The Disney Parks Blog brings us this wonderful video of the making of the new hitchhiking ghosts at Walt Disney World. I can’t wait to see this in person!
The New Hitchhiking Ghosts at WDW
Locate the Lamp!
This is a new series we are featuring that will be interactive. I will post a picture of a random lamp somewhere in the Disneyland Resort and your job is to locate that lamp!
Leave your answers in the comment section below.
Lamp #1
Haunted Mansion: Disneyland vs. Walt Disney World
In my opinion, Disneyland’s Mansion has the better exterior. I much prefer the southern style Mansion which fits perfectly in its New Orleans surroundings than the New York style Mansion at Walt Disney World.
But overall, WDW has the better Mansion. Ten years ago, I would have gone with Disneyland, but thanks to some recent updates at Walt Disney World, they are the winner. At WDW, there are new audio effects, an updated sound system, new scenes, more scenes, better special effects, a new interactive queue (which I have not seen yet), and they now have new hitchhiking ghosts effects. (Which I have also not seen.) But as of December of 2010 (My last trip to WDW), the better Mansion lies in Liberty Square at the Magic Kingdom of Walt Disney World.
Which do you prefer?
EDITOR’S NOTE:
Here are a couple videos and pictures of WDW’s Haunted Mansion’s new queue and hitchhiking ghosts. Thanks to Inside the Magic for these great videos and Express Monorail for the incredible picture of the new hitchhiking ghosts animatronics.
The Interactive Queue
The New Hitchhiking Ghosts
Hints to Pirates 4?
So what do we have here? Barbossa is introducing this video and there are a couple things to notice:
1. Barbossa is in his classic Barbossa pirate garb. Does this mean that by the end of the film Barbossa will be a pirate again and no longer working for the British Royal Navy?
2. Look closely at the last scene with Barbossa… Does something look familiar? Barbossa is lying on a bed with a skeleton looking through a magnifying glass! An obvious attraction reference! I have to assume he is on the set for the film because it looks too authentic for a quick promotional piece. I’m so excited for this reference and I really hope it makes the final cut.
“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” opens May 20th at a theatre near you!
50 Years of Disneyland
In May of 2005, Disneyland started its celebration for their 50th anniversary. To start the event, Disneyland had a press day where Disneyland was closed to the public. Fortunately for me, Disney decided to let a few select annual passholders attend and my Dad won tickets!
My Dad and I arrived to Disneyland early in the morning and Main St. was lined with gold carpet. Press and media were lined up and down Main St. getting ready for the day of festivities, which would soon include big time movie stars!
Once we made our way off of Main St., Disneyland was basically to ourselves. Since it was a press and media day, no one was riding rides, but they were still open. The first ride my Dad and I decided to go to was the Jungle Cruise. Since we were alone and had our own boat, the Jungle Cruise skipper let me “skip”! Boy was that thrilling!
Walking around the park was so exciting not only for the fact that we were alone, but because there were many new things to see to celebrate the anniversary. Throughout the park, rides and attractions had 50th anniversary logos on their facades. There were 50 of them in total and many of them were displayed in extremely creative ways.
Another unique thing Disney did to celebrate was to mark which attractions were there from the beginning. Each attraction which opened in July of 1955 had a bit of gold painted somewhere on it. Here is an example of the golden entrance to “Snow White’s Scary Adventures”.
After riding a few rides, my Dad and I headed back to Main St. and we saw Tim Allen preparing for the dedication of Disneyland’s newest attraction, “Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters”!
Disneyland closed that day around 5:00pm to get ready for its celebrity infested golden anniversary kick off. My Dad and I left having spent an incredible and magical day at Disneyland. The whole experience was very special to me and it is something I will never forget.
Haunting me until I return!
Last weekend, I went to Halloween Town in Burbank, CA. Halloween Town is a store owned by Rob Zombie and it sells all things horror. When entering the building, you are greeted by this happy haunt!
Top Ten Most Magical Disneyland Moments
These are ten things at the Disneyland Resort that make me feel like a kid again and marvel at the magic of Disney.
10. Off to Neverland – Even though the line for Peter Pan’s Flight is usually terribly long, there is one moment that everyone needs to experience. Inside the attraction, our flying pirate ships fly over London. It is one of the best uses of miniatures I have ever seen.
9. A Whale of a Whale – Storybookland Canal Boats… It begins in such a unique way that everyone should experience. You board a boat and soon after you are swallowed by Monstro the Whale!
8. Primeval World – A lot of people forget that there are dinosaurs at Disneyland. Ride the Disneyland Railroad from Tomorrowland to Main Street and you will visit the Grand Canyon and fantastic Primeval World. The scene has been basically untouched since it was introduced more than 40 years ago. It is a really special Disneyland moment.
7. Hell Bound – One of the most unique, creative, and unexpected scenes Disney has ever created for an attraction is in Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. The attractionends with us going to hell. The heat is turned up and tiny devils welcome us to our everlasting afterlife.
6. Pound ’em Lads! – One of the recent additions in Pirates of the Caribbean that I love are the cannonball effects. The giant splashes and air cannons really make the scene intense and thrilling. One could really believe that cannonballs are flying overhead!
5. The Smells of Disneyland – The sense of smell is perhaps the strongest of the five senses and there is no better place to exercise a person’s smelling ability than Disneyland. Some of the classic Disneyland smells are fresh churros, the musty water in Pirates of the Caribbean, and the unique odor in the Haunted Mansion foyer.
4. The Sounds of Disneyland – There are several sounds that stand out as magical moments for me. The Mark Twain Riverboat’s whistle, the sounds of Main Street vehicles, and the Disneyland Railroad’s whistle are just the beginning of how audio makes your trip to Disneyland authentic and memorable.
3. Leaving the World of Today – Walking underneath the Disneyland Railroad and entering Main Street is something magical. You have literally left the real world behind and entered a true Magic Kingdom.
2. Tinkerbell’s Flight – Fireworks are fun to watch, but adding a live Tinkerbell performer in flight makes it really special. It is so thrilling and exciting to see Tink fly from the majestic Matterhorn over Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.
1. Fantasmic’s Fire-Breathing Dragon – Sure Murphy had his technical problems, but when the gargantuan animatronic is working properly and he spews his fire, it is the most magical and awe-inspiring moment in all of Disneyland.
A Pirate’s Preview For Me!
Last night, David and I saw the special preview for “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” at Disneyland.
We were both pleasantly surprised to find out that the preview was to be held in Big Thunder Ranch. We had totally forgot about that theater area back there. It was great to see that again!
To start off our Pirate adventure, we were entertained by live actors in the queue. They did a fine job helping you pass the time. Then came my favorite part of the whole experience. An interactive animatronic parrot greets you and has conversations with passerbys. This was the same parrot that used to be out in front of “Pirates of the Caribbean” in Florida. Imagineering decided to make him walk the plank when they added Jack Sparrow and crew in the attraction. But now he is back from the depths of Davy Jones and he looks fantastic!
Once you enter the theater, you take a seat on the ground with your 3D glasses and get ready for a rollicking adventure. Cast members dressed as Pirates introduce the preview and in no time, you are experiencing “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”.
After your preview, keep a weather eye open for Jack Sparrow!
What Makes a Good Skipper?
We all know the Jungle Cruise. Whether you love it for the animatronic wildlife, the lush foliage, or bad puns, the Jungle Cruise is a true Disney “E-Ticket” attraction. But having a good skipper really does add something special to your journey through the world of adventure.
So I ask the readers of RemainSeatedPlease.com: What makes a good skipper? Should they stick to the script that we all know and love? What jokes work? Which fall flat?
Stay tuned for a thrilling and entertaining podcast where David and I discuss our favorite Jungle Cruise jokes! And who knows… Maybe we will even invent a new pun or two!
Top Ten Disneyland Resort Attractions
Disneyland Top Ten
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- The Haunted Mansion
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
- Splash Mountain
- Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Space Mountain
- Matterhorn Bobsleds
- Jungle Cruise
- Disneyland Railroad