DCA Picture of the Day: The Flowers of Disney. Photo Fun with the Carthay Circle

Disneyland has some of the coolest trees .    I have a series of pictures featuring some of these that I'll post soon, but first sometimes it is fun to play around with a picture using some simple photo effects on the computer.  Here is a series of a photo of the Carthay Circle Theater with one of this cool trees in front that I thought I'd have fun with.

Here is the original picture

And here are all the ones with Effects

Pencil Sketch style.

Sepia

Alien Skin

Is this dress Pink or Blue?  The answer: It was pink and now it is Blue

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Pardon our Dust: More like Bites the dust: Goodbye Luigi's Flying Tires

 Pardon out dust the sign reads outside of Luigi's Flying Tires.  
The ride itself has gone the way of the Flying Saucer ride that inspired it.   This ride was okay at best and not worth the wait in line.  It was the one misfire in all of Carsland.   I knew this ride wasn't long for this world and figured it was just a matter of time until it closed, well now it officially has.  Now the signs are up as Disney tries to figure out what to replace it with.   The Flying tires were difficult to move and from the very begging Disney was trying to figure out how to make the ride a little more exciting.   

The temporary fix was to add giant beach balls and have the guest throw them at each other,  they may have well have called it Luigi's  Lawsuit ride.   The giant beach balls disappeared quickly and so did any chance of this ride surviving longterm.

Goodbye Flying Tires ---- may you rest in peace.

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Adult Drinks at Disneyland Part 1 Karl Strauss Beer Truck

Adult Drinks at Disneyland  Part 1 

In case you have been sleeping under a rock for the past 10 years.  There is now Beer at the Disneyland Resort.....Okay so you still can't get Beer in Disneyland itself  (unless you have connections with someone in Club 33),  but across the street in DCA you can.   Since the very beginning  when DCA first opended it  has offered several adult beverage options,  including the Karl Strauss Truck in the Pacific Wharf area of DCA.   So after a day of strollers smacking into your ankles and chasing the kids all over the park an adult can stop by the Pacific Wharf and try several Beer offering.   Sit and enjoy the view from the Wharf or the view of Carsland while sipping on a nice cold beer.

Here are the current selections available at the Pacific Wharf Beer Truck. I love Karl Strauss's stylish beer taps.

If beer isn't your thing there are many other places within the park to grab a nice adult beverage including  the Wine Area,  Avalon Cove, Carthay Circle or the many restaurants in downtown Disney.   Including my personal favorite  Trader Sam's.

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Olaf Is Everywhere at the Disneyland Resort

 Olaf is taking over the Disneyland Resort

He is literally everywhere.   You turn around and Olaf..  You walk into a store...Olaf.....

As a part of Frozen Fun at Disney's California Adventure he has an entire building where you can meet and greet him and play in the snow.

Olaf is the new Mater and you can pick up Olaf merchandise pretty much everywhere throughout the resort. Including inside his play area and right outside at Oaken's Trading Post as well.

Here is Olaf at his meet and greet in DCA's Hollywood backlot area

And of course more Olaf.....   At the Frozen sing a long currently in the old Muppet Building  --you can sing along about hugs and Summer

 The cool animatronic Olaf is still hanging out over at Disneyland  entertaining people in the near the old Anna and Elsa meet and greet area 

 The girls themselves are now over at the Animation building in DCA---where you can also learn how to Draw Olaf.

Olaf's Ice Skating rink at Downtown Disney is still open as well.

I haven't seen one character in as many places since Roger Rabbit in his heyday.

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Disney/Pixar Animated Short Reviews: #55 How to Swim 1942 7 out of 10

How to Swim 1942   7  out of 10

The next in the series of Goofy How to cartoons is this one from 1942.  In this cartoon Goofy learns how to swim.  He practices on a stool in his house in a stylish swim outfit that looks like pajamas  (I can't believe people used to wear stuff like that).   Goofy also learns how to change in the tight space of a beach changing room (another outdated notion).  While in the changing room a big wave crashing on the beach and Goofy oblivious to the situation exits the changing room underwater and proceeds to set up his beach gear completely clueless to.  This cartoon also features Goofy learning how to dive and attempting to go for a swim in a blown up tire.    There is an almost gracefullness to Goofy Clumsy bumbling.  His falls and crashes are like a choreographed dance. His awkard movements are elegant and display a fluidity that is a pleasure to watch.  His talents are best on display in this cartoon in his attempt at a dive that ends with him crashing into a pool with no water.

This cartoon can be found as a part of the Walt Disney Treasures collection : The Complete Goofy.

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Will Star Wars and Avengers get 4-D sneak peeks at Disneyland???

Disney's new Cinderella movie will be out in the theaters soon and currently Disneyland is running a sneak peek of the movie in one of their 4D theaters.   I hope to drop by the park this weekend to check it out.  What movie will be next to get the sneak peek treatment?

 Over the past couple of years the Disneyland Resort has featured sneak peeks of Tron Legacy (which was amazing),  Frankenweenie,  Oz the Great and Powerful, Maleficent, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Big Hero 6.   I absolutely love the idea of having sneak peeks in the park. It makes good use of the 4-D theaters as they rotate the upcoming films while still having the regular 4-D movies in between.    I wasn't even sure if I would see Guardians and Big Hero 6 in the theaters until I saw the 4-D sneak peeks for those films.   So when they announced that Cinderella was also getting a sneak peek it got me thinking......Will they do the same for the Avengers and Star Wars???   

 My mouth began to water at the thought of a Star Wars sneak peek.  I could literally spend half a day going back again and again to see this in between trips on Star Tours.   The Guardians sneak peek blew me away and turned a movie I had a mild interest  in seeing into a must see.   Could The Avengers: Age of Ultron and Star War: The Force Awakens get the same treatment?  

I guess we will find out soon enough since The Avengers will be hitting movie theaters this May.   I really hope that we do get a sneak peek for these films---but I also think that despite Disney's recent track record of doing this---that it may not happen.

Disney already knows that The Avengers sequel pretty much will market itself after the first one made around a billion dollars worldwide.   And Star Wars......Well with Star Wars -they pretty much don't even need to advertise.  Every little detail about the film sends the internet into a frenzy.  An 88 second trailer that barely showed a thing sent the internet spinning out of control with excitement.  Disney may want to not release sneak peeks of these 2 films --based solely on the reason that they don't have to.   They don't need to drum up fan interest like they did with the basically unknown Guardians or Big Hero 6.  With the Avengers and Star Wars being such already established franchises --they may find it unecessary.

I for one hope that we do get sneak peeks of these 2 films.  If we do I will be at the parks front and center watching them and getting more excited for 2 films that are already must sees.

I'll be posting about the Cinderella sneak peek this Sunday


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Disney/Pixar Animated Short Reviews: #55 Goofy the Olympic Champ 1942 8 out of 10

The Olympic Champ  1942  8 out of 10

It has been awhile since I visited my Goofy DVD collection --so I thought it was time to start tackling the rest of these classic cartoons.   The next  in  the "Goofy How to Series" is The Olympic Champ from 1941 --which features Goofy showing  many Track and Field events in his typical clumsy Goofy way.  Goofy is at his best while trying to run the hurdles and tumbling and bumbling his way down the track.   He is in fine form running away from his errant javelin throw tripping over everything in sight. .  As I've said many times Goofy is my favorite Disney character and when he is trying to be graceful and failing miserably --is when he is at his best.  This cartoon is definitely worth a look for any Goofy fan.

This cartoon can be found on the Walt Disney Treasures  DVD  The Complete Goofy.   (which collects all of the Goofy starring cartoons)

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Planning a Trip to Disneyworld: Part 3 in a Series: Anticipation!!

My family Disneyworld trip is approaching and I find myself thinking about it often.  (okay all the time)

I have been to the theme parks and hotels in Disneyworld 3 times before, but it has definitely been awhile.    

(Here is me years ago hanging out with a Giant Troll that will probably be replaced by a Snowman in the next year)

My wife and her kids have never been there before….and it is killing me that they are missing out on one of the best parts of the trip.     The thrill and excitement of the anticipation before the trip.

I’ve been planning the trip:  
What days we will go to each park
The main things we should see while there
What to do on the days we aren’t at the park, etc….

I asked my wife “What are you most looking forward to?”

Her answer “I don’t know I’ve never been there before”

I know they are going to love it when we get there.  I’m just sad that they are missing out on the planning stage—which is almost as fun as actually going.  When I was a kid their age I would have been out of my mind excited about this trip.  Currently I’m the only one that is thinking about it as far as I can tell.

I want her son to be thinking about Dinosaur, Test Track, Expedition Everest, and Rocking Rollin Rollercoaster.

I want her daughter to be excited to see the New Fantasyland, to see the animals of Animal Kingdom and have fun in The Living Seas with Nemo and Friends.

(Here are some old Pictures of Kilmanjaro Safaris in the days before Digital Camera)

And I want my wife (who is a photographer) to see Epcot and be able to explore all of the shops and have a glass of wine in the Italy Pavilion,  Have drinks at the Polynesian and much, much more.

I really wish we could take 2 separate trips: 

One trip with the kids and one just the 2 of us.

There is really that much to do there and I know I’m going to want to go back again as soon as this trip is over.  This trip is definitely going to be aimed more for the kids ---but I want to show my wife all the cool resorts and restaurants and spend all day just touring the countries in Epcot.

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