Photo Friday: Ariel at DHS

Welcome to another Photo Friday!

This week, I thought I'd share a photo from the Voyage of the Little Mermaid at Disney Hollywood Studios.  This is one of my daughter's favorite shows at DHS, so I've seen this performance quite a few times. 

What I really appreciate is how the actress playing Ariel manages to communicate a great deal of enthusiasm and wonder even though she can't move around at all.  She can twist and turn and flap her fins, but she is stuck in one place due to the restraints of the costume.

I'm also somewhat reminded of the children's book, Rainbow Fish, every time I see that tail piece.  If you've read the book, you know what I mean.

So enjoy and remember to keep the wonder and magic of being part of our world!

Tip Tuesday: Experience Kim Possible while you still can...

© Disney.  All rights reserved

Welcome to another Tip Tuesday.

Well the image above really says it it all.  Disney officially announced today that Team Possible is retiring later this summer.  So if you want to take a last adventure with Kim, Ron and Wade to defeat Dr. Drakken and his henchmen (and henchwomen), you'd better get to Epcot soon!

Below is an article I wrote for Celebrations Magazine about the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure that never was published.  It gives a good review of the experience without giving away too much.

Enjoy!

A pack of dangerous villains is set on causing chaos and mayhem across the world, or at least Epcot’s World Showcase. The only one to prevent international disaster is … YOU – you and Team Possible. So, what’s the “sitch?”

Welcome to the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure, which opened in early 2009 at seven pavilions along Epcot’s World Showcase (United Kingdom, France, Japan, China, Norway, Mexico and Germany). This is a highly interactive attraction in which guests interact with subtly disguised characters and even live cast members situated throughout each pavilion.

"Disney’s Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure is an exciting new experience that offers fun and excitement for the entire family," said Jim MacPhee, Epcot vice president in a news release. "We are constantly exploring new ways to provide immersive experiences to Epcot guests, and this new offering will add to our dynamic portfolio."

“Today’s emerging generation expects more immersive, personal and interactive experiences in every facet of their lives, including their entertainment choices,” added Bruce Vaughn, chief creative executive of Walt Disney Imagineering. “As leaders in family entertainment, Disney theme parks push the envelope by combining state-of-the-art technology with creative storytelling to enhance the overall Disney vacation experience.”

Based on Kim Possible, the popular (now former) Disney Channel cartoon series, guests begin by approaching a special kiosk located at each participating country pavilion and selecting a time period in which they will play the adventure in that particular pavilion, much like the FastPass system. Each of the seven pavilion adventures is independent of each other, so guests can play the different adventures in any order. Guests, however, may only play one adventure at a time. Each adventure consists of several “missions” and is played at a guest’s own pace, though most adventures should take about 30-45 minutes.

At the beginning of the adventure, guests are given a “Kimmunicator,” which is essentially a specially programmed cell phone. The Kimmunicators are tagged with what appears to be a security device, most likely to discourage more “nefarious” individuals from walking off with the device.

The story begins with Wade, the techno-guru from the Kim Possible show, giving guests a quick tutorial of how to use the Kimmunicator and then the real adventure begins. While I won’t go into specifics about what takes place in each adventure so as not to ruin the story for anyone who may play Kim Possible, I will describe in broad terms what kinds of missions guests will encounter.

Throughout your adventure, you will have to figure out different clues and solve different puzzles while exploring one of Epcot’s pavilions, and interacting with several different characters very cleverly disguised to blend into the surroundings. Be sure to look up and around – you never know just what you might see! A particular window outside a shop or a certain item may pop open to trigger the next part of your mission. These elements are so cleverly disguised that guests not involved in the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure would never know it was there. That’s another benefit of this attraction – it doesn’t look like an attraction at all for those who aren’t taking part. For guests just enjoying each pavilion’s sights and sounds, they will likely never know that there is a secret group of people working to save the world. That’s part of the charm of the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure; it truly feels like you are a secret agent.

The technology really helps bring this fantastic experience to life. Through the Kimmunicator, guests not only interact with characters from the Kim Possible show, such as Kim, Ron Stoppable, Wade and a host of villains, but also with live cast members. During one mission guests may have to “speak” with a particular cast member in a particular place. I can only imagine how much fun the cast members have “being in” on the secret. In another mission, guests may have to solve a puzzle in one part of the pavilion, obtain a physical object and take that object to another part of the pavilion to continue the adventure.

In the final mission guests are sent to a particular place where they will secretly turn in their Kimmunicators, ending the adventure. Once a guest completes one adventure, he or she can go to a different pavilion and sign up to play a new adventure. Disney’s Imagineers have done an outstanding job of secretly adding a whole new world into each of the seven pavilions in World Showcase. The Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure is a great avenue for guests to explore a particular pavilion and discover details they had never noticed before. The various missions force guests to slow down, look around and take in everything. Little details can become key moments.

The Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure is perfect for kids as well as adults. Adults will enjoy some of the humor embedded in the different cut scenes while kids enjoy working out the different clues. You might even have to play “secret agent” as you interact with a cast member!

Here are a few tips for anyone thinking about playing The Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure:

Set aside plenty of time. While you probably could rush through each mission and complete the entire pavilion adventure in only around 15-20 minutes, you would miss much of what makes it so much fun – interacting with the animatronics and cast members. Allow at least 30-45 minutes so you enjoy your time as a member of Team Possible.

Avoid spoilers. While it might be fun to get a few cheat hints to help complete a video game, solving the clues and exploring the pavilions is the best part of the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure. It is much more fun if you don’t know what’s coming next.

Each interaction offers the opportunity to “do it again.” Sometimes you are given a lot of information during a particular interaction and you might miss something. At the end of the interaction, your Kimmunicator will give you the chance to “do it again.” Go ahead and see what happens. Some of the things the Imagineers have created are worth seeing two and even three times.

At the end of your first adventure, you might be given the opportunity to participate in additional adventures in other pavilions. If you’ve got the time, go ahead and save the world – again!

Don’t try to experience all seven Kim Possible adventures in one day. Spread them out over the course of your trip, and even save a few for the next trip.

Even if you’re experienced an adventure in a certain pavilion, go ahead and try again. Imagineers have added new missions so you just might have a new experience!

The Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure should be on every Epcot fan’s “must do” list. While many of Disney’s new attractions are basically new things to ride with very little interactivity (with exception to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and Toy Story Mania), the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure is loaded with different interactive experiences. Each pavilion has its own story, a story you unfold as you go, and that’s what Disney is all about – telling a great story.

Photo Friday: An aerial view of the Flower and Garden Festival

Welcome to another Photo Friday!

In honor of the start of the annual Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot, I thought I'd post this photo from the 2010 Festival.  This shot was taken from the monorail as it looped around Future World.

I especially like this shot as you get a really good idea of the breadth of the floral plantings around the lake -- and this is just half of what's there!

If you're going to the Flower and Garden Festival -- take the monorail and get a bird's eye view for yourself!

Tip Tuesday: Scoring big during the Alien Toss at TSMM

Welcome to another Tip Tuesday!

This week, I want to continue my series of posts about scoring big at Toy Story Mania. 

Let's head to the Alien Ring Toss game.  This game is pretty straightforward:  toss rings over the aliens to score points. 

Now for the tip:  See that group of eight aliens in the center?  If you can ring all eight aliens before they come back up, the section will open up and a huge gap will open where you can toss a ton of rings for major points. 

This is hard, especially for one person.  If you have a partner, the two of you can more easily cover the center portion and get that bonus area.

In the meantime, don't forget about the higher point total aliens in the top left and right corners.

If you missed some of my previous tips for scoring big at Toy Story Mania, see this list:

• Hamm and Eggs:  http://disneydaddy.blogspot.com/2012/02/tip-tuesday-more-points-hints-at-toy.html
• Dino Darts:  http://disneydaddy.blogspot.com/2012/01/tip-tuesday-toy-story-midway-mania.html

Photo Friday: Aloha!

Welcome to another Photo Friday! 

I was browsing through photos looking for possible Photo Friday shots when I ran across this scene from it's a small world.  It immediately caught my eye because of the great foreground/background combination.  The three dancers are in sharp focus in the foreground while the great sun is visible in the background in soft focus. 

It sets a nice scene and well represents the spirit and theme of the entire attraction.

And it's just a great shot.

Enjoy!

Tip Tuesday: A new way to showcase character autographs

Welcome to another Tip Tuesday!

This week, I wanted to share a tip from the DisneyMommy!  She's pictured above in the red lanyard.  She's the pin and Vinylmation collector in the family and she came up with a neat idea for collecting and displaying character autographs.

Of course, the most common way to collect character autographs is by using an autograph book, but my wife came up with something even better -- using a create your own Vinylmation!

Simply go to any Disney retail store in the park that sells nine-inch Vinylmations and pick up a blank create your own Vinylmation, or just get one online at DisneyStore.com.  We've done one in white and one in yellow (seen above).  I don't recommend using black unless you have a white, gold or silver paint pen (but now that I think about it -- the gold and silver on black might look awesome!).

Next have several different colored Sharpies on hand and start getting your autographs.  I suggest getting the most important characters first -- the ones you want to be most prominent on the figure.  For me, of course, was Mickey Mouse, so he was first to sign.  As you go on, you can get more characters to sign on the front or back.  I had most of the princesses sign the back and the classic animated characters sign the front.

While Disney has created a three-inch Vinylmation with character autographs on it (gee, I wonder where they got thiat idea... ;) ), I perfer my method because you personally collected each autograph.  Of course it might take more than one trip to get all the autographs you want, but that's ok... it's just another excuse to plan another trip to Walt Disney World! 

When you're done you have a truly unique Disney collectible!

Photo Friday: Jack Sparrow (for your captioning pleasure)

Welcome mates to another Photo Friday!

This week, I be sharin' a photo of Jack Sparrow for ye (sorry, that should be Captain Jack Sparrow).

I happened to snap this shot during Jack's Pirate Tutorial.  I had a great front row viewpoint and Jack mugged for my lens several times.  I especially liked this shot as Jack has a rather peculiar look on his face.

I also wanted to share this photo to show a few more of those Disney details and how much attention Disney pays to accuracy in costuming.

Now, what do you think our dear captain is thinking?  Post your caption! 

Photo Friday: On this magic night...

Welcome to another Photo Friday!

With my post earlier today talking about Spectromagic, I thought I'd dip into the wayback files and post a photo of Spectromagic from Spring 2008.

"On this magic night...."

My Take: Nighttime parades at the Magic Kingdom

Sometimes a thought occurs and I just have to take a moment to share it.  Actually, I've been having this thought for some time.  While it may seem sacrilegious to some, I just have to say it. 

I miss Spectromagic.

There.  Pandora's box is now open.

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy the Main Street Electrical Parade, but I've now seen this parade, time and time again for the past two years. 

And I was one of the ones saying, two years ago, that I was tired of seeing Spectromagic time and time again, wishing for the return of the Main Street Electrical Parade.

The problem, I think, is the lack of variety.  With the exception of special events, the nighttime offerings at the Magic Kingdom are the same, night after night after night.  Same story at Epcot, but I'll keep the focus on the Magic Kingdom for this post.

While we don't know this officially, the general consensus is that Disney is hesitant to change things up because guests are coming to Walt Disney World expecting to see certain things.  The vast majority of guests are first- or few-time visitors.  This is why Disney doesn't want to do holiday overlays at Walt Disney World.

OK, fine.  I guess I can see the logic in some of that.  At the same time, what draws a guest to come back to the Magic Kingdom for a second or third night?  Not everyone wants to see Wishes or the Main Street Electrical Parade again and again and again.  Sure, we Disney geeks could do so every night for the rest of our lives, but even we have to admit we're not like the normal guest.

The British poet William Cowper said "variety is the spice of life."  I have to agree.

So what's my point?  I want both.

Bring back Spectromagic AND keep the Main Street Electrical Parade.  Why can't we have two nighttime parades running?  They could be set on a rotating schedule -- Spectromagic on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays and the MSEP on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

I'm sure there are some technical issues that might have to be worked out, but I'm sure Disney could figure it out and it would give guests all that more reason to return to the Magic Kingdom for a second (or third) night.  Also, having additional options would give more reason for annual passholders (like me) to visit the parks more often and spend money on food, merchandise, etc.

What do you think?  Which Magic Kingdom nighttime parade do you want to see?  Or maybe both?

Take our poll and post a comment!

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom officially begins next week

The Magic Kingdom is about to become all that much more magical -- thanks to the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom attraction, set to officially begin next week, just in time for the One More Disney Day event on Leap Day.  Below is a news release from Disney: