Final Thoughts

I can't believe that this is my last post! It seems like just yesterday this semester was starting. To kind of wrap things up, I thought I'd dedicate this post to a few of my Disney favorites.

Favorite theme park: Magic Kingdom
If you haven't figured that one out already, you must not have even looked at my blog this semester. Pretty much every single ride I talked about is in the Magic Kingdom. There's just something so magically special about being here, it's a feeling that I can't really even describe. You walk through the gates and suddenly you can't help but realize "I'm actually here in the Happiest Place on Earth." Walking into town square and catching your first glimpse of Cinderella Castle gives you butterflies. Seeing all the little kids staring in awe, running without a care in the world, you can't help but smile. This is truly the Happiest Place on Earth.

Favorite land in the Magic Kingdom: Tomorrowland
I have expressed my infinite love for Tomorrowland many times on this blog. There's something about this "Future That Never Was" that makes me so incredibly happy. I don't know why, but this just screams Disney to me, and is always the first land I visit in the mornings and the last land I visit before we leave the park for the night. Tomorrowland is my happy place.

Favorite ride in all of Disney World: Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover
Trying to pick one ride is agonizing. However, if I had to pick, it would be the TTA. I outlined this ride in one of my posts, and I can't stress enough how perfect this ride is. It holds a very special place in my heart. I often listen to the ride audio of it in the background while I'm studying, especially for finals!

Favorite Disney Food: Mickey Bars
Simple yet delicious. I have very fond memories of my little brother trying to eat one of these and smearing it all over his face in the process. It's ice cream covered in chocolate and shaped like my favorite mouse. Need I say any more?

Favorite Disney Hotel: The Contemporary Resort

I have never had the privilege of staying here, but it is my dream resort. Ever since I first saw the hotel from the monorail when I was 8 years old, I've had dreams of staying here.

 

Favorite Disney Restaurant: Cinderella's Royal Table

This is a restaurant inside of Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom. On top of that, it serves amazing food and sometimes Cinderella herself is there. Definitely one of the coolest places I've ever eaten.

Favorite Face Character: Ariel

There are two different types of characters at Disney World, and Face Characters are the ones that can talk to you and you can see their face. Ariel is flawless, with and without her tail.

Favorite Fur Character: Winnie the Pooh
Pooh is my favorite Disney character in general, so it's no surprise he's also my favorite Fur Character. One of my favorite Disney memories started when I was 7 and tripped in Epcot and skinned my knee pretty badly. I was bummed out the rest of the day, and kept whimpering about my knee hurting. For dinner that night, my parents had gotten us a reservation at a restaurant where there was character dining with Pooh characters. When he came over to our table, he waved hello and his character attendant said "Pooh wants to know how your day has been here in Epcot!" I told him about scraping my knee, and he gave me a huge hug and kissed me on the top of my head. It instantly made me feel so much better.

Favorite Shop: World of Disney

This is actually the largest Disney store in the world, and it is the coolest and most amazing store you'll ever walk in to.

Favorite Parade: The Main Street Electrical Parade

This nighttime show is a classic, and was brought back by popular demand in 2010.

Favorite nighttime fireworks: Wishes

Let me just come out and say this: Wishes makes me cry. I'm not just talking about tearing up a little, I'm talking about full-on, tears streaming down your face kind of crying. Just standing in the dark with huge amounts of people, staring up at Cinderella Castle and listening to Jiminy Cricket tell you all about the power of wishes. There's no feeling like it, and that's why I always always cry.

Everyone has something that they truly love, something that makes them happy even on the darkest of days. It might be music or a sport or any kind of hobby, but for me, it's Disney. This semester has been a stressful one for me, trying to balance school and work and family and friends. Something that honestly helped me get through it was this blog. Dedicating time to each and every post and getting to write and research something I love was almost therapeutic. If you find something that you really, truly love, embrace it. I've always been the "Disney girl", and I'm okay with that. Some may say it's childish, but I could care less. Those people have obviously never experienced the magic of Disney. Don't ever stop loving what you love. This has been a great semester, and I wish all of you the very best! Always remember, "No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true." ♥

"It's a world of laughter a world of tears, it's a world of hopes and a world of fears. There's so much that we share that it's time we're aware, it's a small world after all!"

Welcome to It's a Small World!

Like many other classic Disney attractions, It's a Small World did not start off in Disney World. Built for the UNICEF Pavilion at the 1964 World's Fair, It's a Small World showed that everyone around the world has many things in common, even though we're all different. 

The 1964 World's Fair was a huge deal for Disney. They actually had four attractions at the fair, It's a Small World, The Carousel of Progress, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, and The Magic Skyway. Every single one of these attractions were sent to Disneyland after the fair ended in 1966.

Mary Blair, now considered a Disney legend, was responsible for the ride's whimsical design. Over 300 animatronic dolls are featured in the ride representing almost every country in the world. They sing a song about world peace, and that even though we may look and act different, we're all really the same.

It's a Small World was an opening day attraction at the Magic Kingdom. Because of Florida's frequent rainy weather, the attraction is housed completely indoors (bottom), compared to the Disneyland and Disneyland Paris (top) versions of the ride, which have their facades outdoors. 

It's a Small World has gotten somewhat of a bad rap in popular culture. You may remember in the movie The Lion King, Zazu sings the theme song to the attraction and Scar responds "No! No! Anything but that!"

A lot of people like to joke around that the song is annoying and the ride is too long and the dolls are scary. If you go down the page a little and click on the ride-through video I posted of the attraction, just look at the comments people leave. "The Geneva Conventions recognize this song as a form of torture." "The song makes everyone mad, mentally and emotionally." Really people? I mean Disney even released a tshirt at one point that claims "I conquered It's a Small World!" parodying similar tshirts for large roller coasters at the park.

I think these kind of things are funny, but I don't think people really "get" what It's a Small World is really about. The message of the ride is just as current today as it was back in 1964. We're all the same even though we look different and act different and come from different places. I think that message is really important and very special and It's a Small World really is an awesome reminder.

Here's a ride-through of the attraction, make sure you watch it in HD!

Your boat will pass through different rooms representing different continents. Inside each room there are dolls that represent certain countries. Sometimes the theme song will even change to the native language of the countries you're near. This ride mainly is just one that you can sit back and relaxingly enjoy. It's really a wonderful atmosphere and you can tell how much love this attraction has to give.

"There's a great big, beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day!"

Welcome to Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress!

Are you ready for a history lesson, beginning all the way back in 1964? Then keep on reading, because the Carousel of Progress is a fascinating gem in Disney history that definitely does not begin with the Magic Kingdom. Watch this wonderful clip of Walt introducing you to his pride and joy, right before it went to the World's Fair.

Created by Walt Disney for GE's pavilion at the 1964 World's Fair, the Carousel of Progress is a rotating theater show exploring the joys of living through the twentieth century, and showcasing the American family through technological progresses and advances. So basically, the show follows one family through the twentieth century, giving peeks into their life and how they're living in whatever decade that act is focusing on (remember when we talked about Horizons, the attraction from Epcot Center? The Carousel of Progress is considered to be the prequel to that).

The Carousel of Progress held a special place in Walt Disney's heart. Various sources say he proclaimed that the Carousel of Progress was his favorite attraction and that it should never cease operation. This can be somewhat supported by family and friends, who knew of his work and devotion to the attraction.

To keep it up with the times, the attraction has been updated five times (in 1967, 1975, 1981, 1985, and 1993) and has had two different theme songs, both written by the Sherman Brothers, titled "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" and "Now is the Time".

After the 1964 World's Fair was over, Walt had the Carousel of Progress moved to Disneyland to find a home in Tomorrowland. However, by the early 1970s, the Carousel of Progress saw dwindling audiences. GE (the attraction's sponsor) thought they were not benefiting much from the Carousel of Progress, since they figured most people who were attending the show had already seen it many times. GE asked Disney to move the show to their new Magic Kingdom. The Disneyland show closed in 1973 and was packed up for Florida.

Extensive changes were made when the attraction moved to Walt Disney World. Along with many changes and updates were made to the actual show, the theme song was changed from "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" to "Now is the Time". Both songs were written by the Sherman Brothers. GE wanted to change the theme song because they didn't want their customers to wait for a great big beautiful tomorrow to buy their products, they wanted to let them know that now is the time to buy GE products! Sounds a little ridiculous to me, but oh well. (The Sherman Brothers actually are known for saying that the original theme song is one that they prefer over the second.)

 In 1985, GE's sponsorship ended, and they chose not to renew.The attraction was temporarily closed so that all the GE references in the show could be removed. This was actually the fourth time the attraction had been updated since 1964. In 1993, the show was updated again to go along with the major Tomorrowland rehaul. The exterior and interior were both updated to reflect new Tomorrowland's theme. Because of a decrease in tourism after the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Carousel of Progress was closed. In reopened on a seasonal basis, which means it was only open during peak crowd seasons. This caused many fans to become concerned over the attraction's future. Although numerous "permanent closure" rumors still plague the attraction, Disney has consistently said that there are no plans for permanent closure or any closure at all.Though it is still listed as a seasonal attraction, it has remained open nearly every day of the year and during the Magic Kingdom's regular park hours since 2003.

Like I mentioned earlier, Horizons is considered the sequel to the Carousel of Progress. Horizons was also sponsored by GE, and the family in Horizons is nearly identical to the family in the Carousel of Progress. Here's a picture of the dad from the Carousel of Progress (right) and the dad from Horizons (left) (this picture is a bit harder to see unfortunately).

Here's a great video of the Carousel of Progress, make sure you watch in HD!

Act 1 is during the 1900s,

Act 2 is during the 1930s,

Act 3 is during the 1940s,

And act 4 is during the 21st century!

When the Carousel of Progress is updated, the only major change is usually to Act 4, because it's set in the future. Here's a look at how much it's changed over the years.

1964:

1967:

1975:

1981/85:

1993 (today's version):

The Carousel of Progress hasn't been updated since 1993, which I think means that it will be updated again very soon. It doesn't seem like it, but that's 20 years without an update to Act 4! Today's current vision of the future is a little outdated, which I think isn't very good because this attraction was so precious to Walt and I know he would want it to keep as updated as possible. The Carousel of Progress holds a special place in my heart, and I make sure to visit it every single time I'm in the Magic Kingdom. Knowing that it was an attraction that Walt himself loved and worked on makes it even more special for me. So remember, there's a great big beautiful tomorrow shining at the end of every day!

"Zip-a-de-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay! My oh my, what a wonderful day!"

Welcome to Splash Mountain!

You may have ridden log-flume rides before, but you've never ridden one like Splash Mountain. Opening in the Magic Kingdom in 1992, this ride has been a park staple ever since, and is number three on my list of all-time favorite attractions. There's a lot of history behind this attraction, and like so many other attractions, it begins in Disneyland.

The idea for Splash Mountain was conceived in 1983 by Imagineer Tony Baxter. He wanted to attract guests to the often-empty Bear Country area of Disneyland and make use of the Audio-Animatronics from America Sings, an animatronic show in Tomorrowland that was nine years old at the time. At first, Imagineers thought that a log-flume ride was too common and didn't belong in a Disney park. However, it was decided that the ride would be built.

At the time it was built, Splash Mountain was one of the most expensive projects created by Imagineers at a cost of $75 million. According to Alice Davis (wife of the late Imagineer Marc Davis), production of Disneyland's Splash Mountain had gone far over budget and the only way to recover was to close down America Sings and use the characters from that attraction (America Sings geese are on the left, and the same geese are in Splash Mountain, on the right).

America Sings was closed April 10, 1988. (below).

Now just to be clear, these animatronics are only reused at Disneyland. Disney World replicated the attraction three years later, but with all new animatronics.

Actually, something I find very interesting is that before America Sings even closed, a goose animatronic was stripped down and used in Disneyland's Star Tours attraction. Kinda cool, but also kinda creepy!

Baxter and his team developed the concept of Zip-a-Dee River Run, which would incorporate scenes from Song of the South. The name was later changed to Splash Mountain. The characters from America Sings were used in many scenes, though all of the main characters (Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox, and Br'er Bear) were specifically designed for Splash Mountain.

Many people might not be familiar with Song of the South, the movie Splash Mountain is loosely based off of. That's because it's currently banned in the United States. Song of the South is a 1946 American live-action/animated musical film produced by Walt Disney based on the Uncle Remus stories collected by Joel Chandler Harris. It was Disney's first feature film using live actors with animated characters interacting with them. The film depicts the character Uncle Remus, an African-American former slave, cheerfully relating to several children the folk tales of the adventures of Br'er Rabbit and his friends.

The film's depiction of African-American former slaves and of race relations in Georgia has been controversial since its original release, and is now regarded as racist. Basically, people say that it glorifies slavery and the relationship between slaves and their masters. It has never been released in its entirety on home video in the US. The ride actually has nothing to do with the issue of slavery or Uncle Remus or any of the controversial stuff in the movie. You can understand the story of the ride without even knowing that it's based off a 1946 movie about slavery. It's purely about Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox, and Br'er Bear.

So, are you ready to ride? (Make sure you watch in HD!)

If you haven't noticed by now, I'm huge on background music and the kind of atmosphere it can create. Splash Mountain, with it's cheery, folksy, uplifting tunes really creates the mood for this attraction. I honestly can't even describe the feeling I get when riding it, especially in the beginning (around 1:48) where you're outside and the sky is blue and you're thinking to yourself "Man, I'm in the happiest place on Earth, life is so good!". Plus, I love water rides, so Splash Mountain is my happy place. It's so hard to describe! This ride is completely immersive, and truly makes you feel like you're in a different world.

Basically, the story line here is that Br'er Rabbit is going away from home. He wants to go out and explore and find adventure.

At first, it sounds like a great idea! But then we see Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear are out to get him. Every time they try and trap Br'er Rabbit, their plan gets foiled. Around 4:22, we even see Br'er Bear get caught in the trap instead of Br'er Rabbit!

After another huge drop in the dark (5:20), we're in The Laughin' Place. Everyone is giddy with laughter, and Br'er Rabbit doesn't even notice when Br'er Fox is about to trap him with a bee's nest.

We ride further into the Laughin' Place with one more small drop in the dark. Finally, Br'er Fox has caught Br'er Rabbit, and is going to throw him into the Briar Patch! A couple of foreboding vultures tell us mockingly "If you've finally found your laughing place, how come you aren't laughing?"

This is the big drop! The music here creates such a suspense, because you know that this drop is huge and even though it's not really scary, you can't help but feel the suspense! In this case, you're Br'er Rabbit and you're being thrown into the Briar Patch!

If you pause the video at 8:21, you'll see one of the best views ever. The Briar Patch, Frontierland, and Cinderella Castle is even peeking out over the trees. Okay, continue!

Now you're absolutely soaked! Your 53 ft drop at 40 MPH really was thrilling, and you can't help but smile. How much fun was that?
Back at home, everyone is celebrating Br'er Rabbit's return, and he sings about how glad he is to be back in the Briar Patch.

Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear are barely escaping the jaws of an alligator!

Now, unfortunately, it's time to unload. I hope you had fun! The exit leads to a gift shop, where you can view and purchase a picture of your log just as it was dropping. My family and I have gotten many of these pictures over the years! I was able to find pictures from 2004 (this one's kind of blurry), 2005, and 2006, which was pretty awesome and brought back a ton of memories. My dad and brother and I always requested to be in the front row, which, in my opinion, makes the ride even better.

I've basically been a Splash Mountain junkie ever since my first trip here. But really, can you blame me?