A History of Disney Music, with Nerdy Commentary

I stumbled upon this video and it sparked so many Disney memories that I had to share. The good people over at Song Medleys put together this retrospective of Disney tunes, and it's brilliant. Moreover, it made me remember where I was the first time I saw some of these movies/shows, and man, I really grew up with Disney.

Check it out:



Here are some of my favorite moments - add yours in the comments!

:08 - Steamboat Willie, a classic. I had seen bits and pieces of it over the years, but the first time I saw the whole thing was in film school, and I remember being shocked by all the non-Mickey things Mickey does in this movie - kicking animals and such. Yikes!

:28 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - I didn't really appreciate this movie until I saw it as an adult. Also, Snow White is 14. Whaaat.

:35 - The first time I saw Fantasia was when it was re-released in theaters to celebrate its 50th anniversary. I was a kid, I didn't understand the concept, and I kept asking my mother when the real movie was going to start.

:43 - I think I was traumatized by Dumbo, because I'm pretty sure I've only seen it once.

1:18 - I really wish Disney would get over itself and let Song of the South out of the Vault of Shame. Not only is it an important piece of film history, but they didn't have a problem creating a popular ride based on the characters!

1:46 - I loved Cinderella as a kid, and one Christmas Santa brought me a Cinderella doll. She was beautiful, and expensive. That night, I decided to re-enact the movie, which meant returning Cinderella to her humble beginnings. My mother opened my bedroom door to discover that I had taken scissors and cut up Cinderella's beautiful dress to "make her look poor." I learned a hard lesson that night about the boundaries of Fairy Godmothers.

3:50 - NOOO FOX AND THE HOUND *collapses into sobs*

4:18 - Man, I love that little toaster. Obviously.

4:23 - My cat is named after Oliver & Company. I was inspired by the theme song "Once Upon a Time in New York City," which is about an orphaned cat in NYC, which fit my own shelter rescue kitty rather perfectly, and so he's named Huey.

4:34 - The Little Mermaid consumed my life as a kid. It wasn't a phase, it was a full-on obsession.

4:38 - Has there ever been a cartoon as awesome as Ducktales? Woo-ooo!

4:41 - Correction. Has there ever been a cartoon as awesome as Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers?

4:48 - Can someone just bring back the Disney Afternoon? Please?

5:04 - Beauty and the Beast was a BIG DEAL in our house.

5:08 - DUCKS FLY TOGETHER! Seriously, The Mighty Ducks is my favorite movie of all time.

5:43 - The Lion King consumed my life right about the same time when I was getting "too old" for cartoons. I was obsessed with it anyway.

5:47 - I totally forgot the live-action The Jungle Book existed until this moment. And that we own it on VHS.

5:52 - I saw Angels in the Outfield at a drive-in, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt and I have been in love ever since.

5:58 - I still think The Santa Clause is one of the best Christmas movies ever made.

6:01 - The Goofy Movie is one of the most underrated Disney movies. I still know all the words to "After Today."

6:33 - There is no bigger earworm in the world than the "Cabin Fever" number from Muppet Treasure Island.

6:57 - Ah, Mike Seaver, my biggest fictional character crush.

7:34 - I really wish ABC Family would play repeats of Brotherly Love.

8:03 - I remember, so perfectly, the night I discovered N*SYNC. The Disney Channel had a summer concert series on Saturday nights that featured up-and-coming acts (like Britney Spears). The Backstreet Boys were once slated to perform but canceled, leaving Disney without an act. So they turned to the next best thing they could find at the last minute ... an Orlando-based boy band called N*SYNC. After this show,  their album sales went crazy, and the rest is history.

8:17 - My Date with the President's Daughter is perhaps the most adorable made-for-TV movie ever.

9:08 - I hated Bug Juice. Still do.

9:17 - The Disney Channel has yet to produce anything as good as Even Stevens and Lizzie McGuire.

And that's me! Did this video bring back any memories for you?
--
Related Links:
* Finding Zen in WDW
* Disney Dining: Restaurants to Avoi
* Getting Mugged in WDW

Wordless Wednesday: A Blair Affair

---
Related Links:
* Wordless Wednesday: Sweet Tooth
* Wordless Wednesday: Main Street USA
* Wordless Wednesday: I'll Take a BLT

I’m Starting to Hate Lightning McQueen

Photo via Disney Parks Blog

It’s surprising, really, that I can muster up negative feelings for any Pixar creation, because really, truly, those folks do good work. But McQueen and I have had a slowly simmering beef for awhile now, but I was willing to overlook the absurd amount of space his merchandise takes up in the Disney Store and his thinly veiled direct-to-DVD movie that was packaged as a summer blockbuster that I spent $16 on. But joining the Lights, Motors, Action show at Hollywood Studios? You’ve gone too far, my friend.

At this point, I’m convinced Lightning is in cahoots with Duffy for Disney Domination. And I get it – Disney needs to make money, and Cars merchandise sells. Totally fine. But would it kill the good people over at Disney Parks to put some thought into these things? You can picture that staff meeting where someone said, “we have an automotive stunt show, and the kiddies love Lightning McQueen, so let’s add him in.” That guy probably got a bonus. And without going to Hollywood Studios, I’m willing to bet that there’s a Cars merchandise kiosk over by the amphitheatre exit now.

Here’s the problem – yes, Lightning’s a car, and a popular car at that, but it doesn’t fit with the show. The show is about how stunt people pull off crazy chase scenes in all them talkin’ pictures. Like the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular – it’s a show about live-action filmmaking. And I hate to point out the obvious, but Lightning is an animated character. Having him appear in the show, even if it’s just a cameo, makes zero sense. “Oh hey, look, it’s Lightning McQueen! How’d you get here?” “Well, I have a team of animators who make me do all the same things you’ve demonstrated here, but with no danger or explosions involved. Ka-chow!” GO AWAY. GO AWAY, CAR.

And Pixar Place is just a few steps away! Why can’t Lightning go hang out over there? This new policy of throwing darts at a WDW map to determine character placement is really disturbing. What’s next? Aladdin and Jasmine in the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular?

What do you think? Have you seen the show? Is Lightning’s addition as lame as it seems on paper?
---
Related Links:
* The War on Duffy
* Overheard in WDW: Sunset Blvd Edition
* Segway Tours in WDW: This is How I Roll

The Darkest Day

So, last week something really terrible happened. I’ve tried to let it go, but I’m truly, totally, completely crushed. 

La Cava de Tequila took the flautas off the menu.

This. Is. A. Disaster. I don’t want to say that the La Cava flautas were my sole reason for going to the World Showcase, but sitting down and relaxing with margaritas and several plates of flautas was definitely high on my list of Favorite Things to Do in WDW. And despite all the fabulous places to dine in WDW, the thing I was most looking forward to tasting again was those flautas – those perfectly portioned, snack from the heavens, flautas. And just like that, gone. It’s like finding out the truth about Santa Claus, only now I am sad and hungry.

As far as I can tell, the flautas aren’t on the new San Angel Inn menu. Or on the La Hacienda menu. They vanished - poof! - like so many other Epcot classics. Maybe the Dreamfinder is enjoying one right now while sitting in a SeaCab.

And La Cava didn’t even have the decency to replace my beloved flautas with anything else. Chips and guacamole? Shrimp cocktail? These are not plates befitting the punch that those margaritas carry. With no flautas in my belly to soak up the booze, I can make no promises for my behavior. I might steal a sombrero on the way out just to prove a point. Heck, I may even try this. Just because. YOU MADE ME DO IT.

I guess I’m just supposed to wander the World Showcase, stumbling around from one too many blood orange margaritas, flauta-less. And don’t even get me started on the Missing Tortuga Tavern Tacos debacle. Those wounds are just beginning to heal.

---
Related Links:
* The Five People You Meet in Line at WDW
* WDW Trip Diary: The Lost Tweets
* The Disney Dining Plan, or "How I Learned to Stop Worrying About My Figure and Love My Sweatpants."

Magical Blogorail: A Salute to All Nations But Mostly EPCOT

Welcome to those of you joining me from The Magical Mousepad and those of you just hopping aboard. I am the 2nd stop on our Magical Blogorail.

It’s WDW’s 40th anniversary this year, and there have been so many great moments during that time. But for me, the best thing that’s happened to Walt Disney World in 40 years would have to be the opening of EPCOT Center on October 1, 1982.

Walt Disney dreamed of a city that would become a showcase for innovation, exploration, and design. After Walt’s death, Imagineers sought to realize his vision of a futuristic city that would inspire visitors and celebrate the spirit of invention. From the dedication speech:

To all who come to this place of joy, hope and friendship—welcome. EPCOT is inspired by Walt Disney's creative vision. Here, human achievements are celebrated through imagination, wonders of enterprise and concepts of a future that promises new and exciting benefits for all. May EPCOT Center entertain, inform and inspire and above all, may it instill a new sense of belief and pride in man's ability to shape a world that offers hope to people everywhere in the world. - E. Cardon Walker

When EPCOT Center first opened, it didn’t have all the bells and whistles and E-ticket attractions it has today. Future World contained only four pavilions (The Land, Universe of Energy, Spaceship Earth, and World of Motion) and the World Showcase had nine (Mexico, Germany, Italy, China, Japan, United States, United Kingdom, France, and Canada). Over time, more pavilions would be added, some would be taken away, some would be replaced, big attractions would move in, we’d meet a little purple dragon named Figment, and EPCOT Center would become Epcot.

I write about Epcot a lot on this blog, and it’s always been my favorite piece of WDW. And even though Walt Disney World contains all kinds of magic and princesses and castles and roller coasters and Yetis, my favorite part of any WDW trip is always that first stroll through Innoventions Plaza. Epcot, more than any other park, captures the spirit of Walt Disney’s vision for the future, even though he never got to see it. And yeah, the Epcot of today sometimes deviates from the original mission (adding Nemo and Co. to Seabase Alpha and letting Kim Possible infiltrate the World Showcase are both tragedies). But more often than not - when I see the monorail glide past, or when I watch the Segway tour roll by, or when I experience that moment of awe when you reach the top of Spaceship Earth – I think, Walt would have liked this.

Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is Manda’s Disney Blog.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:

1st Stop ~ The Magical Mouse Pad
2nd Stop ~ The Disney Chick
3rd Stop ~ Manda’s Disney Blog
4th Stop ~ Mommy Mouseketeer
Final Stop ~ Unknown Magic Within Walt Disney World
---
Related Links:
* Beep! Beep! The Magical Blogorail is Here!
* WDW Things That Never Cease to Amaze Me
* Book Review: The Epcot Explorer's Encyclopedia

Tinkerbell Continues Her Backpacking Tour of WDW

Back in February, Disney announced that the Tinkerbell and her Fairy Friends were moving to Epcot, and all future meet-and-greet sessions would take place in Future World. Anyone familiar with Tinkerbell or Epcot scratched their heads in confusion, but worry no more, because the fairies are moving back to the Magic Kingdom! But the Magic Kingdom is a little crowded these days, with construction walls and new castles and new princesses moving in. So Tink and her friends are off to Adventureland, to make merry with pirates and parrots.

Of course, this also makes no sense, since there's already a Peter Pan attraction in Fantasyland. And our fairy friends are going to look out of place standing among buccaneers and flying carpets and jungle cruises. I think it's safe to say that Tinkerbell and her posse won't be there for very long, so where should they go next? I think it's time for them to experience Disney's Animal Kingdom, and maybe set up shop next to Expedition Everest. Or heck, maybe Dinoland U.S.A. Share your predictions/wishful thoughts in the comments!
---
Related Links:
*  Now You Too Can Smell Like WDW
* What Do Your Disney Maps Say About You?
* One of These Things is Not Like the Others

Wordless Wednesday: Table View at Narcoossee's

---
Related Links:
* Wordless Wednesday: Sunset Over Epcot
*  Wordless Wednesday: Sweet Tooth
* Wordless Wednesday: Prayer Flags

Hidden Disney in NYC

Last week, I was walking to @danielwanderman's birthday party and discovered the following things, both on 53rd Street, both within a block of each other:

Well done, New York. Well done.

---
Related Links:
* Now You Too Can Smell Like WDW
* 10 Signs You Are a Disney Dork
* Times Square Disney Store: Pretty Darned Magical