Hoping The Latest "Avatarland" Rumors Aren't True

According to the blog StitchKingdom, the gymnasts performing the Festival of the Lion King show in Animal Kingdom have been put on notice that they will no longer be needed after about six months. This is StitchKingdom's take on the news:

If this is indeed the case, it basically sets FOTLK for an early 2013 closing at the latest, lasting perhaps no longer than February (we were provided only with a rough timeline, not a specific date). Even so, it would be possible for the company to simply end the show and pay off the remainder of the contract should it determine to be more cost effective to do so.
The logical explanation provided for the end of the popular show’s reign (which has been a staple at the park since it opened in 1998) is that Camp Minnie-Mickey will be leveled in favor of ‘Avatarland’ which is expected to break ground in 2013. Most recently, reports have come in that ‘Avatarland’ is anywhere from stalled-to-canceled, but these reports mostly cite an IGN report which mentions only that the project is delayed, but even that arguably incorrectly culls its info from its own cited source, which effectively bases the rumor on nothing more than a combination of no concept art being publicly shared and (what amounts to) fanfic.
While The Walt Disney Company is being conspicuously mum on its plans for ‘Avatarland,’ it has seemingly been moving forward with the project, conducting balloon surveys and, of course, telling its current cast members their services will no longer be required soon.

I really really hope this isn't true. I much preferred the rumors of Avartarland's demise. At the least, I'd hoped it would be built on land that wasn't now being used, sparing the need to tear down presently existing attractions. I wondered how long Camp Minnie Mickey would survive "as is" though. It seemed a lot of land to be used for a character meet and greet. But damn it, it worked! In the atmosphere of Animal Kingdom, having a tucked away spot to find Mickey or Pluto or Donald away from the main part of the park seems to fit right in. Animal Kingdom is about exploring and finding the little off the beaten path spots.

And to close the Festival of the Lion King is completely wrong. That show was our favorite on our last trip and I'm very much looking forward to seeing it again in a week, hopefully not for the last time. Lion King gives the parks a show not geared to little girls or small children, though both will enjoy it. It is truly a show for everyone, featuring some of the most spectacular costumes and songs Disney has ever produced. To see it go in favor of an idea as poorly conceived as Avatarland would be a true shame.

Avatar the movie deserves no land. Maybe, if you begged, I might concede to a ride, but a whole section of a Disney park? I think not. Avatar was visually stunning, but one of the most trite collection of bad cliches to ever find it way to the big screen. There was no story, and Disney is all about the story, first and foremost. The Imagineers would have a huge pallet to work with, but no subject to paint. I think it's a horrible idea no matter where they place it, but to tear down Mickey's camp to build a tribute to James Cameron is one of the most un-Disney ideas imaginable.

Always Changing, Always Something New

People tend to roll their eyes at those of us who visit Disney regularly. They wonder, I think, why we don't get bored going to the same place year after year.These people are missing out on one of the greatest things about the Disney parks -- the fact that they are always evolving and changing. Like I wrote about trying to capture in my personal life in a previous post, they Keep Moving Forward. So, as an example of what I mean, here are just some of the changes to old things we look forward to seeing and some of the new things we've never tried.

Some changes are just cosmetic, but as much as we love taking pictures in the parks, these things are exciting for us. The castle in the Magic Kingdom, as iconic as it is, almost always has something new going on. It's been covered in what looked like birthday cake frosting, which was horrid, and it's been decorated with golden statues of characters from decades of Disney films, which was really cool. It gets lights at Christmas and this time we will get to see those going up. There will be a crane involved, so our castle pics will have that in them sometimes, but it's still something we're looking forward to seeing because it's new and different. In Epcot we will be seeing the big golf ball of Spaceship Earth without its accompanying Mickey hand and wand. It's been a long time since we visited Epcot, so we are as happy about Spaceship Earth being "plain" as we are about the castle being decorated.

The biggest change coming to Disney World is the New Fantasyland expansion.Most of it won't be open yet when we are there, so peeking over the walls at the construction is pretty high on my list of things to do at the Magic Kingdom. The New Fantasyland required the demolition of the old Mickey's Toontown Fair, which is a bit sad, but not a heart breaker. We liked Toontown and captured one of my favorite Disney pictures of my son at the Donald Duck themed water play area there. But the new Fantasyland will feature a new water play area based on a circus theme, AND it will be open when we go next week! Wish me luck, I'm going to attempt to make the boy go in and try to capture an updated version of this shot. I'm hoping he won't be "too cool" for that. Again, changes I guess.

There is a whole litany of rides and shows we either haven't seen at all or our son hasn't seen or we've just skipped for far too long. We always seemed to rush past the Swiss Family Treehouse, Tom Sawyer's Island and the Liberty Belle riverboat. Not this time, we have eight days in the parks and plenty of time to explore all the nooks and crannies. We've skipped the Carousel of Progress for years, but after reading a lot about Walt Disney and his ideas about moving forward as a society into a brighter future, I really want to see it this time. During our last visit to Epcot, we skipped Soarin' because it had a long line and we had no idea what it was. We skipped Universe of Energy because the dinosaurs would have scared the boy half to death. This time they are on the list. Captain Eo is back and I'm dragging the family in just to revel in the pure 80s awfulness. We plan to explore the World Showcase much more thoroughly now that John is old enough to appreciate it and is really looking forward to it. It's been just as long since we visited Animal Kingdom and we have lots to try there as well. Kali River Rapids, Expedition Everest and Dinosaur are must do's on this trip. Our friend Jen has told us we NEED to see the Nemo show, so that's a priority. Actually, we look forward to stopping to take in about all the shows we can, having a new appreciation for the inner workings of stage productions from our work on Wizard of Oz this summer. Hollywood Studio's production of Beauty and the Beast is very high on the lovely Miss Lisa's list. Also at the Studios, Star tourrs was closed for a refurb last time we visited, so we can't wait to get in again and see what's new. We missed the Indian Jones show as well, so we will catch that, and we still need to experience the cowboy side of The Great Movie Ride.

We are spending the week at the Caribbean Beach Resort, someplace we've never even seen let alone stayed. It's a huge resort with tons to explore, and we'll take the time to see it all.

So, yes, we've been to Walt Disney World three times in the last four years and we are going again. But there is no way we will be bored or feel like we've been there done that. In the Magical World of Disney, it's always a Big Bright Beautiful Tomorrow, and that's just the way we like it.

Pedro Sez......

Today's post isn't about Disney World, it's about the journey there, because that's important, too.

Ours is a family of wanderers. We go, just to go, and we don't always have any destination in mind. Our friends joke about looking forward to the "Where's John" pictures on our Facebook pages because they never know where he'll pop up next. We enjoy the journey for its own sake. We tend to take the "scenic route" as my father was fond of calling it. Country roads are better than superhighways, in my book. I'm not a car guy and driving at breakneck speed among a thousand crazed tourists is not my idea of fun. We like to mosey, to stop and see the sights, to explore.

We apparently don't do a trip to Disney like any other people. There are those who wonder how we can drive at all. Many think it's nuts that we consider a 9+ hour drive suitable for a long weekend trip. Our normal routes, either down the coast through Charleston and the tidewater, or out through the South Carolina Piedmont by way of such awesome towns as Summerville and Turbeville, get strange looks and shakes of the head. Some can't fathom that we plan to stop part way down over night, but have no earthly idea where or when that will happen. It's ok, we wander and we play it by ear and we like it that way.

Having said that, this time we are traveling to Disney on the widest, most highway-like highways possible in our little neck of Southeastern North Carolina. Nope, we aren't THAT excited that we need to find the fastest route. Everyone in this area has their own special way to reach southbound I-95, and this isn't anyone's idea of the best. We will be on the "fastest" roads headed our general direction, but they take us quite a bit north before we can head south. Actually, that's all in the plan. I want to cross into South Carolina on I-95 so that my son can experience the joy/horror that is South of the Border.

Oh, South of the Border. Can there be a more apt definition of "tourist trap?" Can there be anywhere more gloriously, hideously neon-ified? My son thinks the "strip" in Myrtle Beach is tacky. Ha! He ain't seen tacky yet! And the stores full of fireworks and cheap plastic toys and tons and tons of pecan rolls. Who actually eats pecan rolls, anyway? I don't think I've ever seen one pass a human being's lips.

As children of the Northeast, every trip to Disney meant a countdown of miles to South of the Border. Everyone read out what "Pedro sez" next. The weather .... Chili today, Hot Tamale. Keep Yelling Kids, They'll Stop. You Never Sausage A Place (with a big sausage, of course). And the mileage on each billboard, and the billboards coming each mile as you get anywhere near the place. I loved it all. It all meant we were AWAY, we were GOING SOMEWHERE, it was REALLY VACATION!!!! And my own son has never experienced that. And I just couldn't stand it anymore.

So this time we go all interstate, all boring road with no small towns and cows and dilapidated farmhouses. Well, there will be some, this is North Carolina after all, and our interstates aren't actually all 4-lane highway. But there will be less and it will be all stuff we've seen before. But it will all be worth it when John sets eyes on that great shrine to Crass Commercialism (built by a Greek immigrant, by the way.) He won't like South of the Border, mind you. None of us really like the place. But he'll have seen it and we will have one more memory in common and lots to laugh about as we head down 95 South on our way to an overnite somewhere, whenever I get tired of driving.

And no, we won't have any reservations. :-)

Opening New Doors Because We're Curious

Stage Manager in action

School started back today for my son and the rest of the local kiddies and it got me to thinking along the lines of a "What I Did On My Summer Vacation" post. Obviously I don't get a summer vacation anymore, actually summer is the busy season for me, but that didn't stop me and my family from putting the above quote into action. I think that's my favorite Walt Disney quote of all, it wraps up for me what makes a life fully lived. It's the quote at the top of this blog, if you've noticed, and "Moving Forward" was an early suggestion for the name of this thing. That suggestion, and my introduction to this quote, came from our friend Jen, and so did the invitation to spend our summer opening up our own new doors.

Way back in the spring of this year, Jen decided to stage a production of The Wizard of Oz with our local theatre group, Brunswick Little Theatre. Jen's no stranger to the stage, she's been acting since at least high school and this would be her 8th production as director for BLT. When she told me about her latest project I mentioned to her how I'd always been fascinated by the theatre but couldn't ever imagine getting up on stage in front of an audience. I suppose she took my interest seriously because a few weeks later she asked me to help her out as a stage manager.

Lisa put thing together, it's the Wizard's Chamber!

Set Painting

Well, I was curious and now a new path had opened up to me. It was truly new, too. I didn't know what a stage manager was, for crying out loud. But I learned. I learned A LOT. John and Lisa joined in on the adventure, of course, and together we were led by Jen and the rest of the wonderful Brunswick Little Theatre family down a new and very rewarding path. We managed to insert ourselves into all sorts of things, from set painting and construction to costuming and props to promotion. And that was before we started dress rehearsals. By the time the opening night rolled around, we were well and truly a part of the show. Lisa took charge of the female leads' dressing room, even going so far as to help carry the show straight into the audience at one point. John worked as a sound tech, minding the microphones and learning how to operate the sound board. He did it so well that he ran it himself for the final show in front of the biggest audience of the whole run. I learned through experience that a stage manager does pretty much whatever needs doing. I can't begin to list all I learned or all I did, but I tried to soak up all I could and loved every minute of it.

One of my favorite things, learning to make trees "fly"

I think this summer experience was exactly what Walt meant when he said those words at the top of this post. We took on something entirely new for all of us. We learned and grew and expanded our horizons. We let curiosity lead the way, and our lives are forever better for it.

It's About The Memories

 

I love Pooh, but man do I miss Mr. Toad

I noted on Facebook this morning that one month from today will be the final day of our Disney vacation. I called that fact "bittersweet." I think I made myself misunderstood. I'm not dreading the end of the vacation I've looked forward to for so long. Sure, leaving the magical, totally fantastic and stress-free world of Walt Disney World and re-entering the real world via a drive up a massive eight lane super-highway is always a bit of a shock to the system, but it isn't ever truly sad. I never truly leave Disney, because Disney never truly leaves me. That's what this whole blog is about. I have real and vivid memories of Disney vacations going far back into my childhood, and this trip will be all about building upon them and creating new ones for myself, my wife and especially our son. I won't say I look forward to our vacation being over, but I know how much I'll revel in remembering it and sharing those memories once we return home.

I thought it was a bit of a fun coincidence when I found this article on a blog about the "mortality" of themed amusements like Walt Disney World. The author misses a few of the attractions at Epcot, Horizons specifically, and muses rather philosophic about his idea that attractions like this are "mortal" while so much of our entertainment is becoming "immortal" through the use of recording and electronic archiving. We'll probably always be able to see The Wizard of Oz somehow but once Snow White's Scary Adventures is closed and torn down, it's really and truly gone is his point. I'm not sure if he sees this as a good thing or a bad, but he says this is why he thinks Disney advertising has become focused on "Memories." I have to agree, and I think it's not a bad thing at all.

Selling "memories" is genius. It's good marketing, I mean who doesn't want to have and to give good memories? It's good business, but it's also DOING good. Our family will have a blast at Disney World. We will come home with mementos, pictures, stories and memories to last us a lifetime. No one can ever take those away. They are going to cost us quite a few dollars, but what else could we spend that money on that would last forever? Sure, we will become attached to rides and shows and attractions that are eventually upgraded, changed or completely replaced. But that's all ok. When we are in Fantasyland, you can bet I'll be showing John exactly where the submarines used to be, where the skyride station was and you can be doubly sure I'll be going on and on about Mr. Toad while we ride the Winnie the Pooh ride. Someday John will do the same thing with his children, pointing out where he used to enjoy this or that attraction that has "moved on." That's all part of the fun.

It really is all about the memories. Yes, this time next month we'll be on a busy highway somewhere in Florida headed north. But I don't dread that one bit. We'll be headed toward home where friends await to hear all about our trip, where we'll share our pictures and our stories over dinner and drinks. There will be calls to parents and grandparents. There will be MUCH blogging and re-living. There will be posting pictures on Facebook to brag about how much fun we had. I actually look forward to that part. And soon after we return, our friends will be headed to Disneyland in California and we will live vicariously though them and await their stories and pictures and excitement. It's all part of the magic, a magic that doesn't ever stop just because you aren't in a park.

And then...... well, and then it's time to plan the next trip :-)

Animation Run Amok

Disney sometimes gets criticized for being over-protective of it's intellectual property. The Disney Company holds copyright to many many stories and characters and iconic images, but these are the lifeblood of the company, the source of the magic Walt created all those years ago. I for one am happy to see Mickey remain outside the public domain and inside the embrace of Disney, and this past weekend my son and I found a perfect example of why I feel that way.

We took a Saturday trip to Carolina Beach, an island town just up the coast from our own. Carolina Beach is a bit, ummmm, let's say tackier than Oak Island. They have what they call a "boardwalk," though it hasn't any boards and is really just a two block stretch of bars and tourist trap souvenir shops. One newer attraction on the boardwalk, though, is a small collection of amusement rides, like you'd find at a traveling fair. It was daytime when we visited and they weren't running, but they were somehow even creepier in daylight than they would be at night, I suspect. We saw a dragon-headed roller coaster and a carousel with some truly disturbing animals to ride on. Then there was a fun house. It had a "cute" animated character theme, with a hodgepodge of familiar cartoon friends. Disney was represented by Buzz Lightyear and Tow Mater and Lightning McQueen. The Cars characters weren't too bad. I mean, they were not drawn particularly well, but they weren't horrible.

Mater actually looks ok compared to the rest of the airbrush artwork on this thing. Lightning looks a bit like he's very surprised, but hey, eyes are tricky in art, right?

Buzz Lightyear was another story. I mean wow. Check this out.

What is up here? Is this supposed to be an evil, alternate reality Buzz? John and I wondered what some poor unsuspecting kid would think walking up this with a happy image of Buzz from the Toy Story movies in his head. THIS is why Disney needs to keep a hold of it's copyrights. Please.

Magic In The Mailbox

First off, I've ditched the alphabet thing, it was fun and all but ended up making me less likely to post on my blog, not more.

Pooh Sticks was envisioned by me as a place to celebrate the magic of Disney in everyday life. This here is a perfect example. Last week was a rough one for me, nothing went right, it seemed like a whole week of Mondays. The lovely Lisa was out of town for a conference and so I was single Dad-ing it and feeling terrible about how long work was keeping me out of the house. Thursday I had to leave before dawn while John was still asleep and after a comedy of errors, wasn't able to make it home until after 7 pm. John is perfectly capable of taking care of himself, but he was cooped up in the house all alone for a long time, and I wanted to at least make the kid dinner, even if it was Hamburger helper (I know, can you get more stereotypical?). So I got home feeling pretty guilty and low. I went to the mailbox and found an envelop from Disney and raced inside to open it with John to see what it was.

Inside was Disney Magic. The first thing to drop out were those cool holographic luggage tags. We barely have what could be called by any normal person "luggage." We travel with a hodgepodge of duffle bags and rolling canvas suitcases, but hey, that's our style and we like it. However, we will be finding some way to attach these things to our stuff, because we have them and they are cool. Also included was a booklet of vouchers for various discounts and "freebies." When you make a reservation, all this stuff is listed for you, but I barely remembered what was there. John and I were thrilled to see on the same page coupons for mini-golf (which we have never tried at Disney) and the marinas. Both of these are things we intend to try at Disney this trip and being reminded of it after a long, pretty terrible day was true magic. Gone was the guilt and worry and frustration and replacing it was thoughts of cruising the Seven Seas Lagoons in Sea Sprites (or whatever they call them now) with my boy.

I'll be honest, I really don't even know what all else is in that book. I'm going to page through it and read every word over time, but for now I'm happy to just revel in my cool tags and 15% boat rental discount.

I know it's silly, but a part of me truly believes Walt is up there directing things like this to appear exactly when one truly needs it. I take that back, it's not silly. Believing in magic is never silly, it's necessary for our sanity.