Mousey Movies - The Muppets Addendum

The Muppets are back and here to stay for awhile.  At the March 13, 2012, annual meeting, Walt Disney President Bob Iger stated that a sequel is in the works for The Muppets.  Clearly the House of Mouse is happy with the performance of this Mousey Movie.    

When I first watched The Muppets in the theater I immediately declared it a Mousey Movie.  It is just so so rich when you are seeking Disney references.  With the release of the movie on DVD and Blu-ray I realized that I missed tons of Mousey reverences and that I needed to correct my oversights from my original viewing. 

·    The Disneyland Band:  What is a Muppet production without a big musical number?  “Life’s a Happy Song” at the beginning of the movie really sets the story, letting us know how great things are in Smalltown and the positive attitudes our main characters Walter, Gary and Mary have towards life.  Of course if you have a big musical number you need a band!  A marching band dances and plays behind the citizens of Smalltown as our happy trio lead the community in song.  The marching band is made up of members of the Disneyland Band.  Okay, I can’t take credit for finding this one, because to me all marching bands pretty much look alike.  The credit for this find goes to the official DisneyParks Blog.            

·    Theme Park Problems:  Walter has a problem as he plans his visit to the home of his heroes, The Muppet Studio.  What to do first?  Which attraction will have the shortest lines and the longest lines?  Walter needs to maximize his touring day!  Every parks addict knows what Walter needs is a Touring Plan!      

·    Kermit’s Wall of Stars: At the Muppets Studio one could visit Kermit’s Office, it used to be the highlight of the tour I hear.  On Kermit’s wall are several portraits of Kermit with celebrities and former guest hosts for the The Muppet Show.  One may find a former English nanny and sometimes Queen of a small European nation on the wall.  You can also see pictures of Kermit with Steve Martin, a former Disneyland cast member who credits the late Disney Legend Wally Boag for inspiring much of his early comedy.  But for me the picture that jumps out is one of Kermit with his creator Jim Henson.  This may be cheating to call a tribute to the creator of the Muppets as Mousey, but in 2011 the late Jim Henson was named a Disney Legend securing his place within the legacy of the House of Mouse. 

·    Toy Dinosaurs:  Music supervisor Bret McKenzie was familiar with actress Kristen Schaal as both worked on the show Flight of the Conchords, but so are Disney fans.  Schaal’s anger management instructors share a voice with all Disney fans second favorite dinosaur, first with web surfing skills, Trixie from Toy Story 3. 

·    Hidden Mickey: As everything great and wonderful should start with a larger than life musical number, we all know from spending time in the parks that the night should end with fireworks.  Towards the end of The Muppets we get those fireworks.  For those who want to see it, three firework explosions create a classic hidden Mickey.

·    The Lost Scenes:  The special features of the Blu-Ray disc contains tons of Mousey Moments.  I direct your attention to the Deleted Scenes!  One scene includes an alternative arrival for Walter, Gary and Mary in Los Angeles.  In this version the Greyhound bus delivers them directly to the front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, a duplicate of which can be found in Disney’s Hollywood Studios containing The Great Movie Ride.  Television executive Veronica shows the Muppets a number of popular shows on her network.  This includes Credit Card Club which stars Modern Family’s Sarah Hyland and So Random’s Sterling Knight.  And another deleted scene shows the Muppets staging a fake Academy Awards presentation to find a host for their telethon.  The event is broken up by frequent Academy Awards host Billy Crystal, who notes some of the Oscar statues are made of chocolate.  Everyone loves Crystal as the voice of Mike in Monsters, Inc. and the future Monsters University. 

The Muppets is such a rich movie when it comes to gags, puns and pop culture references.  I am sure I will see even more in my next viewing, and the one after that.  It already has a place of honor in the Between Household as the Between Kids are addicted to “Man or Muppet.”  The Muppets make everyday in Between Land a day where “Everything is great everything is grand”      

This post is part of the Disney Blog Carnival. Head over there to see more great Disney-related posts and articles."

Dreaming Disney - WDW Today

Years ago I would have to say that I was only a casual Disney fan.  Disney movies were always present and we owned the biggest pile of VHS Disney in our circle of friends.  And I had been to the Walt Disney World not once but twice.  But I really was just your typical easy to manage non-fanatical Disney fan.  Yep I was a pretty normal guy.

Then I decided I needed to up my participation in the planning for a third trip to Walt Disney World.  In that increased participation I moved past www.AllEars.net and decided to try out a planning podcast or two.  On AllEars I found a reference to a podcast called WDW Today and I have not looked back since.     

What I found was a wealth of information that anyone planning a Walt Disney World vacation would need.  I sampled an episode and then downloaded 20 other topics.  Each episode was around 30 minutes or less, making each easily digestible.  And other than the general Listener Question episodes, typically released on Wednesdays, all episodes had a uniting theme.  So, if you wanted to know about hurricanes, they did it.  Segway tours, it’s in the can.  Perhaps you are interested in cult foods especially Dole Whip, yep they’ve been there.  If you want a detailed report on drinking around the world at Epcot, they have done it not once not twice but three times.  With the show reaching towards 1,000 episodes they have covered tons of topics that would help anyone plan their Walt Disney World vacation including the most experienced planners.

The podcast personalities are a mix of five of the best informed Disney Adjacent fans you are going to find.  Len Testa is one of the co-authors of the Unofficial Guide series of Disney travel guidebooks.  Testa’s opinions are typically either backed by statistics or experience having sampled the majority of accommodations and dining locations for the good book.  In addition, it’s his research that the touring plans found in the good book are based on including Lines the mobile outgrowth of touring plans.  Mike Newell turned his Disney fandom into an online streaming music empire in MouseWorld Radio.  Mike Scopa is a long time Walt Disney World visitor, Walt Disney World fan writer and currently blogs at www.AllEars.net.  Host Matt Hochberg is the only member of the team who is a physically Disney Adjacent panelist, and runs Studios Central a website dedicated to convinced us all the Disney’s Hollywood Studios is the best part in Orlando.  Hochberg admits in episode 971 since moving to Orlando he has only gone two weeks without visiting one of the parks.  Yes, I am jealous.  Finally, but not last, the Fabulous Annette Owens is a Disney focused travel agent.  She adds to the panel years of planning countless Disney vacations.  Together there are not many planning questions this group cannot handle.       

So, I listened in preparation of my Walt Disney World vacation several years ago.  I fully intended to quit listening after I returned.  I in fact dropped several podcasts after our return.  Instead, I found myself still downloading three times a week; Monday, Wednesday, Friday.  WDW Today had become part of my podcast diet.  I could not escape it, living out in Between Disney with no trip planned I still had to know more about the parks.  I needed the common sense and fun the hosts provided.  And I was becoming something I did not expect, a Disney enthusiast.  I find that listening helps me plan non-Disney events since much of the common sense can be applied in other family adventures.  I am a better planner because of WDW Today.  I’m sure I am not the only one living Between Disney who can credit, or blame, WDW Today for helping feed a Disney parks obsession.  

Dreaming Disney - Your Hometown Holiday Touring Plan

The North Pole's Kitchen

Santa's Workshop

Recently the Between Family adventured into Minneapolis for some holiday fun.  We took in the “A Day in the Life of an Elf” display at Macy’s which included a family visit with Santa, followed by a visit to the puppet theater to see “Moose Crossing” a 25 minute show that includes familiar Disney voices in Julie Andrews and Walter Cronkite.  And finally the evening was capped with the Holidazzle holiday parade.  As our night progressed, I looked over at Mrs. Between Disney and said, “our Disney touring skills have come in handy tonight.”  Here are the principles that helped us have a highly successful night.     

·        Have a Plan: Mrs. Between Disney is a planning genius.  She had setup a basic plan for our trip and how we could see everything downtown with the least amount of crying possible (by me).  To be honest, without the plan the evening probably would not have been the pure fun we experienced. 

·        Arrive Early: Previous trips to take in the Macy’s display before the parade ran us into Touring Plans Crowd Calendar like 10s where you can’t see the floor in front of you.  To take care of this problem, we made sure not to attempt to an immediate pre-parade viewing.  Instead we journeyed downtown at a time in the afternoon most would see as too early.  The result, we walked right into the “A Day in the Life of an Elf” display and were able to take it in at a more leisurely pace they we have in the past.  Because we were early when it was time to lineup for the parade we had seats in the front row.

·        Use a Runner: This winter is unusually warm, but watching the Holidazzle parade outside in Minnesota in December still requires coats, hats and gloves.  Instead of carrying our gear with us throughout the day, we left our coats and extra gear in the car until it was needed.  As we got ready to setup for our parade viewing spot I (the Between Family designated runner) grabbed our coats and blankets allowing the rest of the family to finish a quick supper. 

·        Accept Opportunity: Sometimes opportunity knocks and if you have room in your plan, take it.  Our plan gave us time to do other things that we could have never done if we arrived with the rest of the crowd.  By not being in a line with everyone else in Minnesota we could take in the puppet show.  And as we came out the line was short enough for “A Day in the Life of an Elf” that we took the opportunity to walk through again.  As we exited the second time we saw crowds, lines, and switchbacks that would have made Walt Disney World’s Peter Pan’s Flight queue proud. 

·        Prepare the Kids: We wanted fun, not tears.  So we made sure to pack snacks and toys for when we did have to wait.  And it worked like a charm.  In the end we did still buy two light swords from pre-parade vendors.  But they were priced less than similar Disney toys and the effects you can pull off with these swords are pretty awesome. 

·        Family Time is the Best Time: Why do I love Disney parks?  Because it is family time.  So keep in mind while you’re experiencing a Between Disney event to allow what makes your Disney time special invade your moment.

It’s true, the skills you have developed to tour Disney do translate to Between Disney adventures.  This Christmas there will be no Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party for my family.  Instead we took in moving elves (sadly with no Sherman Brothers’ theme, song), puppets with familiar voices and phrases, and a lighted parade that included Peter Pan, Aladdin, and Pinocchio.  In the end using what I have learned at Disney helped the night to be a beloved family memory instead of a night of frustration. 

How do you use your Disney touring skills out here Between Disney? 

Santa's Sleigh in the Holidazzle Parade

Dreaming Disney – Lines: The New Car Game

Last summer I was lucky enough to win a year subscription to Lines through a podcast I listen to.  Lines is an smart phone application that provides users estimated wait times for Disney attractions.  I was pretty excited because I planned to use it with future vacation.  But I found that even living Between Disney I could have a fun time with it.  For my family Lines has become the new car game.  As we drive from one Between Disney location to another, which in the Midwest can take hours and hours and hours especially with a toddler, we pull up Lines on the phone and play guess the Lines.  Usually if someone gets an exact hit there is a huge cheer throughout the van.

If you want to be the king of the car game you have to remember the following;

·     Compensate for time zones:  If it’s 9 p.m. in the Midwest, it’s only 7 p.m. at Disneyland. 

·     Think outside the wait time signs: Lines uses both reported times and complicated mathematical equations that create the time projection you find in the application.  So if you want an exact match do not always predict a time with a 0 or 5 at the end like you would only see on a wait sign in front of the attraction.  A Lines time could end in any numeral.

·     Be aware of the crowds:  Disney crowds vary by time of year.  There is a big difference between June and October.  So cheat and consult the Touring Plans Crowd Calendar before your family can!

·     Practice, practice, practice.  Find a friend, who hopefully has no interest in Disney, who you can torture by informing him or her of wait times at completely random locations.  Me I have a buddy who gets the Matterhorn report on our train ride home.  Sure his eyes glaze over, but I have an advantage on family in the car. 

Lines is definitely a useful, and addictive tool, when in the Disney parks.  But those of us living Between Disney can have fun with it to.  I just warn you, I wouldn’t challenge me until you have practiced because I am king of my van!