time well spent.

I spent about 5 hours there (including a lunch break at the museum cafe - try the chili ;-]), and had a great time. I feel like I could have easily spent two days exploring the galleries. (Full disclosure: I'm a Disney geek, and also one of "those people" who likes to read the plaques/etc).

The museum is located in three beautifully restored buildings at The Presidio of San Francisco.

In addition to the permanent exhibits, the museum also has an ongoing calender of special events, which include film screenings in their on-premesis theater. Check out the event calendar on the museum's official website. You can also subscribe to their twitter feed (@WDFMuseum).

According to wikipedia, the museum is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Family Foundation - a non-profit organization which is not formally associated with the Walt Disney Company.

One tip -- plan your visit in advance. Admission is controlled by timed-entry tickets to avoid over-crowding in the galleries-- you reserve a specific date and time for your visit. The web site should show current ticket availability.

The museum strictly forbids photography inside, so I won't be able to share any images with you. However, you can see select images from the galleries at the official WDFM website.

Below the fold, I briefly list some of the things which stood out in my memory (with some mild spoliers).

Sometimes It's Good to Sweat

Last weekend I was fortunate enough to be in attendance at 2719 Hyperion's first Sweatbox Meet.

It was great to have a chance to meet so many NC-area Disney bloggers, podcasters, artists, and enthusiasts. Among those in attendance were:

After introductions came a wonderful presentation from Team 2719 Hyperion:

"Hyperion 101," an introduction to the the history and surrounding geography of the original Walt Disney Studios that was located at 2719 Hyperion Avenue...

In true Sweatbox tradition, we were treated to a live reading that was a mix of preparation and improvisation, with questions and interactive discussions along the way. You can see the fruits of their labors by reading the web version of the presentation (part one, part two).

After taking an interlude for refreshments, the team behind Progress City, U.S.A. took the floor and lead a lighthearted discussion with pictures and thoughts from their recent trip to Walt Disney World. It was like being in the studio for a recording session of the Progress City Radio Hour - paying tribute to things that were As They Ought To Be, and pointing out those things which were not-so-much.

Both presentations were excellent, and complemented each other nicely. One was rooted in the past, while the other was grounded the present day. One was filled with meticulous research, while the other was infused with a light, extemporaneous quality. Both were fueled by a common passion for Disney that really came through.

As I predicted, the first Sweatbox meet was an evening of first-class Disney Geek entertainment and a rousing success.

*Even better* is the fact that the date for The Next 2719 Hyperion Sweatbox Meet has been announced:

~~Unfortunately, I have a prior commitment which will keep me away, but~~ I encourage all Disney fans in the NC area to attend if they can.

Thanks again to 2719 Hyperion for organizing the event, to Progress City U.S.A. for presenting, and to everyone who participated. I had a blast.

- Chris

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Sweatin' in the Carolinas

Although perspiration is a common occurrence here in beautiful North Carolina, the purpose of this post is to help spread the word about 2719 Hyperion's first live event:

Jeff and George promise "an evening discussing Disney Studio history, the theme parks and more! ... [The] special guests for the evening will be Michael and Jeff Crawford from Progress City, USA."

Folks, with a lineup like this I think we're in for an evening of first-class Disney Geek fun.

For more details (including ways to RSVP and why it's called "Sweatbox") head on over to 2719 Hyperion.

I've been looking forward to this event for a long time. Hope to see you there as well.

- Chris

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Thoughts on "The Concert Feature"

Last weekend we found ourselves watching Fantasia 2000 on DVD - and it reminded me just how much I enjoy this film.

Although I have dim memories of seeing the original Fantasia in the theater as a youngster, I became a fan of the movie by first becoming a fan of it's music.

Those of us of a certain age can remember when home audio was being revolutionized by the introduction of the Compact Disc. I bought my first CD player back in the summer of 1986, and one of the very first things I bought for it was a two-disc soundtrack from Fantasia:

As I watched Fantasia 2000 again this weekend it struck me that these films seem to achieve a sort of elegant innocence by letting beautiful music and pure visual storytelling carry the show.

Walt Disney gave the world many gifts. Perhaps the most profound and lasting thing Walt gave me was an appreciation for classical music - through Fantasia. (Thanks, Walt).

I wonder if we will ever see another film like Fantasia. "The Concert Feature" (as it was originally known) was supposed to be the start of an evolving series. The world waited almost six decades to see the second installment - and then only through the efforts of Mr. Roy E. Disney.

I hope that some day we'll all have a chance to see more Disney fairies like these:

Until Next Time,
- Chris

Friday, February 5, 2010

A Bug's Land

Today on DF'82, Princess Fee invites us all to enjoy a moment in DCA's A Bug's Land.
(Go take a peek now if you haven't had a chance to yet).

Being a fan of all things Pixar, I was inspired to post a few Bug's Land images I captured back in December, 2007.

Although limited in scope and scale, this area seems to echo some of Pixar's creative spirit. To paraphrase John Lasseter, Pixar films are built on a three-prong foundation: story, characters, and environment. Pixar's "A Bug's Life" delivers all three, and DCA's "A Bug's Land" allows us to step into the environment and take closer look at some of it's memorable characters.