Marshal Knight is a Disney lover, entertainment junkie, (impromptu) Country music singer and Root Beer connoisseur who really misses "Bunheads". He is very active on multiple social media sites, including twitter as @Marshal_Knight (twitter.com/Marshal_Knight) and Instagram as @MarshalKnight (instagram.com/MarshalKnight)
July 12th-15th is the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con. This annual event showcases entertainment’s latest and greatest projects of the past, present and (most importantly) future. After a 2 year hiatus, Disney has decided to go back to the con (Disney did have off-site presence though,… Read More »Disney at Comic-Con 2012: What to Look Forward To
On June 23rd, the D23 Fanniversary Celebration finally made it to Orlando. After starting on April 27th and making its way across the country, its second to last stop was Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The event was a showcase of the various Disney anniversaries happening this… Read More »D23 Fanniversary Orlando Review
The Perry Files is a Phineas and Ferb compilation DVD that was released on June 5th. It features 7 full-length episodes with a heavy focus on everyone’s favorite crime fighting mammal. For anyone who is new to the series, here is a quick synopsis of the… Read More »The Perry Files Review: “Curse You Perry the Platypus!”
Can you believe it! This is the last DCA History Lesson! More importantly, the week we have been waiting for since it was announced in 2007, DCA’s 1.1 billion dollar expansion will finally be completed. Time has flown. To celebrate, I thought the only way to cap off an incredible expansion of this size, would be to go to the most iconic part of DCA…Paradise Pier. Strap in screamers, we have 4 topics to cover. Sit back, face forward, and hang on!
The focal point of Paradise Pier was (and still is) the Ferris wheel. Being 160 ft. in diameter, it is hard to miss. WDI decided that the essence of California could be represented by the sun (hence the Sunshine Sculpture at the front of the park), so they stuck it on the side of the wheel. Based on Mexican folk-art, one of the main “defining features” of the park also featured a very fun, and sometimes thrilling, ride. With 16 swinging gondolas, it brought Ferris wheels to a whole new level. Once the expansion was announced and the direction Paradise Pier was taking was different than what the sun represented, they announced that the Sun Wheel would now becomes Mickey’s Fun Wheel. The attraction closed in Oct. of 2008 and reopened in May 2009 with the Mickey head.
AP and D23 previews of Carsland and Buena Vista Street are in full swing, and they are looking fantastic! The rides, shops, and restaurants are all themed incredibly by the WDI team. I have heard that they will be having some outstanding holiday decorations this… Read More »DCA History Lesson: A California Christmas
We are almost a week away from the piece de resistance for a Disney Parks fan, the unveiling of “DCA 2.0” after its major 5-year overhaul. As you know, I have been writing these history lessons leading up to June 15th, reminding you what would have happened if DCA stayed the same from day one. Today we are looking at a mish-mash of topics: Mission Tortilla Factory, Golden Vine Winery, and the Bountiful Valley Farm, with which we will start with.
Bountiful Valley Farm was one of the opening day attractions featured in the “Golden State” portion of the park. This area was a walk-through/garden/construction site that showed you how agriculture is such a large part of California’s culture (Thanks to Caterpillar farming equipment the area’s sponsor). This mini-land featured multiple crops that are prominent in California in addition to statues and signs describing California agriculture. The area also featured a new take on a kid’s water play area, using stationary yellow poles spurting water in different directions. A neat, inventive component was the unique store called “Santa Rosa Seed and Supply” that featured the usually t-shirts and toys (Caterpillars, no less), but also having gardening essentials. An odd choice for a theme park, but a cool ideas none the less. The highlight of the area? The ability to sit in tractor seats…duh! The area was one of the first to be gutted for the redo, closing on Sept. 7th, 2010. This area has now been covered with Carsland (BREAKING NEWS…it opens June 15th).
Read More »DCA History Lesson: Tortillas, Wine, and Heavy Machinery
We are t-minus 3 weeks and counting until the re-unveiling of Disney California Adventure. I don’t know about you, but with the constant pictures and videos from inside Carsland and Buena Vista Street (Not to mention the newly opened Carthay Circle Theater and fountain!) make… Read More »DCA History Lesson: The Hyperion Theater’s Former Inhabitants
Disney Channel’s Friday night was Gridlicious (New word…what do you think?) as “Tron Uprising: Beck’s Beginning” premiered. This is the prequel to the new series premiering on Disney XD (Disney’s boy-centric network) on June 7th at 9pm. The gorgeously animated special centers on a program… Read More »Tron’s 2nd Reboot: Tron Uprising…will it work?