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January 2012

Magic Kingdom Weekend Update – Part I

Had a great time in the Magic Kingdom today (once I got into the MK at least). There are plenty of noteworthy changes at the park: the new Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom was open for guests in testing mode, construction was going full bore, and a few surprises were in order. This is a long update with 28 pictures. So I broke it up into two parts. But it might become three or more, who knows. Stay tuned.

Alright then. On with the show.

We arrived at the TTC only to find the Express and Resort monorail lines down. Everyone was being directed to the ferry boats. Without knowing how long the monorails would be down for, we decided to take the ferry.


A giant crane hanging over Cinderella Castle is not really what you want to see when you’re arriving at the Magic Kingdom.


However, when you’re arriving via ferry boat, this is an even worse sight — a ferry still in the dock. We didn’t have to wait as long this week as we did last week (about 6 minutes of waiting this time, about 12 minutes last week). But even more frustrating was the fact that both monorail lines came back to life while we were stuck in the middle of the lake and started delivering guests from TTC to the main entrance ahead of us.

With both a monorail and a ferry arriving at the same time bag check lines were long. I chose a shorter queue, but ended up waiting even longer than most as the Security Guard actually found something prohibited in a bag a few people in front of me. A small glass bottle of alcohol (serious, sneak it in in your pockets or a plastic container if you have to people. You’re not frisked, just your bags) and a mid-sized kitchen knife. There was also a little bit of a language barrier. Everything was handled professionally, but with only limited bag check lines open, it was just upping my frustration level to stuck in a line that was not be moving.

I know we hit the trifecta of bad luck, but I have to think that a guest’s arrival at the park is an area of the show still in need of much work. Starting off with a frown on your face is a bummer, you know.


Finally, we saw this sign and I mentally prepared myself for immersion in the magic.

Let’s get into the magic below the jump:

Read More »Magic Kingdom Weekend Update – Part I

Disneyland Hotel’s Renovation Finally Finished

Yesterday morning, hundreds of Disneyland Resort cast members posed in the courtyard of the reimagined Disneyland Hotel to mark the end of the historic hotel’s multiyear renovation. Final touches to the porte-cochere and tower lobbies were added this month, following more than two years of… Read More »Disneyland Hotel’s Renovation Finally Finished

Disney artist Don ‘Ducky’ Williams draws Goofy

I don’t know about you, but I could watch Disney artists draw characters all day. Here Disney artist Don ‘Ducky’ Williams draws Goofy and spins a few tales of his years with the company. Goofy appears to be one of the more complicated characters, yet… Read More »Disney artist Don ‘Ducky’ Williams draws Goofy

Revenge 13: Commitment

I don’t know about you but sometimes I need a few days to recuperate from an evening of Revenge. This episode was pretty much mind-blowing. I didn’t do any yelping but I could have used about five other brains to help me figure out what the heck was going on. It was pretty much drama overload this week.

First, I have to give props to Nolan in this episode. In the opening scenes he basically says all the things I’ve been thinking. Like, doesn’t Emily care that Charlotte is her half-sister? And who does she really love: Jack or Daniel (or in some weird way, both)? I guess I can’t blame Emily for being so detached when it comes to the Charlotte news since she’s upset her dad didn’t share the news with her in his journal and because she has built herself up to go through with this revenge plot and that didn’t mean making friends and going soft when anything personal happened.

Emily’s initial order of business this week is to find Amanda (who just returned from her romantic Pacey-&-Joey style getaway to Atlantic City). She informs Amanda of Treadwell’s house being set on fire and tells her she needs to get out of town. Victoria is clearly the one who set the fire and she hates Amanda so she is going to place the blame on Amanda of course. Amanda seems convinced she can get through anything and take care of Jack in the process. (Emily predicts Jack may be in danger.)

In the meantime, Conrad has offered Declan a “scholarship” to Charlotte’s school so they can be oh-so-happy together. Basically Declan has to just pass the entrance exam and it’s a go. I know I always make fun of Declan but it would be nice if he wasn’t such a stereotypical wrong-side-of-the-tracks kind of character. (Think about it: Joey Potter was created much in the same vein but she never once acted like this.) After Conrad’s no-strings-attached offer (yeah right), the David Clarke interview finds its way to his table. (Funny how that happens.)

Read More »Revenge 13: Commitment

Real Steel Rock’em Sock’em’s its way on to Blu-Ray and DVD

When I first heard of the movie Real Steel, I wondered why anybody would want to watch a movie based of that robot boxing kids game. The movie Real Steal is set around the sport of robot boxing, but it’s not about robot boxing. Instead it’s another heart-warming down on his luck sports star meets young kid and together they climb their way back to the top of the sport story.

That story has been made dozen times over and Real Steel is actually as good, if not better, than most of them. I know that’s saying a lot, but I gave the movie a shot expecting just a special effects extravaganza, but it was the story that won me over.

In the movie Hugh Jackman plays Charlie Kenton a down on his luck former boxer who gets stuck with his son Max, played with out too much of the cute-kid syndrome, by young Dakota Goyo. When Max discovers an old Robot Boxer with some unique abilities, the pair start off on a journey to repair their personal bonds and fight their way to the top of the sport. Here’s a clip about Atom the robot found by Max.

While you may not have seen Real Steel in the theaters, it was the #1 movie in the country for two consecutive weeks during its theatrical run. Real Steel was directed by Shawn Levy (Night At the Museum franchise, Date Night and What Happens in Vegas) and produced by Steven Spielberg (Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List) and they kept it right on course, full of heart, and beautifully filmed.

Additionally, I found the special effects to be quite good in the film. They seamlessly integrate real robot puppets with digital versions and used motion capture technology to film the fights. So there is some real emotion up there on the screen, even though the cast is sometimes playing to a green screen.

I received the The Blu-ray Combo Pack to review. It offers a variety of supplemental bonus features that take you ringside with Director Shawn Levy on the making of the film. Exclusive features include a bare-knuckled exposé of the life story of Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman), deleted and extended scenes that go deeper into the film and storylines, and a riveting profile with legendary boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard. Plus, the revolutionary Real Steel Second Screen app lets viewers sync their iPad or computer with the Blu-ray movie to peel back layers of effects with progression reels, check out 360-degree turnarounds of the robots, explore seamless branching pods that delve into the cutting-edge technology used to create the fights, and much more.

I also liked that the DVD copy of the film comes with a good number of special features of its own, including the directors commentary. That means you can buy the combo-pack even if you only had the DVD today and plan to get a blu-ray player in the future.

Real Steal is a Dreamworks film and was distributed by Disney’s Touchstone Pictures division. You can pre-order the DVD or Blu-ray on Amazon today.

Read More »Real Steel Rock’em Sock’em’s its way on to Blu-Ray and DVD

Meet Jaime Ibanez, The Miniature Magical Castle Maker

Believe it or not, the above photo is a model done by Jaime Ibanez, a talented artist and sculptor living in the Philippines. But it could be a Disney theme park castle, perhaps in Shanghai. Here’s Ibanez working on a similar model: Ibanez’s work has… Read More »Meet Jaime Ibanez, The Miniature Magical Castle Maker

Play Where’s My Water for Free and Help Save H2O too

A great new promotion combining Disney Friends for Change and the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF) wants you to join in helping to protect fresh water for people and animals around the world. They’ve created the Every Duck Counts campaign and Disney Friends for Change… Read More »Play Where’s My Water for Free and Help Save H2O too

What To Take Away from Movie Marketing Switch at Disney Studios

Last week we learned of a shake-up in the marketing department for Walt Disney Pictures. They brought in a Hollywood outsider to take over a struggling department, but ultimately she was too far outside the club to be accepted by it. At least that’s the… Read More »What To Take Away from Movie Marketing Switch at Disney Studios