Film Friday:Cast Member with Balloons on Main St.

A cast member on Main Street.

Sugar Rush Attraction

For a girl not all that girly (really), I sure do love cute, pink, sweet, adorable things!  Thus, it follows that my approach to armchair imagineering will often involve how to get more saccharin into the parks! Well, not always, but today it does.

Wreck it Ralph was enough of a hit, yes? I know it wasn't Frozen, and that getting Frozen into the parks in a greater capacity than the current meet-and-greet situation is probably at the top of Imagineering's to-do list… but a Sugar Rush Attraction though! C'mon! This!:

And this!:

And These!:

How can they not!?  I suggest that Imagineering do something similar to Radiator Springs Racers, which from what I gather (I have not had the opportunity to ride it yet) is half (stunning) dark ride and half thrill.

Again, I know that Wreck-it Ralph was not the hit that Frozen was, but *news flash* Disney, neither was Alice in Wonderland… and yet Walt had the foresight to realize that these were great characters… sigh.

Where will it go, though, you say? Oh, that's easy.  Where the Tommorowland Speedway currently is, duh!

What about you? Do you think Sugar Rush would make a good attraction? What other movies should Disney look at making into a Dark ride? Let me know what you think in the comments section!

Ernest goes to Splash Mountain!

In 1989, this special aired on television in order to promote the opening of Splash Mountain At Disneyland.  My reality with regards to this very important bit of history is two-fold:

1) I had no idea this existed until very recently.

2) I freaking love that this exists!

I was somewhat complacent that Disney's promotional videos involve Samantha Brown, 50% slow motion shots, and between 3-5 moments where I actually tear up (it does't take much folks).  It's often refreshing to unearth things from Disney's past where they clearly are not taking themselves too seriously. This is so incredibly silly and different from the homogenous crap that we're used to seeing. Welp, enjoy!

Film Friday: Anadapur Ice Cream Truck

For Film Friday, this lovely instax photo of the Anadapur ice-cream truck in the Asia portion of Animal Kingdom.  This area of the park's theming is lovely and complete, and this truck is a prime example.

Characters on waterskis!

For no reason at all, I wanted to today's post to feature some silly pictures and a video I found of characters on waterskis!

Pluto and Goofy from a vintage WDW postcard…

Pluto and Tigger…

This, that is my everything...

AND PINOCCHIO!

Does anyone know if they do this anymore??? Let me know in the comments section!

Film Friday (I said I would catch up!): Quote from the American Adventure

From the walls inside the American Adventure at Epcot.  This is by far the most resonant of the bunch, but the completionist in me wants to snap the rest next time so I have the set.  This was taken with Mickey and Friends Instax mini film.

The Diz Fizz loves: New Disney Parks Merchandise

Ok. I know that everyone has already blogged the crap out of all the AMAZING new merchandise that is going to be coming to the Marketplace Co-op at Downtown Disney, but when I was browsing the online store earlier this week and saw that they are already starting to roll some of it out, I literally squealed with delight.  As I think most of us agree, contemporary Disney merchandise has been classically lack luster to put it nicely (and downright shitty to put it honestly). Personally, I tend to ogle items from the Japanese parks on Ebay, but I think I will save myself a bundle on shipping and treat myself to a few items from the US site.

I've kind of been digging the thing they're doing with limited release t-shirts.  It really gives niche fans a chance to get something attraction specific. I want to get this, cut out the graphic and sew it onto the back of a denim jacket punk-rock style.

I knew the trash can shakers would be popular, but these sold out in no time! Guess I better go ahead and scoop them up next time they're up on the site.

These plates! Must haves, and reasonable-ish at around 7 bones.

MMM! And this cutie, I could just eat him up! Disney is even stepping up their model game!

I'm so excited about this that I skipped on Film Friday… catch up on Sunday!

The Haunted Mansion and Shakespeare.

When the crypt doors creak and the tombstones quake

Spooks come out for a swinging wake

Happy haunt materialize, and being to vocalize

Grim Grinning Ghosts come out to socialiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiize.

It's not high brow poetry but if it isn't something else.  Grim Grinning Ghosts is among my (along with everyone else's) top ten favorite attraction theme songs… and who can blame me? Between Thurl Ravenscroft's booming baritone (which deserves a post in and of itself), X. Atencio's shockingly perfect  lyrical sillies, and Buddy Baker's score, which is rollicking, campy, spooky, funny, and unsettling all at the same time, this one's a winner.

That, however, is not the subject of this post.  I recently learned that 'Grim Grinning Ghosts', the phrase, that is, not the song, is derived from a line the Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis:

"Hard-favour'd tyrant, ugly, meagre, lean,
Hateful divorce of love,"—thus chides she Death,—
"Grim grinning ghost, earth's worm, what does thou mean
To stifle beauty and to steal his breath,
Who when he liv'd, his breath and beauty set
Gloss on the rose, smell to the violet?"

Honestly, I don't really care for Shakespeare, or poetry for that matter, but something about this connection makes me appreciate the song just a little bit more.

X and Buddy, with the original queue tombstone.

The Architecture of Reassurance and Disney's Coasters

Whilst exploring the design of Disney Parks, one will undoubtedly come across the phrase Architecture of Reassurance  As far as I can gather, this was a term coined by John Hench and refers to the idea that in order to create a welcoming environment where people can truly be happy and relaxed, visual contradictions must be eliminated.  It is this idea that prompts imagineers to be so very obsessed with story and detail, and began with Walt himself the day that he was angered by a cowboy walking through Tomorroland (or so the legend goes)!

I was made aware of this philosophy whilst listening to Sam Gennawey's series on The Unofficial Guide's Disney Dish with Jim Hill Podcast (which is fascinating, by the way) and it got me thinking about Disney coasters.  Two things occurred to me.

1) Some Disney Coaster are inside, and some are outside.
2) Whether a coaster is exposed or inside a show building is completely dependent on the land in which it exists.

Some examples:

Space Mountain:

An outdoor coaster would have created a visual contradiction, by putting it indoors, Imagineers had the opportunity to create something that would not conflict with the other visual information in the land.

Note: Yes, I know the Tomorrowlands in the United States are, nonetheless, full of visual contradictions and need some real help, but that is another post for another day.

Primeval Whirl:
This classic mouse fits perfectly within the world of Chester and Hester's ramshackle carnival!

California Screamin':

Similarly, California Screamin is modeled to look like a classic woodie that belongs on an amusement boardwalk, such as Paradise Pier is modeled to look like.

Rock 'n' Rollercoaster:

Okay, Okay.  So this coaster in and of itself is a contradiction i.e. HOW THE HELL does it have any business being on Sunset Boulevard, but I think it would be more jarring were it an outdoor coaster.

Anyway, I thought this was interesting way to look at Disney coasters, and I'm definitely going to look into some of Gennawey's written work on the architecture of Disney Parks.

Film Friday

My requisite arty photo of Spaceship Earth WHICH I TREASURE:

The Diz-Fizz loves: Disney Instax Film

One of my favorite things to do at Disney Parks is take tons and tons of instant photos, which are somehow more magical when the exposures have Disney prints on the frames!  There are a bunch of ones to choose from but here are a few of my favorites.

 

        

These are really fun. I especially love how the third variety has a 90's elementary school valentine's vibe.  What can be cool is when you plan what you are going to photo with the pack so that the image is relevant to the illustration on the exposure… for example, taking pictures of Alice in Wonderland related things with the Alice pack or planning a day of meet and greets with the Fab Five and using Mickey and Friends film to photograph it.  The films also come in Toy Story, Monsters Inc, Princesses, Minnie, Stitch, and Fairies, just to name a few.  They each come with 10 exposures, can be found on Ebay, Amazon, or with a Google search, and I HIGHLY recommend shopping around as the same type can vary wildly in price.

Pendleton and Disneyland

I'm sure that anyone who follows fashion noticed American heritage brand Pendleton receiving a good amount of love over the past few years.  Founded in 1863, the brand is known for their woolen goods, especially garments and blanket.  Whilst in the past it may have seemed that their target customer is more likely to be your mom than you, of late they have collaborated with everyone from Doc Martins to Urban Outfitters.

Which is why MY MIND WAS BLOWN when I came across this picture:

It turns out that Pendleton was one of three companies that leased a store front when the park opened (Kodak and Wurlitzer were the other two). The store operated from the time the park opened until 1990… that's 35 years friends.  Not a bad shelf life.  Bonanza Outfitters is there now.

I've never been to Disneyland, but I'm going this September and can't wait to check out the old building.  Apparently, it is still that same teal color.  Who knows?  Maybe the cast members hanging around will have some information about the old exhibit.

From the exhibit Brochure.

How cool is this label?!

Film Friday

The great thing about Disney is that it is so easy to integrate with other hobbies you have.  Love drawing?  Do some fan art.  Runner? Choose one of a million runDisney events. One hobby of mine that is integrally bounded to my love affair with Disney is film photography. I have four cameras that I use on a regular basis: an Instax Neo, a Polaroid, a Diana Mini, and a Holga (that I convert to a 35mm), and yes, I bring them all with me when I travel.  I also recently bought a Lomokino, so I'm super excited about giving that a try.

There is something so wonderful about film photography.  With the instants, taking a picture becomes awhile experience, and it's so nice to have something physical to stick around your room when you get home.  With the 35m, your vacation is not quite over until you get that film back.

I started a fan tumblr a few months back to share my film photography of Walt Disney World, but unfortunately, I'm pretty much out of photos until Disneyland in Septemeber :( I figured I could share them once a week here as well.

Roger Rabbit in the 80's Courtyard at Pop Century.

I guess this if fitting considering that Bob Hoskins just passed :(

Check out www.instantdisney.tumblr.com for more like this.

Although I no longer actively work in costuming, my background in it (I dabbled heavily in college) has left me with a fascination and awareness for the art.  Whilst watching Cinderella recently, it dawned on me that the bustles on Drizella and Anastacia's ball gowns placed the film firmly in the 1890's.  It led me to wonder how accurately the film depicts historical dress from the period, so today's post will begin to delve into that question.

Note: Once I began to research the post became ver long, very quickly. Therefore, I will focus on the three little girls in the films opening, and save further exploration for another time :)

It is commonly accepted that Cinderella is based on the German folk story, Aschenputtel, recorded by the brothers Grimm. This is, however, only partly true.  The story exists in several forms, with the Disney version containing elements closer to the French version of the story, Cinderillon.

Illustration of Aschenputtel by Oliver Herford.

Cendrillon Illustration by Gustav Dore

It is in the French version in which Cinderella's travel party consists of transfigured animals and a pumpkin. In addition, it is only in this version that the slipper in question is glass (in Aschenputtel, Cinderella's slippers are silk).

Although this observation does not concretely verify that Disney's Cinderella takes place in France, it does support the supposition. In addition, several of the players have characteristically French names… Drizella, Jaques, Anastasia, Lady Tremaine.  Thus, I explored the costumes in the film under the assumption that the dress would particularly reflect French trends of the period.

The film opens to Cinderella and her father watering a horse by a fountain while her Stepmother and daughters watch from a window.

Based solely on the shape of the three girl's skirts, the film can instantly be placed in the crinoline period, spanning the years from 1850-1869.  Upon observing that they all boast a perfect bell-shape, the period is narrowed further to early crinoline (the bell shape gave way to a more ovular shape later in the period).  

The attention to detail here is both lovely and accurate. First, the three girls sport skirts that begin at their true waistline and are much shorter than what a grown woman would have worn, leaving Anastasia's pantalettes peaking from under her skirt!  These characteristics are in keeping with reference from the period.  It looks rather funny and sets the tone for the step-sisters to be seen as little fools.

The bright colors, ruffling, and bows are not inaccurate, especially given that the French were far more indulgent when it came to decorative elements, although the colors have been intensified:

American dress from the period.

Painting of Empress Eugenie surrounded by her ladies in waiting.

This lovely painting showcases not only French indulgence in fabric and decorative elements, but also a sampling of hairstyles that were fashionable at the time.  Their ringlets are worn loose about their shoulders in keeping with the period, however, Drizella's gigantic bow is a liberty taken by the character animator, again, in order to establish the step-sisters as silly little girls.

This post went a little long, so I will touch on Cinderella's father and stepmother in my next post. Just for fun, look what I came across while researching!:

It's kind of like that time Disney flattened all the princesses' features and lightened their skins to make them look EXACTLY THE SAME:

Why do the princesses need to look like they all go to the same high school?  WHY DO THEY NEED TO STAND NEXT TO EACH OTHER EVER? THEY EXIST IN DIFFERENT WORLDS!?! Woof.  That's a post in and of itself.

Hello out there disnerds! And welcome to my blog!

I'm so glad you stopped by because, frankly, I'm sick of the eye rolls I get every time I innocently hijack a conversation and somehow relate it back to Disney. I just want everyone to understand that Disney vacations (in whatever form) are the only acceptable vacations, and that food tastes better when it's shaped like a Mickey head.  Don't they understand that the Innoventions background music holds the key to eternal joy and happiness and that it is NOT crazy to stay up late watching POV videos of the Haunted Mansion on youtube?

You people get it… right?

Well, regardless, my name is Aithne.  I am a Disney-loving DIY-doing indoor horticulture-ing mistress of the… day-time! For I am tired very often!  For those dolla bills, I play with tools and wood for Urban Outfitters.  I have a background in theater production from my college days, most specifically in costume design.

I want to use this blog to explore what it is that gives Disney that effervescence (Dis-Fizz, get it?) and vitality by delving into history, film, literature, design, perhaps some suggestions for improvement (nobody's perfect!) and basically whatever I feel like. I hope you enjoy!

A dreamy picture of Cinderell's Castle