Live Entertainment at Disneyland: Part 2 : Farewell Mad T Party???? At least for now

 The Mad T Party ends on March 30th..........

So the other weekend I decided to stop by and see it one last time.

 (Well at least until they bring it back again when the new Alice movie comes out in theaters.)

I remember when the T Party  first replaced Electronica and how disappointed I was with the band at that time.  Well the current version of this band is much better than that original version and really rocks the stage and gathers a good sized audience.

Both the Mad Hatter and Alice are really good singers and performers as they command the stage.  The band has great routine with a lot of energy and stage presence.

The band has quite a following and the Mad T Party seems to be quite a hit ---so I can't imagine it not coming back with a brand new Alice movie hitting theaters in late May.  My guess is that it will return with some new theming to tie into the new film.

Alice has a little bit of a naughty side which adds to the fun.

I'll definitely stop by and watch the band if  and when they return after the Food and Wine Festival which starts April 1st  (the reason for the T Party to end)

After the bands set Tweedle Dee and Dum took to the smaller side stage to introduce and dance troupe --while the White Rabbit DJ'd.

So if you are a fan of the band and can get out tomorrow----check them out for one last time 
(If I 'm wrong about their return that is)




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The Jungle Book: Sneak Peek in Disney's California Adventure

Another great Movie Sneak Peek is currently happening at DCA.

This time you can enjoy a sneak peek of the upcoming live action version of the classic Disney Animated movie  The Jungle Book.

Once again after watching this sneak peek in 4-D, I wish I could see the whole movie in the Bug's Life Theater. 

  The Jungle Book sneak peek focuses on when Mowgli meets Baloo.  It has a hilarious scene where Baloo tricks Mowgli to climb a cliff in order to knock down a bee hive so he can get some honey.  With the in theater effects this of course involves bee stings in the back of your chair.   The sneak also features several great water effects when Mowgli and Baloo are floating down the river together singing the iconic song from the film.  

The sneak peek then goes into a long version of a trailer which looks visually stunning.  The movie looks like it will be a treat for anyone who loved the original animated film.  I can't wait for this movie to be in theaters.    Definitely check out the 4-D sneak peek if you are in the parks....it is totally worth it.

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My Idea for a Tower of Terror Bar in DCA or Disney Studios

 We Recently visited a cool little secret Speak Easy in Anaheim and the second I walked into the place I immediately thought how cool it would be if something like this was in the Tower or Terror.

The place is called the Blind Rabbit

 (You can read about it on my wine Blog)

http://2dollarwineconnoisseur.blogspot.com/2016/03/wine-adventures-blind-rabbit-in-anaheim.html

The moment we stepped into The Blind Rabbit and I heard the music -- my mind wandered and starting thinking of the Tower of Terror. 

It would have been amazing if they could have built an additional Tower that actually housed the Tip Top Club…..but since that never happened maybe this idea could. 

Imagine if when you walked through the line that takes you to the lobby, there was a secret entrance to the 1930’s Speak Easy that was on the other side of the Tower of Terror Lobby.    You would need a secret password to get in—but once you did you could relax in a place that looked and felt like something straight out of the 1930’s.    Think a hidden secret haunted Trader Sam’s style bar.  The Blind Rabbit was really cool on its own--but imagine taking it to the next level.   The lights could flicker and there could be special ghostly effects when certain drinks are ordered (a spin on the Sinking Ship)   

How cool would it be to a have a little Retro 1930's bar to escape to from the hustle and bustle of the parks.  A fun Haunted Bar that could have ghosts that occasionally visited.  

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Disney/Pixar Animated Short Reviews: #74 Dancevidaniya 2016 8 out of 10

DanceVidaniya 2016 8 out of 10

In the latest Mickey Mouse cartoon we head to Russia for some Russian Folk dancing.  Peg Leg Pete co-stars as a Russian dancer that as usual tries to steal Minnie away from Mickey Mouse.  This of course leads to a dance battle.  The Russian music and dancing work well together in this nearly wordless episode.  The dance battle was  visually entertaining as Mickey fights his way through the Russian dancers to save Minnie.

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Disney/Pixar Animated Short Reviews: #73 Roughin It 8 out of 10 2016

Roughin It  2016 8 out of 10

Donald, Goofy and Mickey together again.  The cartoons that feature all three of them in main roles are always my favorite episodes.  In this latest adventure they go camping.  

Mickey wants and old time camping experience. Donald has a completely different experience in mind.    Donald pulls up in his giant state of the art RV that brings the home to the forest.  While Donald and Goofy enjoy the luxury of the RV, Mickey ends up literally battling nature as he is mauled several times by the woodland creatures like a scene out of Revenant.   Eventually the Monster RV goes haywire and tries to pull a Thelma and Louise --and Mickey has to rescue them.  

Like I mentioned before the cartoons that include Donald and Goofy tend to be the best in the series and this was no different.

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Live Entertainment at Disneyland: Part 1 and Introduction

One of the things that separates Disneyland from the average theme parks is the live entertainment.  Whether it is the area park that plays over the speakers in each land or whether that is live music and entertainment.   It may just be something you hear while you walk through the are between rides or something that actually grabs your attention.   

On a trip earlier this year this Mariachi band caught my eye and ear.  Next time you are in the parks take in some of the live entertainment options in both parks. You may actually enjoy it.

Disney has a rich history of live entertainment and I will begin to discuss it in upcoming blogs. 

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Disney/Pixar Animated Short Reviews: #71 No 2016 6 out of 10

NO 2016  6 out of 10

Mickey Mouse is always so nice and polite.  He just can't say no to anything or anyone's request for help.   After being taken advantage of one too many times he finally learns to say "NO" with Donald's help.   This new found word is at first freeing to Mickey---but then everything goes wrong.  It is a simple cartoon -- some of the gags are entertaining like Goofy borrowing Mickey's chair for "Charity"  Mickey learns the lesson that he shouldn't be a total pushover, but that it still pays to be a nice guy in the end.

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Disney/Pixar Animated Short Reviews: #70 Road Hogs 2015 5 out of 10

Road Hogs 2015  5 out of 10

Mickey and Minnie are taking a pleasant scooter ride up the coast and decide to stop at what turns out to be a biker bar for milkshakes.   This wasn't one of my favorites in the series.   Mickey's scooter does the biker bar trope of knocking over all of the biker gangs bikes.  The bikers which area bunch of dirty looking pigs "Road Hogs". They are showing plumbers cracks which seemed a little inappropriate  for a Mickey cartoon.  They also kidnap Minnie while Mickey is trying to make up the bike incident with Milkshakes, which was a little odd.  This episode just wasn't as funny as most of the episodes in the series.  Mickey has to ride off to save Minnie from the bikers and ends up saving the main "Road Hog" as well and they all ride off into the sunset.   It was just a dull entry in the Mickey Mouse cartoon series.

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Disney/Pixar Animated Short Reviews: #72 Couple's Sweater 2016 9 out of 10

Couple's Sweater   2016  9 out of 10

This one should be called Mickey Mouse and the Sweater of Doom.  Minnie wants Mickey to wear this couple's sweater that look like a cactus.  The sweater is so itchy that Mickey starts to look like an episode of Ren and Stimpy.  He is so uncomfortable that all he can think about is getting out of the terrible thing.  
He wants to eat fast since he just has to get out of this awful sweater.  The waiter at the fine dining restaurant brings them both a plate of food that is fit for Shaggy and Scooby Doo.    Mickey engulfs it like vacuum.  The cartoon has some great sight gags including itchy sweater dancing where he uses Minnie like a log to itch his back.  The best part is when he goes on the Ferris Wheel and has a nightmare sequence that is a nod to the scene in Fantasia where he battles the brooms.    

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Disney/Pixar Animated Short Reviews: #69 Feliz Cumpleanos 2015 7 out of 10

Feliz Cumpleanos  2015  7 out of 10

This Mickey Mouse cartoon is one of the around the world style cartoons.    It features a Mexican Mickey Mouse celebrating his birthday when a bunch of rogue pinatas decided to attack. 

 It reminded me of El Guapo from Three Amigos.   Mickey must do battle with a pink donkey pinata and his gang.   Mickey takes a beating at first but after being smashed face first into his cake he musters up the energy to take on the pinatas in a flurry of action.  The action is like something out of Samurai Jack as Mickey Dispatches with the villainous Pinata gang.  This cartoon is less about the gags and more about the action sequences.

  The cartoon includes Goofy singing and a cameo by the Three Cabelleros playing music.

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Disney/Pixar Animated Short Reviews: #68 Shifting Gears 2015 7 out of 10

Shifting Gears   2015 7 out of 10

In one of the latest Mickey Mouse cartoons Mickey gets into a battle of wills with his car.   Mickey wants to go for a drive and mentions a bunch of places that his car is excited about and then finally decides he wants to go to the beach.  His car wants nothing to do with that and they end up battling over where to go.  
The car in this cartoon is like a person instead of just a vehicle (think the cab from Roger Rabbit).  Mickey tries several different thing to trick the car that is refusing to take him including dressing up like Minnie and baking the car a nuts and bolts pie.   It is an odd cartoon, but enjoyable for its sight gags and has a satisfying ending for both Mickey and his car.

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(Disney Animated Movie Review #12 ) Zootopia 2016 9 out of 10

The whole family headed out to Downtown Disney the other day to watch Zootopia and everyone left the film in a great mood.  

Just like Pixar’s Inside Out last year this film has a great message.   The main theme of the film is a very uplifting one.  The main theme is that anyone can be anything.  That even if people try and put you down or hold you back –if you work hard enough you can achieve anything.   The main character Judy Hopps is the perfect example of this.  She is a little female rabbit that grew up out in the countryside of Bunny Burrows.  She is determined to be the first Bunny cop.  She keeps being told that this is a goal that she will never reach, but she shows through hard work and determination that she can achieve her goals.    The film also has the strong theme of not judging a book by the cover.  
These great messages carry the movie plot forward and make for an entertaining and great film and although this is the heart of the film- There is something else which I believe is making the film so popular with audiences.

And that is World Building:

I mentioned this key ingredient before I even saw the film after the sneak peek at the Disney Parks.

Here is the blog about the sneak peek.
http://braddisneylandblog.blogspot.com/2016/01/zootopia-sneek-peek-in-disneys.html

World building is a key ingredient in why Star Wars, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings are so popular.  It was probably a big factor in Monsters Inc. as well.   Zootopia does an amazing job of World Building in setting up the world that the animals of Zootopia live in.  There are different climate regions such as TundraTown and Sahara Square.   These areas of Zootopia make for an interesting world that leaves you wanting to see more of it.  You get a really good look at Zootopia as Judy Hopps arrives to the main police station via Monorail early in the film.   The monorail ride takes the viewer through several sections of the world they have created and the imagination just runs wild .   Like in Harry Potter where every kid wants to go to school at Hogwart’s,  I think every kid would like to visit or live in Zootopia.  My teenage step son left the movie asking when they would come out with a sequel.    
The movie ends in a perfect place for there to be sequels in which we could explore more of this interesting world they created.

To sum it up:

The animation was excellent.  The characters were interesting. 
The casting of Jason Bateman as the Nick Wilde the Fox sidekick to Ginnifer Goodwin's  Judy Hopps was perfect. 
The plot was good, even though I figured out the twist fairly early on (I think because I've seen so many Scooby Doo episodes).   
The World of Zootopia was amazing just like like Inside Out and definitely has the potential for sequels or cartoon shorts.
Disney has another hit on its hands.

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Epcot Photo of the Week: Flower and Garden Festival 2015

When we visited Epcot last year the Flower and Garden Festival was in full effect....Here are just a couple of pictures from that.  (wow I can't believe it has already been a year.)

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3 Things to look Forward to in the next Month at the Disneyland Resort (Well maybe 2)

1.       The Return of Food and Wine. 

I can't wait for the return of the this event and to see what they have planned.   

   Weekends  

  April 1^st – May 1st

Unfortunately like many cool things these days if you snooze you lose.   I heard the announcement that it was coming back a few weeks ago. And as I was writing this I decided to check and see if they had announced anything yet....and they had just a few days ago.   Celebrity Chefs doing demonstrations and the return of Wine Seminars.... But instead of lining up to get in first come first serve they set up a system of making reservations--which meant nothing was available that I wanted to see already 2 days after the posting on the Disney Parks Blog.   Hopefully more things like the Taste Event or Wine Maker diners are still to come..... I'll be on the look out.

Here is a Link to Disney Parks Blog all about it.

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2016/03/premium-experiences-coming-for-disney-california-adventure-food-wine-festival-at-disneyland-resort/

2.       Jungle Book Sneak Peek  March 18th

     If you follow my blog --you will know that I'm a huge fan of the sneak peeks of upcoming Disney movies that they have been showing in the parks.....I Can't wait to see what the Jungle Book will deliver.  

Here is the link to the Disney Parks Blog all about it
https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2016/03/preview-scenes-from-disneys-the-jungle-book-at-disney-parks-starting-march-18/

3.  Luigi’s Rollicking Roadsters.   I know it is just a simple kids ride—but it has to be an improvement over the lack luster Flying Tires  Opens March 7th

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