The Top 10 of '09

As the final minutes of 2009 tick away, I wanted to take a moment and share with you my top 10 Disney moments for 2009.

And here they are:

10. Expanding my involvement in the Disney community to now include writing for Celebrations Magazine and working with the WDW Radio Show.

9. Seeing Disney's return to 2-D hand drawn animation in The Princess and the Frog.

8. Spending Thanksgiving at Walt Disney World. It's always such a treat to experience the holidays at WDW.

7. Attending MagicMeets in August. Never before have I been in a place where everyone was such huge Disney fans. To think that two pieces of my photography together sold for more than $600 to benefit the Disney World Trivia Dream Team!! That was such a huge thrill for me!

6. Being named the Biggest Disney Fan -- look for so much more about this in 2010!!!

5. Covering (remotely), the announcement of the Fantasyland expansion and Star Tours 2 at the D23 Expo. It was a fast and furious time gathering and posting different images and information. It reminded me of my old news days.

4. Spending literally days in front of a computer watching Lou Mongello's live coverage of the D23 Expo. I consider it an honor to be called a "Box Person."

3. Becoming a D23 Charter Member. While I haven't personally had the chance to take part in different events (I'm going to do everything I can to be at the 2010 D23 Expo), I've very much enjoyed being a D23 member and all the magazines, official blog and more that D23 has created.

2. With all the blog, D23 activity and other work, I've made so many new Disney friends that I feel truly blessed to be a part of the online Disney community. I look forward to making even new friends in the coming year.

1. Writing this blog and sharing my thoughts and experiences with you. I have really enjoyed writing this blog and I hope you've enjoyed reading it. Look for more to come in 2010!


As for what 2010 will bring -- I am looking forward to so many Disney-related events!! These include:

Many, many more blog posts here on DisneyDaddy.

More articles in Celebrations Magazine and WDW Radio.

Running in the 2010 WDW Half Marathon.

The Biggest Disney Fan trip and all the amazing experiences that are planned -- best of all, I get to share these experiences with you!

... and so much more!!

2010 is going to be an outstanding year-- so let's get started!

Have a happy and safe new year!

Marathon Weekend program now online

Disney has posted the official program for the 2010 marathon weekend online. It contains important information for participants and spectators, so be sure to check it out if you're heading down to Disney this weekend.

Tip Tuesday: New Year's Eve at WDW

Welcome to the final Tip Tuesday for 2009.

With New Year's Eve nearly upon us, I thought I'd share a few quick tips about spending the final night of the year at Walt Disney World.

The first that many will say is: DON'T!!!

It's no secret that the week between Christmas and New Year's is the busiest, most crowded time of the entire year at WDW, and they would be right. According to the crowd calendar at TouringPlans.com, the crowds at the parks are a full out 10 (meaning peak standby wait times for the headliner attractions of 2+ hours) from Christmas to New Year's Day.

This being said, though, there are still plenty of ways to have a wonderful and magical New Year's Eve at the happiest place on Earth.

First, stay away from the Magic Kingdom. Unless you are dead-set on seeing the New Year's Eve fireworks (which are incredible, I hear), then you would be well-served to avoid the Magic Kingdom like the plague. If you do want to be in the Magic Kingdom for New Year's Eve, then get there early because it is very likely that the park will hit maximum capacity by mid-day and will close to new guests. Also plan on finding a place to watch the fireworks at least 90 minutes in advance. Be prepared to sit or stand a while.

If you really want to see the special New Year's Fireworks at the Magic Kingdom, there are some other options that won't be as crowded, though it requires some advance planning.

• Try to schedule a Wishes desert cruise on the Grand One or other boat. It will be expensive, but there won't be a crowd.
• Get a boat from Grand Floridian, Contemporary or Wilderness Lodge and sit out on the Seven Seas Lagoon to watch the fireworks.
• Go to the beach at the Polynesian and watch from across the lagoon (the beach next to the Wedding Pavilion is good too).
• Stand on the docks near Narcoosee's at the Grand Floridian.
• If you time it right, take the ferryboat from the TTC to the main entrance and sit up top.
• There's always the California Grill -- just be ready to make that ADR 180 days in advance!

So if you shouldn't go to the Magic Kingdom, where should you go?

You can try Epcot, though it's nearly as crowded as the Magic Kingdom. Your best bet for a park is either Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios. This is mostly because many guests are interested in the nighttime events (Wishes or Illuminations) that have special New Year's Eve shows. Normally Hollywood Studios doesn't have fireworks, so most guests tend not to go to the Studios on New Year's Eve. While the park will be crowded, it won't be totally nuts like the Magic Kingdom or Epcot.

Here's the extra gem: For the past few years, Disney has put on a smaller fireworks show at Hollywood Studios for New Year's Eve. So you might just get to see some fireworks after all. Besides, you can always hang out at the Boardwalk near Jellyrolls to see some of the fireworks over at Illuminations.

Personally, my recommendation for a nice New Year's Eve is to make an ADR (remember to book 180 days in advance!) at a signature restaurant with your significant other. What better way to end the year than dinner with someone you love.

Princess and the Frog hints at a return to Disney's glory days

It's amazing just how much a 16-18" snow will push your plans back for days and days.

I had originally planned to catch Disney's newest movie, The Princess and the Frog, during the first week it opened, but a little (actually, huge) snowstorm changed all those plans.

So, it wasn't until today that I had the opportunity to see this film that has been heralded as the long-awaited return to 2-D hand drawn animation and bring you a review and my thoughts.

So without any further introduction, here is my review:

GO SEE THIS MOVIE!!

Seriously, if you are a fan of any of Disney's hand-drawn classics, such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White or The Lion King, then you must see The Princess and the Frog. Disney Animation Studios Chief Creative Officer, John Lasseter wasn't kidding when he said this movie marked Disney's return to 2-D animation.

I'll go even further and say that The Princess and the Frog ushers in a return the grandeur and cinematic brilliance of Disney animation's modern glory days from the 1980's and early 90's.

Now, I'm not just gushing over the fact that Disney's finally released a 2-D movie, rather it's that The Princess and the Frog also marks a return to the kind of storytelling that pulls at your heart and makes you sing with joy. Somehow, these two elements work best hand-in-hand.

I know The Princess and the Frog took a long time to produce, but it's clear that the time was well spent. Each character, especially Tiana and Naveen have been well-developed with a complete backstory that helps to make these characters even more believable. Tiana is a strong-willed, focused and driven woman intent on achieving her dreams. She embodies Walt Disney's saying, "if you can dream it, you can do it." Tiana has a dream and she constantly strives through hard work and determination to achieve it. In one line of her song, "so work real hard each and every day," perfectly describes Tiana's work ethic learned from her father.

When The Princess and the Frog was first announced, many made a big deal out of the fact that Tiana would become Disney's first black princess. To be honest, I never even saw the color of Tiana's skin, which is how it should be. Instead, I saw an independent woman determined to achieve her goals. There is a hint of the differences between the races as was prevalent in the early 1900's, but it is not thrust into our faces. Big Daddy is a rich white person who's daughter, Charlotte, has no concept of what it means to work to achieve a goal. She thinks you just make your wish and it comes true. Tiana, on the other hand, learned at a young age that, as her father says, "wishes only take you so far." Dreams come to those who work for them.

Naveen, in contrast, is another black character who is every bit as reckless and care-free as Charlotte. Some key scenes in the film even poke fun at how Naveen hasn't worked hard for anything. Throughout the story, we see the true transformation of Naveen, not from prince to frog, but from irresponsible playboy to a loving, caring man. At first, I thought he was a bit over the top with the whole playboy-thing, but it's plain that this was necessary to most effectively setup the later transformation.

Then there's Dr. Facilier, the evil voodoo "shadow man," who is our main villain. This is one great villain. He is scheming, manipulative, swave, ruthless and, like many villains, working for some even greater evil powers. All throughout the film, Facilier is working to serve his own interests, no matter who he swindles and deceives along the way. I heard one person comment that Facilier wasn't "in" the movie enough, but I disagree. His presence was just right. Much like Ursula in The Little Mermaid, Faciler is around just enough to prevent the primary characters from prevailing, yet isn't so overpowering that we lose the love story that develops along the way. In the end is a climatic battle, though not your typical good-vs-evil struggle. You'll just have to see it for yourself.

With such a well-developed story in hand, the animators created characters so real that there were times where the dialog wasn't needed. For instance, not one word needed to be said for us, the audience, to understand just how deep Ray's love for his Evangeline is. It was all in his eyes. That's something I don't think translates as well in CG animation.

In a similar manner, the environment is spot-on. Within minutes, I could feel myself being immersed in early 1900's New Orleans. The directors did a fantastic job of maintaining the New Orleans charm without slipping into the pit of stereotyping. To be honest, when I first saw the trailer, I thought that's what happened with the character of Ray, the cajun firefly. I was wrong. Ray is a heartfelt, fun-loving character who portrays the cajun spirit without being stereotypical.

Like New Orleans itself during Mardi Gras, the Princess and the Frog is filled with color, rich and vibrant. Even during some of the darker scenes (I'll keep this spoiler free), there still is a hint of color, just as there is a hint of hope.

As if all this eye-candy wasn't enough, there's plenty of ear-candy as well. There are seven original songs and a wonderful score by Randy Newman of Toy Story fame. The music is toe-tapping, heartfelt and inspiring. Newman took a great deal of inspiration from the musical heritage of New Orleans including jazz, blues and gospel. Music is a key part of what makes up New Orleans and The Princess and the Frog quite nicely blends music into the entire story, especially through the antics of Louis the trumpet-playing crocodile. This is one soundtrack you'll be glad you picked up. I got this soundtrack a few days ago and have listened to it several times already.

Disney has hit a grand slam with The Princess and the Frog. I'm hopeful the glory days of animation have returned and Disney continues with 2-D hand-drawn animation. Leave the 3-D CG films to the experts at Pixar. The Disney Animation Studios have re-asserted themselves as the experts at traditional 2-D. That's the way it should be.

Tip Tuesday: Holidays at the WDW resorts

Welcome to another Tip Tuesday!

In this final installment of tips for the holidays at Walt Disney World, I wanted to take you not to any park, but to some of the different resorts around Walt Disney World.

While the parks do have wonderful and amazing holiday decorations and events, the resorts also deck their halls with some incredible displays, including edible art!

No visit to Walt Disney World at the holidays would be complete without spending at least some time seeing the different displays at the resorts, so let's start with the monorail resorts.

At the Grand Floridian, be sure to stop by the life-size gingerbread house. That's right, it's life-size!! Where else can you find a recipe that calls for more than 1,000 pounds of honey, 140 pints of egg whites, 600 pounds of powdered sugar, 700 pounds of chocolate, 800 pounds of flour, 35 pounds of spices, tons of creativity and a pinch of Disney magic and pixie dust!

In addition to the huge gingerbread house, be sure to take a moment to listen to the live music being played up on the balcony by a small orchestra. Also, be sure to bring your PhotoPass card, because Disney's photographers set up a mini portrait studio in front of the huge tree in the lobby each evening. You can get top-quailty portrait photos taken with no sitting fee. They'll go right onto your PhotoPass account (yet another reason why PhotoPass is such a great idea!).

Continuing around the monorail loop, we come to the Contemporary and Polynesian resorts. Each resort also displays their own confectionary creations. The Contemporary has different gingerbread displays each year (this year, it's a gingerbread tree and characters inspired by Mary Blair), while the Polynesian displays holiday decorations with a distinct polynesian flair.

While we're in the Magic Kingdom area, you must take a quick boat ride over to Disney's Wilderness Lodge. Here you will find a massive tree filled with different rustic decorations. As you walk into the lobby, you are immersed into the sensation of the holidays in the great northwest. It's as if the snow is falling outside and you're snug inside by the fire. It's well worth the trip just to see this lobby.

As we leave the Magic Kingdom area resorts, we travel down the monorail, through Epcot and the International Gateway and on to Disney's Beach and Yacht Club resorts. These resorts host two more wonderful edible holiday displays. At the Beach Club, be sure to see the working gingerbread carousel (pictured above). Yes, I said it's working -- it acutally moves. Like all the other gingerbread displays, there are plenty of hidden mickey's abound, so keep a sharp eye out!

At the Yacht Club you'll find a wonderful train set featuring many Disney Department 56 houses.

Continuing around Crescent Lake, we take a quick stop at the Dolphin Resort where there is a huge tree made entirely of white poinsettias.

Next up is the Boardwalk resort, where we find another gingerbread creation - a gazebo with a model train set running around it. Again, more hidden mickeys are all over the place. While at the boardwalk, be sure to see some of the beautiful garland strung throughout the lobby.

Finally, we make our way over to Disney's Animal Kingdom resort for what might be the most interesting holiday display, simply because it's so different from the rest. Another huge tree greets us as we enter the lobby. This tree is covered with African-inspired ornaments. Like the Wilderness Lodge, it's worth a visit just to see these decorations.

The holidays are one of the best times to visit Walt Disney World and I hope these series of tips will help you enjoy your holiday visit to the happiest and merriest place on Earth!

DisneyDaddy returns to WDW Radio Show again

I had the pleasure and honor to again record a segment of the WDW Radio Show with Lou Mongello.

To listen or download the show, go to the WDW Radio.com Web page.

Disney announces dates for 2010 Star Wars Weekends

The official Disney Parks blog has announced the dates for the 2010 Star Wars Weekends.

• May 21 – 23
• May 28 – 30
• June 4 – 6
• June 11 – 13

So far, there's no word on what celebrities will be in attendance. With the big Star Wars Celebration convention coming to Orlando in August, I wouldn't be surprised if some big names happen to show up!

One thing that won't be at the 2010 SWW will be the Disney/Star Wars big figs. Last year, Disney announced they would not be producing any more SWW big figs after the 2009 event.

If you're a Star Wars fan, this is a must-do! I went to the 2007 Star Wars Weekends and had a blast!

Disney offers new booking promotion

The official Disney Parks Blog today announced a new promotion aimed at enticing guests to book on-property stays at Walt Disney World.

Book any 5-night/6-day non-discounted package through the Walt Disney Travel Company at a select Walt Disney World resort hotel and you could receive a Disney gift card up to $750. Note that this offer is for non-discounted rooms, meaning that you will probably pay the rack rate for the room.

Here are the details:

• Book at a deluxe or villa resort and receive a $750 Disney gift card
• Book at a moderate resort and receive a $500 Disney gift card
• Book at a value resort and receive a $300 Disney gift card

There are limitations, so if you're interested, be sure to see the details page at Disneyworld.com. This offer is for bookings made by March 27 for travel dates up to June 3.

Captain EO returns to Disneyland, for now

This coming February, the late Michael Jackson will return to Disneyland as Captain EO, one of Disney's first 3D films will once again be shown, according to the DisneyParks official blog. Disney officials say Captain EO will take over the space currently housing Honey I Shrunk the Audience. Captian EO's time at Disneyland will be limited, though there was no indication of how long EO would run.

This announcement has re-ignited rumors that a similar move is planned for Epcot at Walt Disney World, where Honey I Shrunk the Audience currently is playing in the space Captain EO first premiered in Sept. 1986. Thus far, there is no word from Disney on any plans for Captain EO at Epcot.

My take:
While I'm not a huge MJ fan, it would be nice to see EO return to Epcot for a limited time. This would be a good opportunity for Disney to take out an aging outdated attraction like HISTA and, after EO's run is done, replace it with something new and fresh.

A sad day for Disney as Roy E. Disney passes away

Roy E. Disney, son of Roy O. Disney and nephew of Walt Disney died today at the age of 79 after a battle with cancer.

Disney was a key figure in the hiring, and later firing, of now former Disney CEO Michael Eisner. He fought to keep the creative spirit alive during times when, as he would put it, the Disney company was more like a real estate company than a movie studio.

Roy O. Disney leaves behind two daughters, Abigail Disney and Susan M. Disney Lord, as well as sons Roy P. Disney and Timothy J. Disney, and 16 grandchildren.

I would like to express my condolences to the entire Disney family and company.

More on Roy O. Disney's passing from the Orlando Sentinel.