3 Days to Disney: Pirates are Popular

Look familiar you fucking bandwagoners?
I don't know if you've heard of it, but there's actually a movie based on a ride at Disney World.

It's called "Pirates of the Caribbean" and apparently it was quite a popular flick. It even starred well known actors like Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom.

I KNOW!! It shocked me too. When I found out about it, I placed it at the very tippy-top of my Netflix queue. Not only that, but in my search, I discovered that there are 2.... TWO!! sequels. Crazy right?

In all seriousness, everyone knows this ride. They probably know what it's all about. They've probably ridden it. It's possibly the most popular ride in all of Disneydom. And let me just say... it makes it hard to be a hardcore fan of this ride, because I was the guy that got every *wink wink* to the ride that appeared in the movie. I was the guy that laughed at the guy in the pig-pen when everyone else in the theater was all "When's Bloom getting back on screen?"

They're all fucking late to the party, and it just makes me irritated that suddenly, because of one movie (an admittedly effing sweet movie) it's everyone's favorite ride.

I will also say that I do really like the additions they made to the rides to incorporate the movie characters. Jack Sparrow is an excellent creation, and one that Walt would have been proud of, so I have no issue with it. I especially like the addition of Davy Jones, whose face appears in the mist as you enter the ride. It's awesome.

I can't really cover new ground here, because everyone knows all about it, so I'll just say that the ride is just as awesome as the movie, and has been since 1973. The animatronics are cool. The storyline is funny. The pirates are waaaaay more risque than almost anything else in all of Disney's realm (especially after they got rid of Alien Encounter).

It's one on of the best things Disney's done to integrate their live-action movies with the parks in years, and it made pirates even cooler than they already were.

Also, it's the ONLY ride I've ever risked missing a plane to ride. On one of my trips, I'd missed riding it because it was pouring rain the day I went to Magic Kingdom and the ride had a 4 hour wait or something like that, because most of the queue is covered. Well... I went back the day of my flight just to ride that one thing. Totally worth it.

Plus... I want to be a pirate.

And now... The Disney Trivia Question of the Day

Question: Of the 126 Animatronic Figures in Pirates of the Caribbean at Walt Disney World, how many are pirates?

If you think you know, please send an e-mail to blog@beefymuchacho.com

Everyone with the correct answer will receive a point. An incorrect answer gets 1/2 a point. The person with the most points will get a Limted Edition Pin purchased during my stay.

Standings are being updated daily at http://www.beefymuchacho.com/ on the "Contests" page.

I'll repost the questions with the answers at the end of the contest.

Fooooootball Time

So... last week wasn't the same stellar performance I'd put on the week before, but I still did okay.

9 and 5 and an overall record of 55 - 21. Still not bad at all.

Here we go:
Bengals
Packers
Vikings
Saints
Steelers
Panthers
Redskins
Jags
Seahawks
Eagles
Pats
Jets
Falcons
Broncos

Coming up while I'm gone at Disney World: My Bengals Divorce... Ill timed?

4 Days to Disney: Where's Mickey?

I feel like today's topic, Hidden Mickeys, is something I barely knew about concretely when I did my last Countdown to Disney back in the Fall of 2005. I feel like I recall writing about it, but from a completely theoretical viewpoint, as I'd never been on a Hidden Mickey search, and while I loved the idea of it I'd heard about them between trips and had never experienced them first hand.

Let me briefly explain what a Hidden Mickey is... Basically the imagineers at Disney have made a habit of hiding the image of Mickey Mouse into the backgrounds of rides and walkways and theme parks. It's usually the circular mickey icon (there's one hidden on my blog). The beauty is that these are essentially a signature of the artist. They are not official. They are not cataloged. They are not kept up... They're just there. Some disappear over the years or wear away. I think they're beautiful.

I recall talking about the giant, satellite image view of MGM...how it once was so clearly the face of Mickey and just thinking that was awesome. I still think it's awesome, and honestly with all of the changes and adjustments in the park itself, it has gone from being the greatest Hidden Mickey to being the greatest example of how they're fleeting in some cases. Here's what it looked like 10 years ago, clear as a bell:

Don't get me wrong.. some will be there forever, like this one at the Polynesian:I love this one.

Some of them could go away any day with just the swipe of one careless child, like this one from Mama Melrose's Italian Ristorante in Hollywood Studios:
Some are part of the decor, like this one in Morocco:

And some are more whimsically hidden away, like the viking on the ship with Mickey ears:

Basically, I love them because they're a reward to the people who are paying attention. They're like sharing a secret with the creators (and all of the other people who've bought the books.

Each of those pictures were taken during that 2005 trip. I've got dozens more. I plan on making a concerted effort to take photos of as many as possible on this trip. If I get some cool ones, I'll post about them afterward.

And now... The Disney Trivia Question of the Day

Question: What other character's face is viewable by satellite image of Hollywood Studios?

If you think you know, please send an e-mail to blog@beefymuchacho.com

Everyone with the correct answer will receive a point. An incorrect answer gets 1/2 a point. The person with the most points will get a Limted Edition Pin purchased during my stay.

Standings are being updated daily at http://www.beefymuchacho.com/ on the "Contests" page.

I'll repost the questions with the answers at the end of the contest.

5 Days to Disney: A Magical Journey Indeed

I have no idea why, but Figment has also become the mascot of a few Gay Pride Weekends at Disney World. Seriously. (that's true, by the way).

Of all of the ridiculously nostalgic, overly sentimental choices I've made on this blog-down, this one is so far ahead of all of the others, it really should be called "getting Figmented" when I romanticize something to this degree.

Throughout this experience I've come thisclose to putting "Journey into Imagination" up at least 5 times. The reason I haven't is that really... it's kind of a dumb ride. It's slightly better than El Rio del Tiempo (a ride that I've somehow missed discussing entirely, but could easily have dropped in somewhere along the way for exactly the same reason.) The past version of this ride, when it featured the Dreamfinder, primarily, was incredibly popular. The storyline was that the Dreamfinder created this purple dragon (Figment) and they traveled through places where "imagination" was used. This was the the ride that I knew and loved as a kid. In 1998 Disney changed things up, wholly removing Figment from the ride and basically pissing everyone off in the process.

Disney fans are a fairly vocal group, and they've raised ruckuses before. They went NUTS when Mr. Toad closed. This, however, may be the only time the fans were heeded. It took 4 years, but in 2002, Disney brought back Figment and re-incorporated him into the ride. It's not as good as it once was, though it still features a the song by the Sherman Brothers "One Little Spark", which is pretty fantastic. Still...the ride holds a dear place in my heart, and I effing LOVE Figment. He's hilarious.

So basically I went to write about this ride half a dozen times, but it's not that good, and there's not much to say about it, so I kept putting it off... then I realized about 3 or 4 days ago that it's so much a part of my ultimate Disney experience that not only could I not leave it off, but that it deserved a spot in my Top 7.

It's easily the least attended ride on the list (aside from the People Mover and Carousel of Progress.) I don't know if I've EVER waited more than 5 minutes to ride it. This actually adds to the specialness for me, because it's a guaranteed time-killer and air conditioning surge. It's great.

Basically this ride is so special to me for 1 reason...

It was one of the first rides I rode at Epcot and while it seemed a little "kiddie" even then, there was a charm about it. It also so much embodies all of the beauty of Epcot. Or at the time "E.P.C.O.T." It's a ride about innovation, and imagination, and creativity. It's got a catchy tune and a beloved character. It was probably dated the moment it rolled off, but for some reason it's always captured the... ehem... imagination of the audiences. It's not as good as it once was, but I never feel more permitted to be silly than on that ride. I love it.

And now... The Disney Trivia Question of the Day

Question: What company has sponsored Journey Into Imagination since it's inception?

If you think you know, please send an e-mail to blog@beefymuchacho.com

Everyone with the correct answer will receive a point. An incorrect answer gets 1/2 a point. The person with the most points will get a Limted Edition Pin purchased during my stay.

Standings are being updated daily at http://www.beefymuchacho.com/ on the "Contests" page.

I'll repost the questions with the answers at the end of the contest.

6 Days to Disney pt 2: The Should Make a Movie

I've had an uncommonly difficult time (for me) coming up with exactly how to write about The Haunted Mansion at Disney World.

The Haunted Mansion is undeniably one of the most iconic and beloved attractions in Disney history. There are versions of it in Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Disneyland Tokyo and was one of the original E-Ticket rides at Walt Disney World.

It's inspired the most in-depth study in minutia in all of my experiences with Disney, DoomBuggies.com, an entire website dedicated to each and every in and out of the Haunted Mansion, both at Disneyland and Disney World. It's an incredible site. The founders of it also have off-shot into doing TellNoTales.com and Mousetalgia.com, but DoomBuggies is the best.

What makes The Haunted Mansion so special? It combines most of the hallmarks of creativity and imagination that Disney is famous for...

The architecture of each individual Haunted Mansion is different, but appropriate for the area in the Magic Kingdom each is located. The original in Disneyland is fashioned like an old plantation house nestled in the New Orleans square "land". The one in Disney World is designed to fit into the colonial New England setting of the surrounding "Liberty Square".

The details of the ride are insane. From beginning to end, it's one of the most immersive experiences in the park. The ride workers are all dressed as serving staff for the mansion. Their demeanors and their dialogue is letter perfect. I have often dreamed about being the employee based in the "loading area" where everyone walks into the room with no doors and the "servant" says "Please go to the dead center of the room." It's funny every time.

One of the strokes of genius in this ride is the loading system. The attendant takes a set number of people at a time into the room where there is a short scene where the room "stretches" in a pretty incredible effect. At the right moment, the secret door opens and people are ushered into the ride loading area with the moving walkway and into the "Doom Buggies", the special ride vehicles designed by Disney Imagineers. It's all timed perfectly so that the line is always moving and the waits never seem long.

The effects on the ride are also great. There are so many, it would be difficult list them, so I'll just refer you again to DoomBuggies.com and just mention a couple...

The busts in the library that turn and follow you. You think this is simple, that they're just on a pivot, until you realize that each person has the same experience and the things can't face each way at once. Turns out they made the busts in relief, so in fact they are concave. This creates the same illusion of depth, but allows it to seem like the faces are turning.

The face of Madam Leota in crystal ball. It's now a hologram, which makes it even cooler, but it's another that is basically a 3D projection.

I could go on all day about The Haunted Mansion... The music "Grim Grinning Ghosts" features the voice of Thurl Ravencroft, who also famously voiced Tony the Tiger. The dancing ghosts scene in the ball room is great (and done in reflection). It's funny, and a little (tiny) bit scary, and really really cool. The wait is rarely long because of the loading system, and it's a legend. There's really nothing more to say. It's among the first things I think about when I think about Disney World. Can't miss it. Usually ride at least twice.

And now... The (2nd) Disney Trivia Question of the Day

Question: Who is the voice of the "Ghost Host" in the Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World?

If you think you know, please send an e-mail to blog@beefymuchacho.com

Everyone with the correct answer will receive a point. An incorrect answer gets 1/2 a point. The person with the most points will get a Limted Edition Pin purchased during my stay.

Standings are being updated daily at http://www.beefymuchacho.com/ on the "Contests" page.

I'll repost the questions with the answers at the end of the contest.