Oswald Opines - Limited Time Magic

Happy Hans Plays On the Matterhorn

I have heard a lot of folks express their opinions on podcasts and blogs about Disney Parks’ Limited Time Magic promotion this year.  But I was holding off making an opinion until I experienced it myself.  In fact, I was kind of excited that during my summer vacation at the Disneyland Resort there would be some new entertainment that I had not planned for.  But would it hold up as I experienced three offerings of Limited Time Magic?

• 4th of July All Week:  The Between Family hit the park on the last day of this offering.  We were promised 4th of July fireworks, merchandise and food.  I never saw food.  None of the merchandise was for me.  And the fireworks were fireworks, though it was very nice to see a new fireworks show since I have only seen “Magical” at Disneyland.   So in the end the fireworks were a value add, but that was the only bonus to my one day of this offering. 

• Alpine Music on the Matterhorn: For the majority of days in the park the promotion was Happy Hans and his son Eric joining the Matterhorn climbers on this park icon.  I could see a little yellow spot from various locations on the park, but it was not until the last day of the promotion that I actually heard the duo play.  The music was good, I heard an Alpine remix of “it’s a small world” but sadly the very loud music drummed out the audio from the Walking in Walt’s Footsteps tour.  The other bonus was the Matterhorn Macaroon at Edelwiess Snacks.  Now I love this snack, and the Between Kid could eat them like Dole Whip!  We ate a few of the macaroons on this trip.  But they were all purchased at the Jolly Holiday Bakery.  So sadly, this promotion had little to no impact on my touring.

• The Dapper Dans Sing: So we were also in the park for one day of the Dapper Dans singing boy band songs.  This is a repeat offering.  I saw the Dapper Dans once with a gathering of 50 or so guests around them from the other side of Main Street.  I could not hear them singing, had places to go and could not stop to listen to their take on the Backstreet Boys!  So it did not impact my vacation.

In my opinion, Limited Time Magic added little to my vacation.  It could have been Limited Time Meh.  The offerings, unlike the return of the Golden Horseshoe Review, created no excitement in the Between Family.  I am very glad we did not take Limited Time Magic into account in our vacation planning.  We honestly could not be bothered by the offerings to stop our walks to attractions we were excited about.  After being in the park during the Year of a Million Dreams, I was very disappointed as there was no excitement around this year’s marketing promotion.  Maybe in 2014, they will do better!

Goofy Gadgets - Disneyland Adventures

The Between Family may be a little late to the party, but recently we have picked up a copy of Kinect Disneyland Adventures.  And it has led the family to a whole new level of Dreaming Disney as we have experienced a little piece of Disneyland right in our living room.  You can get a full review of the game elsewhere including walk throughs and technical specifications.  Instead I plan to provide you our observations about using the game to connect to the Disney Parks experience.

Take a walk in the park! 

·        You really are navigating through Disneyland.  And the Between Kids love walking    around and trying to go from point A to point B.  They could use the map to jump right to the mini games they want, but they are more satisfied when their character walks there on their own. 

·        The graphics and soundtrack make you feel like you are really at Disneyland from your living room.  The background music is Disneyland background music.  The buildings are Disneyland show buildings.  Kinect Disneyland Adventure is likely the best virtual representation of the Disneyland Park that a family can have in their living room. 

·        The Between Kids love interacting with the park and hugging characters and gathering autographs though we are nowhere near Disneyland. 

Bring on the mini games! 

·         Players do not ride the Disneyland rides per say, but instead plays mini games that have links to the ride.  So on the Matterhorn you ski with Goofy and have a snowball fight with the Yeti.  On Pirates of the Caribbean you battle alligators and seek treasure.  And in The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, you experience a completely random set of scenes, sorry that’s the ride.  I mean you float on a balloon gathering coins and honey pots.  Though not the rides themselves they are in the spirit of the rides.

·         The Between Family are not big gamers. But overall these games are easy to play and even the youngest Between Kid can navigate through the games and control the action on the screen.

Move It, Move It!

·         During the winter I worry that the active Between Kids don’t have enough opportunity to work off their excess energy.  And I do not like them sitting stationary in front of a television if we can avoid it.  Instead with this game they are moving moving moving.  They have to reach, grasp, jump, shuffle and move to make the mini games work, making happy Between Parents. 

Not all animation is created equal.

·         Some of the animation in the setup scenes and mini games is really terrific.  Which makes it clear when animated scenes are not, well, that good.  For example the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh scenes just does not compare to well to others.

In or Out?

·         The Between Family is not skilled with the Kinect yet.  So we find it relatively easy to be dropped in and out of the game by the X-Box.  Now one advantage this gives is easy handoffs so members of the family can easily take turns without the game having to be turned off.  But it also means sometimes it is easy to accidently drop yourself out of the game because you did not move enough or stood in the wrong place without knowing it, even if you are an adult.

·         The game assigns players an avatar.  With dropping in and out occurring sometimes it is difficult to realize which avatar you are.  Am I the girl right now?  Am I wearing a hat?  It can get a little confusing.

Oui my back!

·         I have a history of back issues.  Strangely enough I have never had back issues when visiting a Disney Park, I have felt very lucky about this.  Kinect Disneyland Adventures is the first game I ever played with Kinect.  And I strained my back, my first Disney related back issue.  I was trying to walk through the park instead of pointing my character through the park.  This lead to what could only be called a “silly walk.”  So I would suggest game players if it feels weird, you may be doing it wrong!

Despite any negative points here, The Between Family love this game.  It is the perfect game for Disney fans connecting you in an active way to the Disneyland Park in your living room.  It is a whole bunch of awesome.  Every member of the family enjoys playing!  It has brought one of our favorite places virtually into our home and in a way where we can interact with it.   

Between Books – Mouse Tales

Mouse Tales: A Behind -The-Ears Look at Disneyland by David Koenig provides readers a glimpse behind the magic of the Disneyland Resort.  Koenig uses non-Disney sources including former cast interviews (often anonymous), news articles, police blotters, and legal proceedings to provide an overview of Disneyland topics that would never be included in official Disney presentations.  These topics include cast member experiences, poorly behaving guests, crime and crime prevention, lawsuits against Disney and deaths within the park.  Koenig digs in-depth within these topics and provides context to issues such as why you should not stand up on rides, what happens when a guest or cast member is hurt or dies or property and why Disney has been so successful in fighting lawsuits. 

I really enjoy this book.  And I cannot recommend it enough.  When I read it the first time several years ago it made me want to dig deeper into information about the Disney parks including information that Disney may not wish to promote.  Koenig’s writing is highly entertaining and he helps bring to life information that could only be found in largely dry non-Disney documents and sources.  It is a book you just will not want to put down.  Reading this book sealed the deal for me; I don’t want to work Big Thunder Mountain.  No I want to be a tour guide on the Jungle Cruise.  They just have more fun!  Or at least they used to.  I read this book before I had visited Disneyland for the first time, and because of Koenig’s descriptions of deaths that have occurred involving the Matterhorn and the Mark Twain, I probably approached those rides with a very different view than the average tourist.  Let us just say my kids have been reminded not to stand or else when riding the very safe and fun Matterhorn.  And while I am not a lawyer, Koenig helped me to appreciate how Disneyland has been a target for lawsuits, since surely Disney will settle before trial due to their deep pockets.   And he explains how Disney has successfully fought past frivolous lawsuits while resolving many incidents at which they were at fault outside of the courts. 

Mouse Tales for me is a must have in your Disney library.  It’s fun, informative and highly readable.  Koenig’s book is one that will make you want to know more about Disney parks and will likely lead to your Disney library multiplying even if you live Between Disney.    

 

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