Whimsy in and around the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique!

With the release date of Cinderella fast approaching (which I'm SUPER psyched about... Cate Blanchett and Helena Bonham-Carter, yes please!), I thought I would share some photos I snapped last September of some whimsical details in and around the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Disneyland;

This diorama is set up in the shop's left-hand window and depicts the moment when Cinderella, newly transformed, is about to board her carriage and leave for the ball:

Besides the fact that I'm a sucker for miniatures in general, I love the details on the dolls and props, particularly the pink cushioning on the interior of the carriage and Cindy's perfect little bun!:

Gus, Jaq, and friends make an appearance in the other window which displays product for sale in the shop:

This gorgeous stained glass window in the interior of the shop also deserves a shout-out. Just beautiful:

It is this level of detail that has made Disney Parks so beloved, and nowhere is this more true than in Disneyland's Fantasyland (except for perhaps at Tokyo Disneysea, but I'll reserve comment until I make it over there). Can't wait to be back in August for D23! 

Bizarre Moments in Vintage Disney Comics!

This year for Christmas, I received some really awesome Disney-related gifts, amongst them being this unique book of vintage Disney comics:

The book is a collection of vintage comic books published between 1941 and 1953, inspired by Snow White, Bambi, Dumbo, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan (my favorite!). Besides the fact that the illustrations are delightful in and of themselves, I have enjoyed working my way through these rare editions because of the extra color they add to the stories from which they are inspired. In places, the cartoons offer a glimpse of characters, costumes, and moments not covered in the feature film. 

To me, the most bizarre example of this is the third book in the anthology, The Seven Dwarves and Dumbo:

The story takes place after Snow White has left the Dwarves and married the Prince. The Dwarves are sad that Snow White is gone, so she sends them a magic lamp and they wish for a new friend to take her place. This would not be weird in and of itself, if it wasn't Dumbo who shows up to fill this role:

It's funny. The mash-up plot suggests that the stories take place within the same universe, kind of an Into the Woods/Once Upon A Time sort of deal.

Also, the Evil Queen has a brother?:

This is definitely not a book for everyone, but if you consider yourself an amateur Disney historian and/or comic enthusiast, it's worth checking out!

Lovely Choices at the EPCOT Starbucks

In the age of social media, every change (large or seemingly insignificant), made to a Disney Park is met with some degree of adversarial reaction. This is simply a reality when dealing with something that is beloved; passionate fans differ when it comes to levels of tolerance for change and have a wide range of opinions regarding whether any given modification is suitable.  Last year, the opening of several in-park Starbucks locations was no exception.

This post, however, is not about whether or not I think Starbucks belongs inside the parks (although, for the record, it is absolutely wonderful to be able to get a serious caffeinated beverage when one is scampering around the parks for 12 hours straight); it is about some of the design choices that were made with regards to the themeing of the space.

No other Starbucks in the world looks like this, and rightly so! The cool color scheme and fluid lines give the interior a vaguely futuristic feel:

Love the sign!

Some of the tile is just lovely; I want to get my hands on that bubble tile against the cash wrap wall! So nice!:

Gorgeous!

Although one will most likely notice the blues and greens, organic tones are also used throughout. I believe the interior was designed to mimic the themeing found in the Seas Pavilion and The Land Pavilion considering that they are the Pavilions closest by:

These light fixtures appear to be made out of organic materials reminiscent of the Land.

Meet and Greet Monday: Meeting Ariel Coast to Coast!

This year I was fortunate enough to meet everyone's favorite mermaid, twice!; once in Florida as a mermaid at her Grotto in New Fantasyland and once in California as a human at Fantasy Faire. Here are the Instax shots from the meets. Check out that adorable signature!:

Although I preferred this particular actress that played Ariel as a human (she was so sweet and bubbly), in general I like meeting Ariel as a mermaid better. I still think human Ariel should meet in her pink dress, and her lovely grotto in Florida, with its watery tones and gorgeous rock sculpts, makes the room at Fantasy Faire look very flat. The following shots aren't the best, but you get the idea:

She's such fun to have a chat with. Now if we could just get Triton, Attina, Alana, Adella, Aquata, Arista, and Andrina to all meet together a la the Seven Dwarves meet, I think my life would be complete.

Best of the Mitsukoshi Department Store!

It is no secret to regular readers of this blog that I have a moderate to severe fascination/obsession with all things Japan-related. Thus, one of my favorite places to pass the time in all of Walt Disney World is the Mitsokoshi Department store in Epcot. Modeled after a Tokyo-based chain with the same name, the store sells a plethora of Japanese goods, including toys, kimonos, sake, Asian snacks, and small trinkets.

There are so many lovely and unique things to look at that I thought it would be fun to take some pictures of my absolute favorite to share with you!:

1: A hanging Toturo pouch!:

2. Bowls on bowls on bowls!:

Fat cat bowl!

3: Erasers! My ten year-old self is loosing her mind:

Some adorable erasers...

3: Super-cute pastel bentos:

4: And lastly, the pick-your-own-oyster ladies! This experience is definitely on my bucket list:

Meet and Greet Monday: Tinkerbell on Main Street!

Between my trip to Disneyland in September and Disney World in December, I have collected close to thirty Instax photos with various characters. Although I never cared much for meet and greets, my trip to Disneyland (where characters are infinitely more accessible than at Disney World), rendered me hopelessly obsessed with collecting these signed photos. I thought it would be fun to share some of them with you guys, and 'Meet and Greet Monday' rolls off the tongue soooo…

It seems only appropriate to begin with my favorite character of all time, Tinkerbell! We met her at her designated area on Main Street at the Town Square Theater:

Homegirl had so much sass that I think really comes across in the picture, and her signature is so cute too! It makes me want to add some flourishes and stars to my own!

The meet itself has some adorable details which suggest that you have shrunk down to the size of a fairy:

The actress herself was an adorable peach, although I DO wish she was a little bitchier, as Tink is Peter Pan. All in all, super sweet Meet-and-Greet!

Gorgeous Light Fixtures at Rancho Del Zocalo!

Whilst researching the best places to eat at Disneyland, the Frontierland quick service, Rancho Del Zocalo, came up over and over again:

Check out this crazy cactus, so cool!

The menu consists of Mexican fare which is similar to the quality of the food at the San Angel Inn (in the Mexico Pavilion at EPCOT), in spite of the fact that the San Angel is a sit down and Rancho is a quick service. This post, however, is not about the food, but the lovely star-shaped light fixtures that hang from the restaurant's ceiling!

The fixtures are mostly made from neutral-toned glass, with a few pops of green and inset-colored marbles:

I especially love how the light shining through this fixture casts stars on the ceiling, just lovely:

It appeared that each fixture was unique from the rest, a detail worth pointing out given that it would have been easy for Disney to order, say, five styles, and no one would have known the difference! These attractive fixtures bring a healthy amount of whimsy to Rancho's interior and are just one smart choice serving the create this restaurant's wonderful atmosphere.