How do you get a room full of people to daydream about Disney? Get them to attend Mousemeets of course!
So most of you know that I spent the weekend of May 5 and 6 in Birmingham attending the Mousemeets 2012 event. My review of the weekend has now been published on wdwradio.com and you can read it here .
Now I know that there will be many posts on many blogs in the next few days covering the Orange Bird’s return to the Sunshine Tree Terrace at Magic Kingdom but I couldn’t resist the opportunity to take time out of my Walt Disney World planning schedule to write a few words of my own.
Firstly I cannot claim to have been a die-hard Orange Bird fan since the 70′s, I was not one of the many fans that longed to see him and his orange thought bubbles return to his home in Adventureland….in fact I wasn’t even aware of the Orange Bird until a couple of years ago when he started cropping up in conversations on Disney fan message boards.
But over the last couple of years….and this is why yesterday’s events had such a big impact on me…reading about other people’s love for that bird, hearing the history of his connection to Disney and seeing his lovely smiling face on websites, collectibles, t-shirts and even Imagineer doodles, gave me an affection for this cute little orange creature and made me wish A LOT that he was still bringing sunshine to Adventureland.
I commend Disney for yesterday’s event. They just sent a message out on Twitter that this little gathering was taking place for no apparent ‘special’ reason….but you can just tell when Disney have something up their sleeve. And this time it was something for the fans, they had listened and responded. Okay sure it’s about money-making; a stunt like this will bring those of us who are into Disney history and nostalgia flooding into the park to buy an oversized Orange Bird t-shirt or one of those wonderfully plastic Orange Bird sipper cups (please, please still be there for my next trip!) but I like to think that this decision was also a nod to those lifelong Disney fans like us who spend our days reading, writing and planning Disney
So, although I don’t remember the good old Orange Bird days I will remember the day that the Orange Bird returned to his perch at the Sunshine Tree and I’m proud to be a new fan of that lovely lil’ bird.
Here’s a link to Lou Mongello’s WDW Radio show from November 2011 reminiscing about the Orange Bird.
Here’s a link to the official coverage of the Orange Bird’s return on the Disney Parks Blog and here is the wonderful merchandise I hope to get my hands on!
So I’ll end this post with a singalong to the Sherman Brothers lyrics, make sure you check YouTube for the wonderful original tune….
“Little Orange Bird in the Sunshine Tree
Won’t you think of something sunny just for me?
Think funny thoughts or sunny words
That will make me happy, little Orange Bird…..”
Yesterday evening I found time to pick up one of the books which I had been given as a Christmas present and I smiled. Yes I was enjoying the story, but that wasn’t why I was smiling. What had made me smile was that I was reading a book aimed at young readers aged 10 and up…a book that as part of a collection, my Disney friends (all adults) had recommended that I start reading!
I like to think that I have an understanding or at least an awareness of most things Disney. I should really; seeing as I spend most of my days reading blogs, websites and mail shots. But about eighteen months ago I realised that a little Disney ‘craze’ had passed me by….and this was a collection of books written by Ridley Pearson, titled ‘Kingdom Keepers’.
The Kingdom Keepers are a group of five young teens who have provided their images to be used as holographic theme park guides, using cutting edge technology called DHI (which stands for both Disney Host Interactive and Daylight Hologram Imaging). The new technology turns out to have unexpected effects that result in the teens having to save the Disney parks from a group of villains called the Overtakers, led by the evil Maleficent.
Now I’m not usually one for reading fantasy or adventure books but what interested me (and presumably what made hundreds of other adults start reading a children’s book) was that the stories are set in and around the Disney parks. I love being able to read the books and know exactly where the latest adventure is taking place. Plus, as the books are written for children, they are a fun and entertaining read after a long day at the office!
These books aren’t readily available in bookshops here in the UK but can be found on a few websites. I picked up the first book in the series ‘Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark’ during my trip to New York last year, and Mark bought ‘Kingdom Keepers 2: Disney At Dawn’ for me for Christmas. I’ve just got 3 and 4 to get caught up on before book number 5 gets released later this year!
I may be the ONLY Disney fan that hasn’t read the whole series but maybe I’m not. If this post has made even one of my friends aware of this fun set of books then my work here is done! Oh, and when you do pick up your first copy be sure to look out for the mention of some familiar names who may have helped Mr Pearson with his research around Walt Disney World :)
Dear Walt,
I decided to sit down and write you a letter as 2011 draws to a close. I wanted to let you know how Disney magic has filled my life this year, and how some very magical people have continued to keep your dream alive.
I’m not sure how you would feel about the world if you were still with us today but I think you would be amazed at how technology brings us closer together on a daily basis no matter where we happen to live. The internet and its ability to connect us all via podcasts, websites, blogs, Facebook and Twitter has become a big part of my daily life this past 12 months, so much so that I took that first tentative step and launched my blog in July 2011.
I think that my magical year actually started for me in December 2010. I had just returned home after two amazing weeks at Walt Disney World. During my visit Mark and I had recorded a podcast with Lou Mongello from WDW Radio at the UK Pavilion in Epcot. By the way Walt, I think you’d really like Lou, he reminds me of you. First and foremost he is a family man and he works tirelessly to achieve his dream, keeping the magic alive for so many others. Lou believes that anything is possible if you try hard enough, and just like you he is an inspiration to us all.
Anyway back to that podcast. Lou released it as show no.202 for the week of December 26, 2010. It was so strange to hear our voices on the podcast but it reminded me of such a great day and I hoped that others would enjoy our discussions. And because of that show 2011 started with making many new friends via the WDW Radio forums and Facebook. It was a lovely way to start what would turn out to be a magical year.
I’ve met (either in person or virtually) so many great people this year because of Disney. And Walt I know you’d be pleased to hear that Disney fans are such a kind, warm, generous group of people. I’ve met people who moved to Florida to be closer to the magic, I’ve met people who are lucky enough to work as Imagineers keeping your dream alive and I’ve met people who share my passion whether they live ten minutes or 4000 miles from WDW.
As I mentioned earlier, this year saw me set up my own blog. I didn’t even know if I could write blog posts, let alone write things that others would want to read, but I knew that I had lots to say about you and your vision and that was enough to give me the courage to try. And at the end of 2011 I can say that not only have I managed to keep my blog going but I’ve also been a guest blogger for the WDW Radio website as well. And yet again I’ve met more wonderful people because of my writing.
One of the greatest things to happen this year was the UK meet in London for fans of WDW Radio. Some of us aren’t able to get over to the parks as often as we’d like so what better way to share the magic than to meet up and talk Disney! I arranged for Lou to join the meet via Skype and the group also toured Europe’s flagship Disney Store.
There were several park happenings this year too. Sadly Mickey’s Toontown closed but it’s making way for the Fantasyland expansion. Mickey moved into his new meet and greet area on Main Street and Star Tours had a technology update that continues to attract hundreds of guests every day. More attractions now have the interactive queues, plus there is a new resort being built for 2012. Magic Kingdom celebrated its 40th birthday and although I couldn’t be there in person I was able to join the party via the on-line WDW Radio 40 hour show.
Oh, and I also got my first Disney tattoo 
So that’s just a little bit of how my 2011 was filled with Disney magic, without even being at Walt Disney World. 2012 promises to be even better with my trip planned for October and so many exciting changes coming to WDW during the year.
Thank you for leaving us your legacy and allowing us even as adults to daydream of magical places and moments. I can’t wait to see what the new year has in store for my Disney friends and me
Your friend, Emma xx
It’s been just over a week since Walt Disney Imagineering held their press conference and shocked the Disney community with their Avatar announcement. Yes, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts will be bringing Avatar to life and it will all begin in Animal Kingdom. Disney didn’t release a lot of information but we know that it will be a long-term creative partnership with James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment and Fox Filmed Entertainment and the construction for the “first Avatar experience” will begin in 2013.
The internet was a very interesting place to be in the hours and days that followed. I was really surprised at the outpouring of unhappiness and negativity from fans in response to this announcement.
From my personal point of view I didn’t watch Avatar when it was released as it didn’t look like my kind of film so I cannot comment on whether it will translate into an amazing land or attraction….but I do know that Disney Imagineers are pretty good at that kind of thing! Plus I love Animal Kingdom and can quite happily spend more than half a day there, anything that’s designed to develop the natural feeling of that park is a winner with me.
But I didn’t want this post to be about Avatar and what people think of the announcement as there are hundreds of blogs out there which have had that same discussion over and over again in the past week. What I wanted to share is an observation and to get other people’s opinion on that observation.
Disney fans appear to be the most dedicated and passionate fan base I’ve ever known. And this past week has made me wonder why that is. We are fans of Walt and the dream he had. We are fans of how that dream evolved and the joy it has brought to so many people all across the world. So why do we react so negatively to an announcement promising to bring yet more magic to ‘our’ world?
I thought about the Fantasyland announcement. I must admit I had mixed feelings about that but it was probably nostalgia more than anything, and I’m still excited about seeing how WDI bring our imagination to life.
I thought about my favourite attractions (It’s A Small World, TTA Peoplemover and Pirates Of The Caribbean) and how I’d feel if they closed. For the record…I’d struggle with losing them….please don’t do it Disney! I know that fans of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea or Mr Toad’s Wild Ride still feel a little glum about their favourites disappearing.
I tried to think of a film that I really dislike and how I would feel if the characters and scenery from that film had a presence in the parks. Would I not want to visit or would that presence actually change my opinion of the film?
Those who know me well know that I’m quite an opinionated person about everything in my life except Disney. With Disney I try to take the rough with the smooth. I’ve already written about how WDW is my dream place, the place that takes me away from everyday life, the place where I cry happy tears and make memories that will last me a lifetime. I also know that not everything within those park gates is perfect but I have faith in the Walt Disney Company to make it as good as it can be.
So do Disney fans see the parks as their utopia? And if so why do some react so negatively to change? Is it because we are scared of our dream place disappointing us? Are we scared of losing our love for Disney? Is it because we have to face numerous struggles and decisions in our everyday lives so we want everything to be perfect in our Disney lives? Do we feel that we invest so much time and passion in Disney that we deserve a voice and can say whatever we feel?
I don’t have the answer. I do know that I find it fascinating and it keeps me wanting to be a part of it all :)
Well unless you’ve been living in a cave these past few months (without your iPhone) then you’ll know that the second D23 Expo took place in the Disneyland Resort last weekend. Now to music fans, comic book geeks, film nerds etc etc, conventions aren’t a new concept. Disney fan conventions aren’t a new concept either but up until 2009 those conventions had always been organised by the fans for the fans. The birth of D23 changed all that and the rest as ‘they’ say is history!
This post isn’t about reporting all the goings on from this past weekend, but more of an opportunity for me to say thank you to the people who attended and shared as much as they could with my Disney friends and I who were unable to be there. And this is where living in the UK makes it even more frustrating for me. It would have taken a lot of planning for me to be at this event and it would have probably cost me the price of a ‘real’ holiday travelling from the UK to California. I would have had to sacrifice leave days and paid for various expenses. Fine if this is going to be your annual holiday, but a little too much of a stretch for a ‘fan event’. And because of this the internet became my Expo exposure.
As the days progressed last week I started to read more and more tweets from the ‘Disney’ people I follow, each finishing work, packing, travelling to airports, and eventually arriving in California. It felt like everyone was there apart from me. I expressed this on my Twitter feed and had other friends who could also not attend rally round and let me know I wasn’t alone. We all knew that from Friday until Sunday our Disney friends in Anaheim would bring us as much of the D23 Expo as they possibly could.
Using my world clock I found out that the UK is 8 hours ahead of Anaheim, therefore I knew that the Expo wouldn’t be kicking off until 4 or 5pm each day. This meant that I could lead a ‘normal’ life during the day and then be attached to the internet from 4pm onwards! And boy was I attached!
The ability to obtain news, photos, video, and blog posts covering the Expo events was immense. Lou Mongello was broadcasting live each day which meant we were there ‘in the box’. We could watch discussions while they were happening, wander the Collectors Forum, take a look at the Carousel of Projects, and interact with Lou’s interviews of various Disney dignitaries, including the Disney Geek Jeffrey Epstein.
In addition to the live feed, I was attached to Twitter and struggling to keep up with the tweets from attendees! Sometimes it even felt like I was getting more information about the various presentations than the people who were there in person…and I didn’t have to stand in any of those LONG queues!
I must confess that I didn’t sit up all night watching and reading the coverage like some people I know but that may have mainly been because of technical issues rather than me being sensible! All I know is that because of the effort that everyone put into sharing their Expo experience those of us who were not able to attend didn’t feel like we missed out.
Of course I would have preferred to attend in person if I could have done. Of course I would have loved to hear Dick Van Dyke performing live with the Vantastix. Of course I would have loved to have shaken John Lasseter’s hand (if I hadn’t dissolved into a nervous geeky mess), of course I would have loved to have seen some of the awesome costumes that fans had taken the trouble to make, and of course I would have loved a bit (okay, a lot) of Disney shopping. But because of my Disney friends I had the next best thing, and I had a blast. THANK YOU for the Expo exposure
