Tip Tuesday: Book review - Toy Story Films: An Animated Journey

 

Hey howdy hey!

It's time for another Tip Tuesday and this week, let's shift gears and move to the good ol' Disney library shelf for a little Disney book review.

This week, let's review a new book called The Story Story Films:  An Animated Journey (2012), by Charles Solomon, published by Disney Editions.  This is a pretty large book, measuring 12" by 11.8" with 192 pages chock full of beautiful pictures from all three Toy Story films as well as renderings, concept art, storyboards and some of the back story behind the Toy Story(s). This book was released less than two months ago.  (Full disclosure notice:  Disney sent me a review copy of this book.  The opinions expressed in this post are my own and are not those of the Disney company).

 

If you're a fan of Pixar and/or a fan of the Toy Story films and/or a fan of John Lasseter (he wrote the afterword), you will flat out love this book.  Seriously.

This is a great coffee table book and currently joins a few of my other high quality Disney-related books.  What makes this book special is all the stunning photography.  Sure, there have been books about films before.  What is different here is that the frame captures of images from the three Toy Story films are crisp and clear.  Too often, frame captures are soft and lack definition.  This is primarily due to the nature of film - it's not at the same resolution as print.  So when a frame of film is transferred (and blown up) to the printed page, details tend to get washed out.  Not so with Solomon's book.

But wait, there's more.

 

Throughout the 192 pages are tons of storyboards, renderings and concept art, much of which really helps to tell the back story behind Toy Story.  I won't divulge any of the nuggets here, but I was surprised to read about how the character of Woody was created and what and who inspired John Lasseter in creating Woody.

Which leads me to another key factor of this book.  In many respects, this could also be called The Lasseter Story.  Toy Story is due to the vision and work of John Lasseter and his team.  Solomon helps tell the story of Toy Story through the triumphs and, sometimes, failures of Lasseter and company.  In reading this book, you will discover there was a time when Toy Story almost stopped before it really ever got started (Solomon, 2012).

 

All stories come full circle and Toy Story is no different.  Perhaps one of the most moving scenes (and frightening to some children) in any of the films comes as Woody, Buzz, Jessee, Ham, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head and Rex seem destined for a fiery end in Toy Story 3.  In a literal case of deux ex machina (translated: "god from machine") the machine in this instance is the Claw, which, with the help of the Little Green Men, rescues our heroes at the last moment, moving the story to the ultimate ending - where Woody and Andy part ways (the most heartbreaking moment of any Pixar film to date).

The Toy Story Films:  An Animated Journey is a fitting tribute to three films that have defined this new medium of computer-generated animation.  This is one book that should be on your Disney bookshelf.

Amazon ($37.80):  http://www.amazon.com/Toy-Story-Films-Animated-Journey/dp/1423144945/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348622556&sr=1-1&keywords=toy+story+an+animated+journey

Barnes & Noble ($39.47):  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-toy-story-films-charles-solomon/1110915030?ean=9781423144946

Referenced works:
Solomon, Charles. (2012).  The Toy Story Films:  An Animated Journey. New York:  Disney Editions.

Photo Friday: Skyway to the Past

Time for another Photo Friday!

I friend shared some old photos from a 1999 trip to Walt Disney World today and I just had to share this photo (with her permission).  What struck me the most about this photo was the date:  summer of 1999.  Little did they know that the Skyway would close just a few months later, in Nov. 1999.

I can remember my own journeys on the Skyway during my early trips to Walt Disney World back in the late 1970's.  I particularly remember seeing 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea from the air and being amazed at how big it was.

Today hardly a remnant of the Skyway can be seen.  The old launch/landing buildings are effectively gone and you have to look closely for clues where the old pillars were located.

A blast from the past...

Tip Tuesday: The Garden Grove Seafood Sensation

Welcome to another Tip Tuesday!

This week, I wanted to share my thoughts about the Garden Grove restaurant at the Swan resort.  Located on the main floor, the Garden Grove is comprised mainly of a single circular dining room with a artificial tree in the center.  The decor is light and airy.  Situated around the edge of the circle are buffet stations featuring all sorts of options (dinner only).  During breakfast and lunch hours, the Garden Grove offers a fairly standard menu with traditional breakfast fare and common lunch items.

What makes the Garden Grove so different is that the menu changes greatly during the week when it comes to dinner.  Dinner is served buffet style and the offerings were fairly good.

Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays feature a southern barbecue buffet complete with barbecue chicken, ribs, North Carolina pulled pork, beans and more.

Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays feature a Mediterranean menu with pastas, baked fish, sausage and pepper, Beef Bourguignon and more.

For these two menus, adult price is (as of this writing) $29.99 each, kids $13.99.

Fridays, though, appear to be the most popular day of the week.  That's because Fridays mean the it's time for the seafood sensation menu.  My family was able to get an ADR for this Friday buffet, so I will share my thoughts.

First, this buffet is fairy large with snow crab legs, scallops, seafood paella, carving station and more.  If that wasn't enough, each table gets a huge bucket of fried shrimp and calamari.  But wait, there's more.  Each adult gets one half stuffed lobster (yes, half of a whole lobster -- tail, claw and all).  Now the lobsters aren't huge, but it's included in the price ($35.99 for adults, $14.99 for kids).  If a child wants a half stuffed lobster, it will cost an additional $10 per child.

There is so much food available here it's not even funny.  The lobsters may have been stuffed, but so was I.

While overall, I enjoyed the ambience of the restaurant, there were a few areas for improvement.

First, the service for the buffet areas was poor.  It took way too long to replenish many of the seafood offerings, especially the snow crab legs.  When they were finally replenished, they weren't as hot as I'd like.  They were cooked fine, but it appeared that they weren't brought straight out.

Second, the carving station attendant was missing often.  Too many times I was hoping to get a cut of beef or turkey and no one was there.

It very well could be that I happened to dine on an off night.  I'm not sure if these issues are consistent or I just happened to catch a bad day.

These two issues aside, the Garden Grove seafood sensation is a fine alternative to the Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club.  While I still prefer Cape May, it can be difficult to get an ADR there, whereas you might be able to get away with a walkup at the Garden Grove, depending on your time.

Just one more reason why you should keep the Swan and Dolphin in mind when you make your dining plans.

Photo Friday: R2D2's Bad Day

Time for another Photo Friday!

I was going through some of my photos from June of this year and I ran across this shot of R2D2's dome from the new Droid Factory at Tatooine Traders.  As I thought about this shot, I noticed that R2 is having a really bad day.  First his head has been pulled off.  Second is main eye is gone and finally he's been blasted!

Poor R2.

Tip Tuesday: Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom cards

Welcome to another Tip Tuesday!

This week, I wanted to wrap up my tips about the new Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom.  This week I wanted to help you as you try to collect those cards.  Below is a list of the current cards from Common to Super Rare.  Keep in mind that you get a new set of cards every day you visit the Main Street Fire Station.

Disney has started selling booster card packs at The Emporium and I'm hearing that these booster packs are much more likely to contain one of the Super Rare (lightning bolt) cards.  Packs are running around $12 each and there's a home game version coming soon.  When these booster packs first were released last month, they literally sold out in minutes, so it's possible they may not be available when you look for them.

I'm also hearing, thanks to the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom fan blog, that Disney will begin handing out limited editions of special spell cards associated with special events such as parties, grand openings and releases.  The first of these cards (apparently it will be a special 12-card edition) will start with a Chip and Dale card released during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.  Other possible cards may be released in connection with movie premieres, the opening of the expanded Fantasyland and/or opening of certain attractions/restaurants in new Fantasyland as well as Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.

One more thing about cards.  Some may be willing to turn to Ebay to find cards.  I'd be careful purchasing cards on Ebay because it's all to easy to make fakes.  As easy as desktop publishing is these days, making a fake card is pretty easy.  One way to tell if it's more likely a genuine card is to see if it has rounded corners (the Mickey card shown above was a sample image released by Disney, not a scan of an actual card, that's why it has sharp corners).

A good way to store your cards is to use some sort of sports card collectors album.  I use a smaller book that holds four cards per page.  This way you can more easily carry the book in a backpack or bag.  Some use larger binders, which is fine if you are willing to deal with the extra bulk.

One thing's for sure.  Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom is a fantastic hit and one that I fully anticipate to expand both in card offerings and in difficulty as it progresses and is updated.

Until next time Sorcerer!



RARE  (marked by a star)
1 Apprentice Mickey’s Broomsticks
2 Belle’s Mountain Blizzard
3 Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blaster
4 Doris’s Bowler Hat Attack
5 EVE’s Laser Blast
6 Fa Mulan’s Dragon Cannon
7 Flynn Rider’s Flying Frying Pan
8 King Triton’s Trident
9 Lythos’s Rock Titan Boulder Throw
10 Maurice’s Wood Chopper
11 Maximus’ Horseshoes
12 Merlin’s Fireball
13 Monstro’s Water Spout
14 Nibs’s Neverland Assault
15 Rapunzel’s Hair Whip
16 Robin Hood’s Magic Arrow
17 Simba’s Roar
18 The Fairy Godmother’s Pumpkin Bash
19 The Giant’s Giant Stomp
20 Tinker Bell’s Pixie Dust
21 Violet’s Force Fields
22 Woody’s Cowboy Lasso

UNCOMMON  (marked by a crescent moon)
23 Aladdin’s Lamp
24 Bolt’s Super Bark
25 Cinderella’s Magic Ribbon
26 Colonel Hathi’s Righteous Stomp
27 Eeyore’s Gloomy Cloud
28 Frozone’s Ice Blast
29 Lightning McQueen’s Ka-Chow
30 Mickey’s Magic Beans
31 Mike’s Grand Entrance
32 Pinocchio’s Sawdust Blast
33 Prince Phillip’s Enchanted Sword
34 Snow White’s Housecleaning
35 The Headless Horseman’s Exploding Jack-O-Lantern
36 The Mad Hatter’s Tea Time
37 The Queen of Hearts’s Card Army
38 The Sugar Plum Fairies’ Dewdrop Spiderweb
39 WALL-E’s Trash Crunch
40 Yen Sid’s Sorcerers Hat


COMMON  (marked by a planet)
41 Aurora’s Rose Petals
42 Baloo’s Coconut Cascade
43 Caballero Donald’s Pinata
44 Dash’s Whirlwind
45 Flower’s Flowers
46 Gopher’s Demolition Dynamite
47 Grumpy’s Pummeling Pickaxe
48 Lumiere’s Candle Blast
49 Mowgli’s Swinging Vine
50 Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
51 Pocahontas’s Colors of the Wind
52 Pongo’s Soot Bucket
53 Prince Naveen’s Army of Frogs
54 Pumbaa’s Odorous Gas
55 Quasimodo’s Bell
56 Rafiki’s Wisdom Stick
57 The Blue Fairy’s Wand Wish
58 The Woozles’ Woozle Nightmare
59 Thumper’s Mighty Thump
60 Tiana’s Hot Sauce

SUPER RARE (Marked with a lightning bolt)
61 Ariel's Bubble Attack
62 Dumbo's Pink Elephant Parade
63 Fin McMissle's Missle Salvo
64 Hercules Tower Topple
65 Jasmine's Magic Carpet Tassles
66 Mama Odie's Magic Charm
67 Merryweather's Stone Spell
68 Mr. Incredible's Power Heave
69 Mushu's Fiery Breath
70 Winnie the Pooh's Honey Bees

OTHER
Cast Member Power of the Four Keys

Tip Tuesday: My new favorite spot for evening events at the MK

 

Welcome to a belated Tip Tuesday (yet again, sigh).

This week, I wanted to share a brief tip about my new favorite spot to watch the Main Street Electrical Parade which also puts you in a great spot to watch Wishes! and the new "Celebrate the Magic" show coming later this fall about which Disney released some conceptual images earlier today.  Disney also announced they are expanding the seating area for Fantasmic! at the Studios.

Anyway, back to the MSEP.  Many people like to stand in the inner portion of the hub facing Cinderella Castle as the Electrical Parade goes by.  I'm a fan of the opposite view.  Stand in the hub looking back down Main Street U.S.A.  You get a great head-on view of the parade and about halfway through, the lights in Town Square will turn back on so you have a wonderful backdrop for the parade.

Once the parade is done, simply turn around and you're ready for Celebrate the Magic and Wishes.  If you want, you can try to move a bit closer to the Partners statue so that it's in the foreground for any pictures you take.

See for yourself - here's video from when I provided a live stream of MSEP and Wishes! back in June.  It's in parts, due to the feed getting bounced a few times.

Enjoy!

Main Street Electrical Parade

Part 1:  http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/23521667

Part 2:  http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/23521758

Part 3:  http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/23521801

Part 4:  http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/23521808

The Magic, the Memories and You & Wishes!

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/23522379

Photo Friday: Italy's bell tower in Epcot

Time for a (late) Photo Friday!

I've often suggested to try to take images from a non-traditional viewpoint and at a non-traditional angle.  This image of the Bell Tower in Epcot's Italy pavilion is just one more example of how you can make a predictable shot something more than it is.

It also helps that the sky was a gorgeous deep blue this day in June 2010.  

Enjoy!

Tip Tuesday: the Arusha Overlook

 

Jambo!  It's time for another Tip Tuesday!

 

This week, let's head over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for a quick tip about an easy way to enjoy the lodge savannah without having to book a room.  Simply visit the lodge (there are some great restaurants to enjoy), stroll through the amazing lobby to the far end and go down the stairs and outside.  You will come across the Arusha Overlook, which gives a great view of the center section of the Animal Kingdom Lodge savannah.

See for yourself!

 

There are plenty of animals to see and you can take all the time you want because you're not in a jeep bounding through the savannah like you would be over at Kilimanjaro Safaris.

Just outside the entrance to the overlook is a nice fire pit that can come in handy on those cool winter evenings, even in Florida.

So the next time you're at Animal Kingdom Lodge, head over to the Arusha Overlook and enjoy what makes the Animal Kingdom Lodge such a popular resort.

Photo Friday: The new queen of the savannah

 

It's time for another Photo Friday!

 

I thought I'd share this photo from June 2012 of the new queen of the Animal Kingdom savannah.  I learned that apparently just days (or even hours) before this shot was taken, the male lion that was on the savannah had passed away and Disney had brought in some new lionesses for the lion section of the savannah.  It's possible this may be one of the first photos of the new lioness.  That's just speculation on my part.

 

Anyway, I especially like this photo with the colorful blossoms in the background.

 

Enjoy!

Tip Tuesday: Playing Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom

Welcome Sorcerer!

It's time again to share some tips and tricks to playing one of the newest experiences at the Magic Kingdom:  Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom.  Here's the problem:  Hades, that evil lord of the underworld, has broken free and is trying to get the crystal of the Magic Kingdom.  It's up to you and Merlin the wizard to stop him and his legion of villians.

As I mentioned in a post two weeks ago, Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom (SOTMK) is a card based interactive game that guests can play throughout the Magic Kingdom.  Each visit to the parks, guests can stop at the Town Square Fire Station to pick up additional game cards to use to complete tasks throughout the park.

This week, I'll walk through how to play the game and some tips to make your adventure run a little smoother, especially if you're with multiple players.

When you first get your all-important key card and map (shown above), you will want to head to any station on the map (Adventureland is shown above).  Your map will show the SOTMK portals in each of the currently active lands in the Magic Kingdom:  Mains Street USA, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Liberty Square and Adventureland.  Tomorrowland doesn't have any SOTMK portals as of this post, though the game is likely going to be expanded into the new Fantasyland and could possibly be expanded into other areas like Tomorrowland, though no official announcements have been made.

Most people who get their new key card, map and initial card set will head to one of the Main Street USA portals, resulting in a line.  It's better to head away from Town Square and go at least to one of the two portals further down Main Street USA.  Better yet, head to Adventureland, where there are more portals to work with. 

So how can you find a portal? Sure it's on the map, but they're sometime hard to find.  Just look for this symbol on the ground.  This is the EXACT spot you're supposed to stand on to play the game.

Once you find a portal, look for this lock (shown above).  Take your key card and place it against the lock.  The first time you play the game, the screen will tell you which portal you are supposed to start it.  Be sure to take note of the symbol shown on the screen.  That corresponds to the portal symbols on your SOTMK map.  Go to that portal.  If you try to use another portal, you'll again be directed to the proper starting place.  Oh, and everyone has a different starting place. 

Now, if you're traveling with several Sorcerers, you can ask the cast member at the Fire Station to have your entire playing party to start in the same land.  You won't start in the same exact portal, but you can at least have your adventure running in the same location so you're not cris-crossing the park too much (you'll be doing a lot of that anyway).

Now that you've found the right portal, it's time to star battling some bad guys (or gals)!!

To play the game, you need to first show your key card at each portal.  You eventually will go to every portal in the Magic Kingdom (often more than once).  You're trying to defeat Scar, Yzma, Jafar, Ursula, Maleficent, Cruella de Vil, Dr. Facilier, Gov. Ratcliff and (ultimately) Hades.

Defeating each villian usually involves accessing four different portals.  Most portals require the use of one or more spell cards.  In the basic version of the game (which is the only version currently running), the type of spell card used really doesn't matter.  You can use one or more than one to accomplish your task.  In future versions (Disney has said they are working on advanced versions), the type of spell card used will be a factor in determining success against the villian.

Once you have defeated all eight villians, you're off to battle the head honcho in this whole operation -- Hades and if you're successful you will be given the title of Master Sorcerer of the Magic Kingdom!!!

Now you can complete SOTMK in a single day, though it will be a very long one and it will be all you do.  I strongly suggest taking a few days to try to complete the game.  If you don't finish, don't worry, you can always pick up where you left off on your next trip.  In fact, I think you should only do one or two villians on each trip -- that way you have something new to do on your next visit.

Either way, Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom is a fantastic and fun game for players of all ages.  In June, I saw young kids and seasoned adults playing side by side and having a great time.

A few general tips: 

• Wear good shoes because you will be doing a lot of walking (you should be wearing good shoes anyway).
• Keep track of your key card.  If you lose it, you've lost your entire game progress and you'll have to start over.  If you lose a spell card, you can always get more, but you can't get another key card and resume your progress.
• As you're walking around, take note of where portals are located.  Sure, they're on the map, but it's more helpful to know where they really are so you can easily find them when you need them.
• Be patient.  You will run into lines at portals, especially during peak times of the year.  While you're waiting, be courteous to other guests and don't spoil the surprises by talking about the game.  Each portal can have different parts of the game running.
• Always get a new set of spell cards each day you're at the Magic Kingdom.  They're free and you can get one pack a day.  You never know which cards you'll get.

So there you go Sorcerer!!!  You're ready to play.  So hurry to the Firehouse because Merlin needs your help!!