As frequent readers already know, and as should be apparent by the shear existence of this site, I have a long standing love affair with Disneyland. And for the past few years, as much as I’ve loved my park, I have wanted to go and see Walt Disney World for myself.

Well, last week I finally did it. I had 72 hours over four days in Florida to see as much as I possibly could. I started late in the day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (Formerly Disney MGM Studios).

DHS reminded me a lot of Disney’s California Adventure – and I don’t mean that in a particularly good way. To be fair, I didn’t get to see three of the big shows, Beauty and the Best, Indiana Jones, and Lights Motor Action, but there was more to it than that. I started with their tram tour which was a disappointment to put it mildly. Had I not been familiar with the Universal Studios Hollywood Tram Tour I might have been more impressed, but to put it simply, Catastrophe Canyon simply pails in comparison to Universal’s Earthquake.

The big name attractions like Star Tours, Toy Story Mania, and Tower of Terror all also exist in CA. The Florida versions are a little different, such as the amazing outdoor queue are of Star Tours, but the rides are basically all the same. One interesting thing I saw late in the day was over where they did the Phineas and Ferb stage show…

… It’s Ducky Momo! And yes, I just had to get a picture.

The next day took me to the Magic Kingdom. The 15 extra years of technology, design, and just experience in general really show at this park. The park is simply beautiful and with a few exceptions phenomenally well designed.

While there are many similarities between Disneyland park and the Magic Kingdom, there are a lot of differences too. the Fantacyland dark rides look similar on the surface, but are vastly different in reality. Peter Pan in particular gained a lot from improved technology and a continually moving loading/unloading area. Why don’t we have that here? The MK version of Snow White is a similar success story; such a shame it’s closing permanently as part of the New Fantacyland project.

But it’s not all smiles – the MK version of it’s a Small World doesn’t deserve to share the same name as the Disneyland Version. In Florida, it really is a small, small world. Pirates is another ride that didn’t transfer well. Despite a very cool queue area and exterior space, the ride itself is seriously abridged and lacks much of the charm of the original. With both it’s as if they said they decided it would be more efficient to create shorter rides in an attempt to push more people through.

But on the flip side, there is the Jungle Cruise. A Disneyland favorite of mine that they generally improved upon in Florida. The MK version is longer, more complex, and generally structured better. Despite my limited time, I made sure to ride this one twice: one in the daytime and once after sundown.

I also wanted to take a moment to discuss Tom Sawyer’s Island. At Disneyland, the island has been “enhanced” to be Pirate’s Lair, but the WDW version appears largely untouched. To my great surprise I found Fort Langhorn, the MK equivalent of Disneyland’s Fort Wilderness, with it’s gates wide open. The DL fort has been closed for half a decade due to “safety concerns” and has long been one of the places I have longed to return to.

It’s not even so much that the fort is that exciting, but it’s one of a few early memories I have of the park from when I was little, and it was quite amazing to explore the new fort. I don’t know how similar the two forts are, but MK’s Fort Langhorn does include the thing I remember most strongly – the guns on the upper levels that “shoot” out at the boats in the river.

Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland probably shares the least in common with it’s California Cousin. The peoplemover still runs here and adds a lot of motion and activity to the land, which is not at all cramped like Disneyland’s version. The Stitch attraction… is a disappointment. Stitch looks so fake and I appreciated the pre-show, but the actual show? Not so much. Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor was quite well done – the CDA isn’t the Child Detection Agency anymore, now they’re the Comedy Detection Agency! xD

MK’s Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin has much in common with DL’s Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters, but the later has benefited greatly from the experience of the former. The “guns” in Space Ranger Spin are attached to the cars and have very limited movement making Astro Blasters a much superior play experience. But at the same time, the two are different rides with different layouts and visual gags and it’s well worth the time to experience both. Oh, and watch out for Zurg.

The Magic Kindom also has one very unique experience that has no equivalent at the Disneyland Resort, at least, not yet. I am referring to Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, a unique interactive role-playing game where guests are recruited to become sorcerers and help Merlin defeat a breadth of Disney Villains intent of taking over the Magic Kingdom. This game gets very addicting, very fast.

Speaking of interactive games, that brings us to the reason why I made the trip when I did. Today, May 18th, is the very last day for the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure. I just had to get there and experience the attraction while I still could. Phineas and Ferb are set to replace KP in the park later this year.

The attraction itself really feels like KP. The banter is right on, and I think they had most if not all of the original voices. It took some four hours through the heat and the rain, but I eventually manged to complete all seven adventures, battling Duff Killigan, Senior Senor Sr & Jr, The Killer BeBes, Professor Dementor, Monkey Fist, Camille Leon, and of course Shego and Dr. Drakken. It really is bittersweet to see what they were able to do just for it to be gone forever after today.

As you can probably guess, the KP attraction took a huge bite out of my day at EPCOT. I had a good portion of time at the start of my day to explore Future World, including Spacehip Earth, Ellen’s Energy Adventure, Mission Space, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, and Living with the Land. All of which are very well done and impressive attractions (especially Spaceship Earth) with the exception of Nemo. I’d rather ride the Nemo Subs at Disneyland. Innoventions was generally uninteresting, much like it’s west coast counterpart.

World Showcase is huge and unlike anything I’ve seen before. Unfortunately, due to my limited time and the fact that the KP game play device would “lock” if you tried to take a break between games, I was unable to thoroughly explore World Showcase the way I would have liked. I saw much of it during the game, but I more or less had to skip over lands like Morocco that didn’t have KP adventures built into them. I was fortunately able to catch the second to last showing of the day of The American Adventure, the most interesting and well structured Audio Animatronics stage show I believe I have ever seen.

I don’t know when or if I’ll be able to return to the parks, but EPCOT is definitely up on top of my to see list. I was tempted to return on my fourth (half) day, but that day was set aside for the last park – Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

The keynote attraction of Animal Kingdom has to be the Safari Ride. While not entirely unlike the Safari caravan’s of the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park (I refuse to call it the “Safari Park” official rename or not) there is definitely classic Disney storytelling on display. Oh, and we basically got attacked by a Giraffe. xD

I was actually a bit worried about being in the actual exhibit with the rhinos, but I guess they’re used to it. That was quite impressive in retrospect.

The Lion King and Finding Nemo shows were also quite impressive in their own ways. Festival of the Lion King looked a little cheap, but it was fun. Besides, who am I to complain about cute girls in skintight animal print costumes? xD Nemo seemed a little long, and the puppetry seemed a bit cheesy at times, but it was a fun well organized show.

I didn’t do Expedition Everest, if you were wondering. Roller coasters just aren’t my thing. The mountain sure looked impressive though. The Tree of life on the other hand… it just looked so fake. Cool yes, but I dunno, I expected more.

Dinosaur was the only real disappointment with the park, though. I had expected something like Indiana Jones at Disneyland, except you know, with dinosaurs. Instead I got a jerky dark ride with dinosaur heads popping out at me. I guess it was budgetary restrictions, but there was just so much wasted potential with this ride. I had gotten a fast pass before getting in the standby line so I could ride it twice and well… once was enough.

And that concludes my trip. But before I wrap up this blog post, one more short story I wanted to share. On the bus ride back to the Airport, Disney showed a brief video advertising some of their other projects and offering some handy airport tips. At one point in the video, Mickey bounds off the bus at the airport and exclaims “Next stop, Disneyland!” which at the time, I found absolutely hilarious.

Located next to the El Capatan theater and across the street from Hollywood & Highland center and Mann’s Chinese theater.

You can even see Donald Duck’s webbed foot prints at Mann’s…

… and Donald’s star outside the Studio Store.

That’s one popular duck.

The studio store features a small resteraunt and store area but my favorite part is the the decor.

This includes autographed photos from Aly & AJ.

Heros Hotie Hayden Panettiere.

The cast of High School Musical…

… including some of the suporting actors like Olesya Rulin and Kaycee Stroh.

Oh, and they even had Miley Cyrus autograph a guitar. xD

Even for a Disney display, Miley’s autograph is hardly more than a squiggle. *eye roll*

At least Brenda Song and Raven know how to put a little effort into it.

You’ll find the fullsize photos in our image gallery by clicking on any image above.

Imagineers are using a tool called the Digital Immersive Showroom or “The Dish.” This virtual-reality technology assists Imagineers in spotting potential design issues before construction. It also helps them to figure out timing, audio cues and special effects. It’s actually quite amazing.

It’s also been announced that the Pixar Play Parade will be returning to Disney California Adventure this summer after taking a break due to the ongoing construction work.

And finally, she’s a short video outlining some of the recent Environmental Enhancements to the Disneyland Hotel.

It’s a great model that really shows how the whole project fits together.

Add that the new are and concept art to get a full look at the new land…

… plus some great new atraction posters.

And there’s a lot more about the three new rides as well!

Besides Cars Land, there was also a look at the new ride vechicles coming to the Matterhorn.

And a little bit about Buena Vista Street.

The Carthaway Circle is coming along very nicely!

As is the rest of Buena Vista Street.

Be sure to click on any picture above to see the full gallery of photos from my trip to the updated Blue Sky Cellar and of the park construction updates.

A camera was mounted on the driver’s side of a Radiator Springs Racers car during a recent test run in Cars Land at Disney California Adventure park for a unique point of view. Here’s sneak peek of what to expect inside the mountain range!

In this video, Billy Hill and the Hillbillies are recording a variation of one of these songs — one that will be heard as background music throughout the town of Radiator Springs. Guests will be able to enjoy this in person as they explore the exciting new Cars Land when it opens June 15.

We love time-lapse cameras here at the Disneyland Resort. We have one in Cars Land that captured the installation of the neon sign at Flo’s V8 Café back in January. Watch it transform from day to night and make sure to hang around until the end of the video. The payoff is worth it.

That’s it for now… June 15, opening day, is fast approaching!

What follows is an article from the LA times on the issue.

Walt Disney Co. is looking to bring some Marvel muscle to Disney theme parks.

Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger told shareholders attending the annual meeting Tuesday in Kansas City, Mo., that the company has done preliminary design work that will one day lead to Marvel superheroes appearing in the theme parks along with Disney’s other familiar characters.

“We haven’t announced anything yet,” Iger said. “But we’re working on some concepts.”

When Disney acquired Marvel Entertainment Inc. for $4.3 billion in 2009, the Burbank entertainment company talked about incorporating the comic book giant’s library of 5,000 characters throughout its various businesses.

Indeed, a new animated television series, “Ultimate Spider-Man,” premieres April 1, kicking off a programming block devoted to Marvel characters on the cable network Disney XD. Marvel’s big-screen presentation of “The Avengers” superhero mash-up reaches theaters May 4. Disney showed a trailer to investors at its annual meeting.

Iger didn’t mention which Disney park might get an infusion of spandex-clad heroes. Its competitor, Universal Studios, has the rights in perpetuity for its Marvel Super Hero Island attraction, which includes rides based on Spider-Man, Dr. Doom, the Hulk and Storm, and features a number of other characters from the X-Men. The company also has a 10-year-plus deal for its Spider-Man attraction at Universal Studios Japan.

For the near term, Disney is focused on an ambitious theme-park project based on director James Cameron’s blockbuster science-fiction fantasy “Avatar.” Disney announced a long-term licensing deal last fall to develop rides and attractions based on the 2009 film.

The first “Avatar” land is planned for Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. Iger told shareholders that the new attraction probably won’t open until 2015.

Iger also announced an initiative to hire at least 1,000 returning military veterans over the next three years in a program dubbed Heroes Work Here.

Disney stockholders reelected all 10 members of Disney’s board, including Iger, who was formally elected chairman.

Shareholders also approved the company’s executive pay plan in an advisory vote.

dawn.chmielewski@latimes.com

For those who may not be aware, Ariana is one of the stars of Nickelodeon’s hit series “Victorious.”

And I have a lot more from her show posted on my Nickelodeon Blog for those interested.

Of course, the Anaheim House of Blues is convently located in the downtown Disney district so before the show I went to check out the construction progress at DCA.

The Carthay Circle Theater is looking great peaking above the construction walls.

The Theater stands 89’6″ – that’s taller than Disneyland’s 77′ tall Sleeping Beauty Castle!

The trees are seriously obscuring the view into cars land, which looks to be coming together nicely.

Also of note, Grizzly River Run was drained for repairs and maintance.

And the new Minne’s Fly Girls show had permiered as well.

I’m also looking forward to the new Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop, between that and the Boudin Bakery I’ll never have to go to Sab Francisco ever again! LOL

And just ’cause, here’s an awesome picture of Sleeping Beauty Castle in the afternoon.

Click any pic for the fullsize view.

The proceeds from this show will be donated to the Destined to Live the Good Life Children’s Orphanage in Zambia, Africa. This charity event is the first ever amateur dancing competition in Ventura County, and has been attended by over 1400 people in the past 2 years, raised several thousand dollars for the 30 children in the home, had the most unique and creative dancers from all over California competing for awesome awards and prizes, tons of multimedia coverage/exposure, and featured celebrity guest judges/hosts/performers from all over the nation.

Sade Champagne Presents:
Ventura County’s 3rd Annual Rising Star Dance Competition

Date: Saturday March 10th, 2012
Show Time: 6:30pm
$10 per person, all ages show

Location: Buena High School Auditorium
5670 Telegraph Road
Ventura, California 93003

Charity Supporting:
Destined to Live the Good Life Children’s Orphanage
Official Spokesperson: Sade Champagne
http://www.giveachildafuture.org/
501 (C) (3) Nonprofit Organization

Celebrity Guests Co-Hosts: Adam Whittington & Madisen Hill
Celebrity Guest Judges Include: Drew Seeley, Temara Melek, Sir Charles, Tammy Fey, & Nesa Kovacs

Official Facebook Page Invite:
https://www.facebook.com/events/107754579353242/

A DJ pumping out Ricky Martin and ABBA, among other dance tunes, kept a crowd on their feet in front of Cinderella Castle for the final few hours of Disney’s 24-hour Magic Kingdom event.

“One More Disney Day,” as the Walt Disney Co.dubbed the event, marked the first time the Magic Kingdom, as well as Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., remained open to guests for 24 consecutive hours — 6 a.m. Feb. 29 to 6 a.m. today.

Early this morning, visitors to the Magic Kingdom seemed either super-perky in that loud, bleary-eyed lack-of-sleep way — or zombielike. Some guests were seated along the curb on Main Street USA, staring silently into space as if they were waiting for a phantom parade to arrive.

Others gave out altogether: Guests were snoring in the big rocking chairs near the Country Bear Jamboree in Frontierland, and two were huddled, sound asleep, in a nook outside City Hall in Town Square.

(I also saw guests arriving for the 5 a.m. Hall of Presidents show but can’t say if they wanted to hear President Barack Obama speak — or just some comfy chairs for a catnap.)

One change in demographics: Far fewer children. Though there were plenty of strollers sighted at 6 a.m. Wednesday, when One More Disney Day began, children were few and far between in the crowd that exited the park at 6 a.m. today. I did notice three or four strollers being wheeled down Main Street USA at about 4 a.m. — all of the occupants fast asleep.

For those who had the energy, and there were plenty of them, the vibe was a friendly open house party. Many guests still sported the complimentary “One More Disney Day” Mouse ears that had been given to early arriving guests on Feb. 29. There was a good showing of folks wearing Disney’s commemorative t-shirt, sold in certain gift stores.

A trio of young women were in sleepwear and bathrobes (hey, it was good enough for Mickey and Minnie). In fact, many folk seemed to be roaming the park in pajama bottoms.

At 4:30 a.m. I was doing the hokey pokey and the electric slide with a bunch of guests, cast members and Br’er Rabbit from “Song of the South” in Frontierland. Most of the folks putting their left foot in (and taking their left foot out) with me, said they had been there since the 6 a.m. start time.

In front of the castle, stilt-walkers and dancers from the daily “Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It” parade — along with a sassy Daisy Duck, Donald and Goofy — were leading revelers in dance-floor staples such as “You Make Me Want to Shout” and the “Cupid Shuffle.”

Disney characters, who appeared throughout the night, proved their tried-and-true appeal. Although characters from “Tangled” were scheduled to greet guests until 5:30 a.m., guests had to be turned away, and at 5:45, Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder were still trying to wrap things up with the guests who made it into line.

The crowd gathered for the final showing of “The Magic, The Memories and You” — at 5:30 a.m. today — was good-sized although nowhere close to the mob that packs the hub in front of the castle for the projection show during summer’s busy season.

By the wee hours, a lot of off-duty Disney cast members had mixed in with the guests — some told me they had joined the fun after their work shifts; a few hardy souls were stopping by before today’s shift began.

The dwindling numbers in the final stretch meant wait times for most rides were short (or nonexistent). The longest wait I encountered after 4 a.m.: 15 minutes for the notoriously slow-loading Astro Orbiter.

A longer wait would have been required in Main Street’s bakery — but seeing the dozens queued up, I passed.

And isn’t it human nature that no matter how long a park is open or how long your visit is, you just have to cram in one last ride in the final minutes? My friend and I did a quick jog across Fantasyland to board Peter Pan’s Flight at 5:58 a.m.

The ferry boat ride back to the parking lot gave the rare view of seeing the sky lighten to the east, behind the Contemporary Resort Hotel, as the rising sun tried to break through the morning fog.

And as Disney cast members substituted a cheery “Good morning” for their usual “Have a good night,” I heard two comments from guests that summed up the disparate moods of the bedraggled masses.

“Oh, thank God we can go home now,” sighed one mother. Meanwhile, a twentysomething-looking woman called out to a waving cast member, “Thank you for the best day of my life.”

Just a quick reminder that Disney’s “One More Disney Day” is tomorrow! This will be the first time Disneyland and The Magic Kingdom are open 24 hours straight.

However, I have heard that the following Disneyland attractions will be closing early!

Alice in Wonderland – 1am
Autopia – 4am
Captain EO – midnight
Disneyland Opera House – 11pm
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage – 3am
Gadget’s Go Coaster – 11pm
Innoventions – 9pm
Jungle Cruise – 4am
Pinocchio’s Daring Journey Down – 1am
Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin – 10pm
Splash Mountain – 2am

Seems kind of weird that some things are closing that early. When they’re open to midnight  they don’t close all these attractions that early… =|