Happy 50th Anniversary, Haunted Mansion!
Mansion Mondays!
In addition to Matterhorn Monday pics, I love seeing the Mansion Monday pics on Instagram! Just like last week’s post, I created a “one stop shop” for you to see these right on your desktop in a rotating gallery that self-updates!
Now, when you search for Mansion Mondays on our site, Google, or just by bookmarking this page, you’ll have this nifty gallery below!
Happy posting!
Gallery provided by the good people at http://www.instush.com. Gallery refreshes ever 10-30 minutes. Some photos may not be of the Haunted Mansion or any other Disney park rides.
Photo Gallery: Club 33 (2010)
For “Throwback Thursday” this week, we decided to go WAY back to 2010!
In 2010, we got to visit Club 33 — FINALLY! We are so glad we did, looking back, because we were able to see the game room and the original entry way from when it opened. Both are now gone with last year’s refurbishment.
Take a look at our photos from that trip here. Do you have some favorite photos? Let’s seem them below!
Our Top 5 Christmas Things at Disney Parks!
Cell Phone Crashing: Disneyland Edition
I was linked to this video yesterday and couldn’t stop laughing — I HAD TO SHARE! I’m not sure if you’ve ever seen this guy or heard of him and this sketch but he’s hilarious. MediocreFilms puts out his borderline Dad-joke level of humor videos and they come off as hilarious. And now, he’s taken Disneyland!
Watch these two videos — a main edit and an outtakes edit. Super funny and SUPER awkward… for some.
Disneyland Signage
Details. Details. Details. Disneyland is all about the details. One might think when starting a project from scratch that uniformity is key to telling a narrative story. When I cut a video, I need to make sure that all the graphics flow, fonts match, sizes match and are aesthetically pleasing. The key to my work is not to be noticed. Disney took this to the next level when creating a park with many different lands, messages, and simultaneous stories.
Today, I’d like to point out the amazing signage at the park. In just under 20 minutes, I captured so many different signs in the park. From Tomorrowland restrooms to New Orleans Square, one is bombarded by messages pointing in one direction or another. These signs are so perfectly themed that one might not even notice them.
I don’t know what it is but these 19th century signs just make my day. Super simple and unique yet effective. It really matches the theme of the First Aid and Lost and Found offices over on Main Street USA which is also modeled after a late 19th century town. This sign was found in Tomorrowland but draws the connection to this particular storyline.
These restrooms look almost untouched since 1955. They’re tucked away between Innoventions, Autopia, and the Tomorrowland train station. Starting with the signage up top, I think it’s the yellowing of the plastic sign, the font size and shape as well as font color that give it away. In addition to its tucked-away nature, I like to think that this building looks just as it did when the park first opened (even though its adjacent attraction, Carousel of Progress, didn’t open until 1967.)
The lower sign suggests a future when alien and human life might live together. I particularly love the Women’s signage as the taller alien woman looks to be wearing a dress but upon further inspection, she’s got some kind of tentacle/scale motif going on. Nice touch. Even the alien language here continues the theme in a more cerebral way. By far one of my favorite park details.
Check out this Autopia sign in Tomorrowland. Complete with pistons supporting the letters and a checkered flag, one could see this sign without knowing there was a ride and “get it.” Ingenious.
There are plenty uses of this sign around the park. The first time I noticed it was on Haunted Mansion and it was pointed out by a buddy of mine. Since then, I have noticed it in every park I have been to. While it’s standard safely protocol and less about the imagineers trying to tell a story, storytelling seems to be inherent in the guests now as we make our own stories for standard signage. We like to think that one must remain seated and not dance on the rides. Seems to stand true, in a sense.
From the font to the color scheme, the imagineers nailed it with this attraction. The wait-time board matches the attraction signage which matches the look and feel of the attraction. And, while I could have desaturated the colors in this photo and made it look more cold and “scary,” I chose to really keep it true to how it appears in person because even then, the sign itself “betrays an aura of foreboding…” The imagineers hit a home-run with this attraction’s signage and trend-setting font.
Finally, we take a look at a reference to an old attraction. The Country Bear Jamboree, while gone from Critter Country at Disneyland, is alive in plenty of references throughout the current Critter Country. Even the Winnie the Pooh attraction has some of the old animatronics from the old show. But in this sign from the Hungry Bear restaurant, we see our cast of misfit critters thanking us for visiting. Not sure if the kids will get it but it still fits within the theme of the land and parents will get a smile remembering the attraction that used to be. Luckily, the parents can still take a trip to Walt Disney World and show their kids a version of the show that still operates daily in Frontierland.
While we only touch on some of the great signage, take a look around next time you’re at the parks. There are details all around you that you may take for granted — and that’s their job!
Fantasmic! Glow With the Show – REVIEW! Pt. 1
Wow — just wow. This show’s dramatic soundtrack mixed with the Glow With the Show ears is mind-blowing.
We got to the park, checked in, and got a spot along the Rivers of America by 8:15 pm. The park was delightfully empty for a summer evening and we landed an incredible spot front and center. Thinking back on it now, I suppose we got there pretty early but considering the check-in started at noon and I am not typically off work until 7, I figured we would get a good spot near the back which would offer an incredible perspective of the Glow With the Show experience.
Anyway, we took turns leaving the spot to run some errands — picking up Halloween stuff for our new home, replacing some defective first-run GWTS ears (the first batch were rushed and are inherently defective. You can get a voucher to replace them from City Hall and take it to any GWTS ear outlet for a replacement — FREE!*), and getting some Pumpkin Fritters which are getting justifiable internet buzz.
New ears in-hand, epic spot secured, we were then met with some of TDA’s inhospitable customer service follies: everyone on the Rivers of America were required, when the park closed, to clear the area and reenter to ensure no one was getting into the show that was not an AP that had RSVP’d and wearing a wristband. Even more ridiculous, I had my wristband checked every time I would leave and reenter the area. It was severely unorganized and not a single person was ok with the decision. We even witnessed a cast member forcing someone in a wheelchair to walk up the steps to wait with the rest of the crowd and everyone in the area was utterly confused as to how this made any sense. I understand the idea of checking wristbands but the person that cleared us out could have, instead, just checked the wristbands one by one. It was not overly crowded and it did not seem that anyone was outnumbered or overwhelmed. It seemed like a gross exercise of power and mismanagement. One may never understand their rationale once something that seemed like a good idea on paper in-turn becomes a terrible idea in practice. It seems that reason goes out the door and people will only do what they’re told as opposed to stepping back and finding an alternative. We need, and frankly expect, more improvisation from our TDA leaders with the ability to adapt at a moment’s notice. Anyway, everyone got back to their original spots so all-in-all it worked out in their favor but my wife said that while she offered her wristband upon reentering the area, not a single cast member checked it or lit it up with a flashlight.
Once back in the area, I was worried about the quality of the show. While it appeared everyone in the area had their ears out and on, it was not as impressive as the WoC display. Was the area not large enough? Had people not brought or bought ears?
That is, of course, until the show started. Just — wow. Everyone had their ears on and synced up with the show. Every music cue was accented by the GWTS ears and the vocal response from the AP’s solidified, we were a part of something so special. I’ll follow this review up this weekend with video coverage of the show to hopefully drive the point home that this was an incredible experience and should not be missed! I can’t help but think GWTS will be added to “Wishes…” this holiday season and how incredible that’s going to look!
* I did not pay for my original ears — they came from the GWTS premiere with World of Color at DCA. I was never asked for proof of purchase but cannot guarantee everyone’s experience will be the same.
Disneyana: Shag
Adding to our list of Disneyana here at Remain Seated Please, I wanted to share this piece my wife and I just got from Disneyland. Online, it looks like this piece is pretty old but I absolutely love it!
This piece shows Shag’s take on New Orleans Square. It depicts a family between Pirates and Mansion with the father taking a photo. This picture, minus the kid, basically is my wife and I at the parks! I love Shag’s 60s style, I love that it has a 60s take on the Mansion, and I love how the characters look so enamored with the park. I can only hope my kid is as cool as this one some day.
Do you have a favorite Shag piece? Let us know in the comments below!
The Grand Canyon and Primeval World
A few weeks ago, we went down to the parks and the first thing we did was ride the Disneyland Railroad. Our plan was to do a grand circle tour plus one stop to NOS. On the ride, I decided to see how well we could capture the Grand Canyon Diorama and Primeval World and what came out looked really great!
Let us know what other video content you would like to see on the site! We hope to have some great interviews coming in the next few months.
Disneyland Custodial Artwork
This was one of the coolest things I have seen at the park. A quick google search will show that the custodial team at TDA has been at this for a while, but with as much time as I have spent at the parks I have never seen this!
We had just finished out Fantasmic! 20th anniversary showing, had already ridden on Big Thunder Mountain and were headed to Pirates… when we saw a few people admiring something on the ground. We saw some water on the ground and as our eyes adjusted to the ground in front of Riverbell Terrace, we realized that it was artwork!
Here are some pictures we snapped of a few of the characters drawn on the ground and to boot, I caught some video of the cast member drawing a huge Mickey Mouse in front of Pirates! Enjoy!
