Disney's Animal Kingdom 2023 Sketches and Trip Report!

Earlier this year, my family and I went to Walt Disney World.  Here are some thoughts.

The Flower and Garden Festival was lovely as usual.  We got to ride on everything we'd wanted to experience.  The weather was perfect; we even got to float in the pool more often that I'd expected.  And the new-to-me Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind was a blast!  

A few not-so-great things: EPCOT is really suffering with all the construction in Future World (and the day I call Future World "World Celebration/Nature/Stuff" is the day I call Twitter "X").  Space 220 had very good food and I enjoyed some of the little touches, but for the price and popularity, I was expecting more than feasting in the warming glow of a screensaver.  The idea is similar to Coral Reef but I think I'd rather eat in the company of real actual fish.  On the subject of food and drink, I did not care for the Villain's Lair retheme of the Bay Lake Tower DVC Lounge.  Not everything needs to have Disney characters or a Theme and we all agreed that the drinks are ghastly!

And Genie+ is a disaster, but I think I went over that last time.  I still can't get over how confusing this must be for Newbies.  Dear Joe Disney, your park has too many attractions named “Space”, “Star”, and “Galaxy”.  Please change the names of three.  (I’m not a crackpot.)

Anyway.  Animal Kingdom sketches!

50 Magical Ears - A Very Rambling WDW 2022 Trip Report

None of us are ever going to get Harmonious the way the little girl next to me cheering and clapping and singing along Gets it.

But Harmonious is very good!  I really liked it!  It's not "Reflections of Earth", but what could be?  "Reflections of Earth" was a transcendent experience.  They wanted you to be in awe of the Millennium and the world and maybe even leave you tearing up - all in a nightly pyrotechnic spectacular.  

Harmonious wants you to get up and dance.  And honestly, that's fine!  The effects are insane and not only does the show still look good from an odd angle, where you cannot see the "Stargate" (a big worry of mine), it also looks great from outside the park.

The new Ratatouille ride is so fun and cute!  I really like this new trend of trackless rides.  So far all of them have been very good.  The new little area of France where the ride is situated is lovely.  That said, it was both hilarious and unnerving how many people I overheard who thought the ride was a restaurant. 

And I'm going to go ahead and mention one of the bad changes at Disney.  Genie+ is terrible.  I really don't think I ever heard anyone swear under their breath louder or more often over anything WDW related before Genie came along.  Fastpass wasn't perfect, but it was pretty easy to understand and didn't cost extra.  I haven't the foggiest idea how first time visitors are meant to figure it out.

More things that were new to me: The Skyliner is very cool.  We had a fun time just riding it around.  I don't know that I'd ever go near it in bad weather, but the week we were at Disney we mostly lucked out with sunny days.  It was even warm enough to swim; I don't think I've been able to do that in years!  

So, Galaxy's Edge.  It's nice; the last time I was there I didn't have much time to explore the place but this visit, I could spend the better part of the afternoon there.  The little details are great and I had a lot of fun playing the interactive games.  And Rise of the Resistance is unbelievable!  Like, I can't even describe how good it is.  And it is long!  My goodness, it's nice to have a brand new good long ride.

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Art of the Day!  Have some sketches from a Liminal Space.  Click for big:

My Afternoon With the Blue Catpeople: Thoughts on Pandora: the World of Avatar

I have to start by saying it feels really weird to be finally writing about Pandora: The World of Avatar now.  It feels like I'm extremely late to the party, and that the conversation in Disney Theme Park Internet World has moved on.  To a Galaxy far, far away in fact, and if anyone is talking about Pandora, it's judging it as a sort of test run for Star Wars: Nothing But Star Wars: Here, Have More Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.

And comparing it to Harry Potter over in the competing park down the road.  That too.

I really don't want to do either of those things.  Instead, let's back up.  A long time ago, a terribly long time ago it feels, it was announced that a whole new Land was going to be built in a Walt Disney World theme park: Pandora, the World of Avatar.  I was generally more enthusiastic than, uh, everyone else it felt like.  You can read my initial thoughts here.  But that was many years ago and I've only got the chance to visit Pandora myself last month.  Everyone in the Disney Blog-verse has an opinion about the new land and here's mine:

I really like it.

I'm a sucker for a good, truly immersive, "You are in an imaginary land turned real" experience.  This delivers quite nicely.  The overall effect of the land is stunning, but I mostly appreciate all the smaller details.  And goodness, I wish I'd had more time to explore the land at night.

For now, Pandora has two rides.  I want to give some love to the Navi River Journey, as it tends to live in the shadow of Flight of Passage, the big state of the art headliner.  I'm just happy River Journey exists, because we've been losing so many slow-moving atmospheric rides lately.  Rides like The Great Movie Ride that you can enjoy with your grandmother.  "Grandma Rides", if you will.  If this is a genre, River Journey is an excellent standard for them.

And then, there's Flight of Passage.  I have no words, man.  This is damn near everything I always dreamed of in a flight simulator.  It's good and long, too!  It's also notoriously difficult to acquire Fastpasses for and has a standby line you could pretty much watch "Avatar" in while waiting.  Still, everything I've ever wanted from a flight simulator.

Plus it turns out I make for a pretty cute catgirl!  Look at my Avatar, look at her!  Dang, she even has the same "They're taking my picture! Oh, please don't blink..." look!

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Art of the Day:

Fishies!

WDW Trip Report: Epcot Gets Artful! Like, More So Than Usual!

My family's most recent visit to Walt Disney World was a bit of a doozy.  There were lot of brand new (and new-to-us) events and shows and rides to be experienced.  My personal priority was the brand-new Epcot Festival of the Arts.

I arrived on the very last day of this festival.  Fortunately, it was early enough that I could run right through the International Gateway from the Boardwalk (our first time staying there and we love it) and have myself a whirlwind tour of what the fest had to offer.



And for the most part, what Artful Epcot had to offer in terms of art was... Epcot itself, being artful.  Epcot really is a downright beautiful place, and the many artists working throughout the park on both temporary and lasting pieces made it all the more lovely.  Furthermore, since they were preparing for the upcoming Flower and Garden Festival, the gardens were fabulous works of science-art.

And cooking is a science and an art as well.  Don't you forget it.  This festival wasn't about to let me.  Yeah, it turns out that this was really the Festival of All Arts, But Mostly Culinary Arts.  I didn't have time to try any of the food, but what I saw looked like it was more visually appealing than appetizing.  I'll direct you to the good old Disney Food Blog to have a look at the many and varied "Deconstructed" food.  (I did finally try School Bread this trip and... I don't get it.)

There's also the matter of the Figment's Brush With the Masters scavenger hunt...



I swear to God, years and years of Art History classes and I have no idea how to react to this.



I found my new Twitter avatar though.



Figment's Brush With the Masters may be the ultimate perfect storm of Disney-cutesy and "We can't possibly let kids be bored for even a second in World Showcase aaah!"  But it's nice to see something (or anything, really) done with Figment in Epcot proper.  And anyway, I want these adorable frames.



Of course, one of the nicest overlooked attractions in World Showcase -one of the things that attracts *me*, at least- are the many galleries to be found in nearly every country's pavilion.  I had the "Frozen" concept art gallery in Norway to myself, the Kawaii gallery in Japan was fantastic, and I loved the exhibit of concept art from Shanghai Disney in China.  (But somebody help me identify the sheep in the above Twelve Friends.  E: It's one of the lambs from "Mary Poppins".  Sucks to be Danny from "So Dear to my Heart".)  They stick around long after the Festival, thankfully.



I did get to visit one temporary gallery in the Odyssey building (and being open looks real nice on the Odyssey).  It was full of lovely concept art by Mary Blair and Herb Ryman, including the above Ryman piece that hit me straight in the childhood.

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Art of the Day!

Thus inspired, I made some Artful Epcot Art of my own:

Splashing, Thundering Space Yetis - Let's Kill/Refurb/Marry the Disney Mountains!

I became a Walt Disney World Mountain Master during a particularly crazy trip a few years back.  We were staying in Bay Lake Tower, Space Mountain was taunting me, and Everest was looming over the horizon.  I had to ride all four Mountains in the one trip.

So, I'm a pretty good authority on the WDW Mountains.  (Disclaimer: No I am not.  I only really love one of them and two of them were "One and done" for me.)

Kill... No, more like, My Old Back and I Can't Enjoy This Ride so it is Dead to Me - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

I'm with those dear old ladies in the Unofficial Guide who rate this as a 9,000 on a "scary scale of 10".

Refurb - Expedition Everest

I have never experienced this ride as anything but Disco Yeti Time, and I know it'd be impossible to fix without tearing huge swathes of the ride apart, but really...

Marry - Splash Mountain

Hell yeah.  Every time I can ride this is a great time.

Go here for more opinions on this matter.  Here are your upcoming topics and dates for the rest of the year:
2015 Food & Wine Foods, October 14
Live Entertainment at Disney Parks, November 11
Holiday Touches at Disney Parks, December 9
Best Disney Breakfast Spot, January 13

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Sketch of the Day!

Grab Your Mickey Bar and Hop Into Stormalong Bay, it's the Kill, Refurb, Marry Catchup!

What?  I totally posted this in time instead of being too overwhelmed to write anything longer than a Tweet.  The publication date says so! XD

Resort Pools

Kill - Bay Lake Tower Pool

This one was tough because I don't really dislike any of the resort pools.  So this one gets the cut only because it lacks a certain imagination: it is a beautiful pool (especially at night) but it's pretty much just a pool.  M'eh.

Refurb - Water Country

Not officially a resort pool - yet- but there's that old persistent rumor that *someday* it'll be cut off from the lake, filled with water that isn't infested with waking Cronenburgian nightmare parasites, rebuilt, and made into Fort Wilderness' swimming area.  To which I say, do it already; it's just sitting there!

Marry - Stormalong Bay

I mean, duh.

Remember that bit in the Unofficial Guide where they asked young kids what their favorite part of their Disney vacation was and over half of them answered swimming in the pool?  I was one of those kids and this awesome place was the reason.  To this day I'll still take it over both water parks.

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Frozen Treats (That Are Not Dole Whips/Citrus Swirls)

Kill - Pina Co-Lava

I'm not a big frozen treat person, to be honest.  So here, as with the pools, I'm judging this based on how unimaginative it is.  That, and the strawberry red ice floating in the white pineapple ice just looks gross.

Refurb Reinstate - The Original Mickey Bar

As seen in the beginning of this awesomely animated commercial that I can't find in better quality:



I still like the Nestle Mickey bars but they ain't got nothin' on the old Good Humor bars. There is a chance my memory is faulty and they never actually sold any of the Mickey's Parade bars in the parks but whatever.

Marry - World Showcase Treats

Someday, someday my cousins and I will finally do our Snacks Around the World adventure.  In the meantime, here's to Gelato, Kakigori, and the small paradise on Earth known as L'Artisan des Glaces.

Next Time - Walt Disney World Mountains!  Head to Mouse on the Mind for more entries in this series.

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Sketch of the Day!

You know what I've never been able to find in World Showcase, though? Sea Salt Ice Cream.

"Oh, this looks like fun! A bench!" - Kill, Refurb, Marry Peoplewatching Spots

I'm turning thirty-three for the fourth year in a row tomorrow!  To celebrate, I've got a nice hefty post in mind for whenever I can sit down and write it.  This is not that post.  Instead, here's an interesting topic for today's bloghop: quiet places in Walt Disney World.  Places to stop and recharge from the activity of the rides and shows and angry gulls and little kids running around screaming and adults screaming at their kids and, generally, a lot of angry screaming.

That is to say, I don't want to kill any of these places. We need them.  We need as many as we can get for psychological reasons.  Furthermore, I'd argue that there are, strictly speaking, no bad places in all of Walt Disney World to observe human behavior.  It's just that a lot of times, you're going to be seeing really s**tty human behavior.

But as far as great places to relax and/or peoplewatch, in no particular order:

Your Resort's Lobby - I especially love the Beach Club, Grand Floridian, Wilderness Lodge, and Polynesian for just having a good sit.  (Mind you, I haven't been to the Poly since the beautiful indoor forest was replaced with the Sadness Rock.)

World Showcase - Pick a country.  Odds are good that there's a little-known quiet spot hidden away somewhere.  I especially like the gardens in France and UK, and the galleries in Japan and Morocco.  And, of course, there are the wine tasting rooms...

The Peoplemover - Yes, this is my favorite.  You get a lovely view of Tomorrowland and a nice, long ride.

OK, so I may not have followed the rules to the letter on this one.  Next time, Disney Partners.  Not sure what that means yet; hopefully it's open to interpretation?

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Sketch of the Day!

Bears!

Let's Ask Walt Disney World Tourists in 1993 About Their Favorite Attractions!

Hailing from the same year (or thenabouts) as "Journey Into Magic", this video was a trip-planning instructional film put out by Disney and Delta.



There's a lot of great footage of then-new and currently-gone attractions (that shot of Horizons got me right in the feels). There are also some pretty candid interviews with guests and cast members.  And there's a great deal of regrettable 90's fashion.

Sidenote: Again, the more I see/hear about Adventurer's Club, the more deeply sad I am that I never got to experience it myself. Tell me it wasn't as fun as it looks. Look into my little face and lie.

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Sketch of the Day

But the 90's Were Also Really Freakin' Weird - Let's Watch "Journey Into Magic"

Disney has done a lot of specials promoting their theme parks over the years. This one is certainly one of the most special... for a given definition of "special".



OK, there's a lot to unpack here.

The highlights are the extinct and just-new attractions of course.  Splash Mountain gets an especially strange segment, as does Pleasure Island.  But there's also a nice, long segment about the in-park animation studio, including the briefest teases of the then-upcoming "Lion King" and "Pocahontas".

There's also a couple of running segments that seem to go on forever about a boring family living out their wildest dreams via Disney Magic, a golfer trying to hit every hole on WDW property, and some dude trying to stay in every Disney resort because why not?  The whole special seems to be assuring parents that there's lots for adults to do in WDW circa 1993.

Sidenote: the more I see/hear about the Adventurer's Club, the more upset I am that I never got to experience it for myself. 

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Sketch of the Day!

The 70's Were Really Freakin' Weird - Let's Watch "Welcome to the World"!

Before I head down to Walt Disney World with the family, I often like to watch old Disney World specials to see how much has changed. Often the most interesting ones are from before my time, not just because they show me parts of the park that didn't exist by the time I got there, but also (admittedly, mostly) because they have a certain very 70's-ness.

That is to say that everything about "Welcome to the World" is simultaneously terrible and amazing.



Some highlights:

* - Look for the Fort Wilderness train, the Bob-Around Boats, the early monorails, the rising stage in Tomorrowland, and weird, early versions of character costumes (those Ostriches...)

* - Those topiary dragons though...

* - Tommy.  Tune's.  Pants.  O_o

* - The guy I can only confidently identify as Orangehair Bieber McTightpants.

* - Drinking game: Drink whenever you're thinking, "Are they STILL singing?!"

* - The looks on the actual astronauts invited to the dedication of Space Mountain.

* - Wrong-Sounding Mickey.  Haunting.

* - The part where they actually ride Space Mountain.

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Sketch of the Day

Kill, Refurb, Marry: World Showcase Counter Service?

First off, Happy Birthday to me!  Now as I said during last month's Kill, Refurb, Marry, I really don't have any experience with counter service restaurants in World Showcase.  I was hoping to remedy that during my recent trip down to the World a few weeks ago but it wound up being a more of a whirlwind visit than I ever expected.

Here's a lightning fast trip report: We went down mainly to cheer on my cousins who were running in one of the marathons and to check out the new (to us) Grand Floridian DVC villas.  And this was our first trip using My Magic + which... I have extremely mixed feelings about.  I liked the *idea* of reserving FastPasses for our favorite attractions but that mostly turned out to be better in theory.  Honestly, my favorite aspect of this whole thing is not having to bring a bag down to the pool, since the MagicBand serves as your key, pass, and room charge.  We loved the Granfaloon, but the fact that the monorail wasn't running for a significant portion of the day put a huge damper on things.  This was also the first time in ages that we visited the World during a school vacation week and I was stunned by how crowded it felt.  Overall, I did have a lot of fun, and my cousins introduced me to attractions I'd never experienced before and vice-versa.  We also happened to see Illuminations from two different vantage points we hadn't tried before and can best be described as The "Crap Your Pants" Seats.

But, sadly, I wasn't able to fill the gaps in my World Showcase Counter Service knowledge.  So, I'm going to have to rate only the counters I've actually eaten food from and, thankfully, the first choice is easy:

Kill Nuke From Orbit, It's The Only Way To Be Sure: Liberty Inn

No.  Just no.  I mean, I could talk more about my Liberty Inn experience but it's gross.

Refurb Resurrect: Beaver Tails

Okay, this one's a bit of a cheat.  I've heard that there used to be a branch of the Beaver Tails franchise in the Canada pavilion.  I would like very much for it to return, because Beaver Tails are heavenly.

Note: I am aware that there is now a stand that sells something vaguely similar called Cronuts.  They do not count because (a) they're not Beaver Tails and (b) "Cronuts" sounds like something you need to discuss with your dermatologist.

Marry:The Weinkeller During the Holidays

Another "cheat", but Gluhwein is well worth it.

For more opinions on this blog hop, head on over to the list at Mouse on the Mind.  The next topic is something to do with Muppets?!  Meanwhile, next week here on the blog, the archived Tweet-commentary from The Princess Project.  I promise.

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Sketch of the Day!  Apropos of nothing, here is some Ursula fanart.

Kill/Refurb/Marry: The Musical!

Well, first off, happy birthday, Estelle!  I'm afraid I'm unable to remove that blasted hat from the Studios, but I can rate in-park musicals.  And... once again, the first choice is wikkid easy.

Kill: "Voyage of the Little Mermaid"

Many years ago, my family and I waited in line for hours to see this then-brand-new live musical expecting something really special, given it's popularity and we were... disappointed.  On a recent trip we went to see it again out of curiosity, since it was still absurdly popular, wondering if anything had changed.  Nope, still the confusing low-rent puppet show we saw back in the early 90s.  Except it's even worse now because "Voyage"'s reason to exist, really, was the fact that Ariel was -and still is- one of Disney's most popular characters and aside from meet-and-greets, she only had this one attraction to her name.  Now there's a big beautiful dark ride based on "Little Mermaid", so I really have no idea why "Voyage" is still around.

Refurb: "Dream Along With Mickey"

I'm going to be succinct here.  You know what would be a better, less inconvenient for everyone place to stage a show in Magic Kingdom?  Literally anywhere.  Hell, the only thing good about "Escape From Tomorrow"* is how nostalgic it made me for the days when you could just run right up the Hub and through Cinderella Castle whenever you want.  Also, as a staunch Donald Duck fan, I'm a little sick of stories where he's a brat and not in a funny way.

* -  Tangent time: if you haven't seen "Escape From Tomorrow", do not bother.  I know you're probably still curious, but you've got to trust me as I wish I had trusted my Disney fandom colleagues.  The whole idea of filming a movie in secret in the Disney Parks is kind of neat (if you can put the legal issues out of your mind; good luck when non-actor people are onscreen).  But really, it is about as insightful a satire of Disney theme park culture as "Bebe's Kids" [actually, it's less insightful], it's about as subversive as kicking your grandma, and it is horrifically sexist.  I cannot emphasize that last thing enough; I, as a woman, just felt really gross and awful watching it.  I reiterate: Don't bother.

Marry: "Festival of the Lion King"

Is there any doubt?  This show is so great; it's up there with "Flights of Wonder" as one of my favorite, "Oh, you may have skipped this before but you REALLY gotta see this" shows in Animal Kingdom.  Yes, I know it's currently under rehab, moving to a big new theater in the Africa section of Animal Kingdom, and I cannot wait to see the new version of the show.  Though really, I hope they don't change it too dramatically.

For more opinions on this blog hop, head on over to the list at Mouse on the Mind.  The next topic is World Showcase Counter Service; a topic I have surprisingly little experience with but hope to remedy on my upcoming trip.  Until then, if you don't mind archive-binging, I've been doing Tweet-commentary on all the Disney Princess movies  (and a bonus, instantly regrettable look at the aforementioned "Escape From Tomorrow")!  Got some plans for that project here on the Blog so stay tuned...

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Sketch of the Day!

Lots of people were drawing magical self-caricatures a while back. So, here's my Herbalist Witch with her onion wand.

In Which We Kick Off The New Year by Playing Kill/Refurb/Marry!

A new Year has dawned and with it is the desire to blog more.  And to that end, I've decided to -why not- join the Kill/Refurb/Marry Blog Hop created by Mouse on the Mind and This Happy Place.  This party has been going on for a few months but this month's topic was so oddly specific that I could not resist joining in.

The idea is that the K/F/M founders pick a topic and participants decide which relevant things at Walt Disney World they would get rid of, give an overhaul, or live inside if they could.  And the topic of discussion this time out is that most wondrous and unique of Walt Disney World Experiences, the Aerial Spinner Ride.  Or, "You know, Dumbo and the various less popular Dumbo substitutes".  Nothing says "I am having fun in a theme park" then riding around in a circle inside a thing that is shaped like another thing.  Let's get right into this shall we?  The first choice, at least, is wikkid easy.

Kill: TriceraTop Spin

Right.  So, I will admit that my vote to demolish Dumbo-But-They-Are-Triceratops-For-Reasons-That-Are-Unclear-Until-You-Notice-The-Pun-And-Thereafter-Wish-To-Punch-The-Person-Who-Came-Up-With-That-Because-Honestly is due to my larger issues with Dinoland USA as a whole in general and with Chester and Hester's Dinorama specifically.  (But also because of the pun thing, because, I reiterate, honestly?!?)

New readers, I have to level with you.  'Round here at the Obligatory Art Blog, we love dinosaurs.  A lot.  (About as much as Disney, theme parks, and animation.)  And I think they deserve a much, much better themed land in the Disney parks than... whatever the hell this is.

And, yeah, I "get" it.  I "get" the theme of Dinoland/Dinorama.  I "get" it, and I really, really hate it.  I maintain that there is something very wrong with your theme/concept when it is decades later and most visitors still need to have it explained to them.  Doubly so if the explanation boils down to, "But it's SUPPOSED to look just like your town's cheesy local county fair except it's in Disney World and taking up space that could be better occupied by something totally amazing and unique!  Listen..."  You know what the only non-terrible thing in Dinoland is to me?  That walk-through exhibit of modern species of Mesozoic plants.  The best part of this Dinosaur themed land in a Disney theme park built by Disney Imagineers is a *garden*.  I'm not even angry (I like gardens), I'm just very disappointed.

So yeah, plow over Dinoland USA and start the whole dang thing over.  (Hint: There's already an awesome attraction elsewhere in Animal Kingdom that just so happens to involve dinosaurs of the modern flight-capable persuasion, so let's start by bringing Flights of Wonder over from Asia and take it from there.)  This will, naturally, take TriceraTop Spin down with it.  Oh well.

Refurbish: The Magic Carpets of Aladdin... I guess?

I have to be honest, I have little to no emotional investment in the non-Dumbo Dumbo-type spinning rides in Disney World.  I'm giving this one a refurb because it's kind of awkwardly placed, probably the least interesting idea for an "Aladdin" themed ride (Where the heck is our Cave of Wonders thrill ride?), and Astro-Orbiter is much prettier and has a better view.

Marry: Dumbo the Flying Elephant

Because it's freakin' Dumbo, duh.

Okay, seriously.  One crazy trip around Thanksgiving, my whole grown adult family rode Dumbo, the Mad Tea Party, and Cinderella's Golden Carousel Super-Manly Testosterone-Fueled Spinning Horse Ride For Boys Prince Charming's Regal Carousel and we were about a million times giddier than we were before, for reasons that had nothing to do with Dole Whips.  From Dumbo, we got a few decent seconds-at-a-time tantalizing looks at the New Fantasyland, which was under construction at the time.  That and the new "Dueling Dumbos" version is gorgeous.

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And for extra credit, why not catch up on the other Kill/Refurb/Marry topics?

Resort Hotels

Kill... well, no.  Kill is a little strong.  But Seriously Reconsider: The All-Star Resorts.  The theming over there was decided by a crazy person.  For example, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I learned that the Mighty Ducks building, covered in hockey stuff and with a hockey rink shaped pool, was part of All Star Movies rather then Sports.  (And yes, I know the answer, as it so often is for weird Disney things of that era, is "Because Michael Eisner..."  Look, he doesn't work there anymore.  Move the Ducks/Hockey to Sports and retheme their Movie building to something more timeless, like "Mary Poppins" or "Victory Through Air Power".)

Refurb: The Pop Century Resorts.  Again, the theming is crazy and they look really sad next to their sisters over at Art of Animation.

Marry: Can I be a Polyandrist here?  Because between childhood favorite Beach Club, gorgeous Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Polynesian, and our DVC home resort Contemporary/Bay Lake Towers, I just can't choose. 

Crescent Lake Restaurants

Kill: ESPN Club.  I get the need for a sports bar in Disney World, it's the fact that this dad oasis wants so desperately to be a restaurant as well that... just, no.

Refurb: Toss-up between Big River Brewery, which either needs to commit fully to being a brewpub where you go in for beer tastings and to drink beer and eat pretzels, or have more room inside to be a full-on restaurant, and Kouzzina which I desperately want to retcon back into Spoodles.

Marry: Il Mulino.  New York.  Trattoria.  Oh goodness, yes.  Most underrated restaurant in the whole World and my family's little secret.  I can't wait for that Risotto Con Funghi and homemade Limoncello.

Thrill Rides

Kill: Dinosaur.  We're plowing over Dinoland anyway, but really the most entertainment I get out of this obnoxiously loud, dark, and buggy mess is hearing Bill Nye trying to tell us with a strait face that Carnotaurus -adorable little gonk-faced Carnotaurus- was "the fiercest and most terrifying predatory dinosaur of all time".  Um...

Refurb:  Splash Mountain.  This is one of my favorite rides ever and by Walt's mustache it needs an awful lot of love.  And I don't mean the seemingly yearly upkeep, I mean updating the animatronics, soundtrack, and the landscaping.  I'm sure they can take a full year or two off from adding new stuff to Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean to give poor Splash Mountain an overhaul.

Marry:  Star Tours.  All versions.  I'll be riding this awesomeness until my thirty-something year old back can't take it anymore.

For more opinions on this blog hop, head on over to the list at Mouse on the Mind.  The next topic is Live In-Park Musicals!  It's the dream we all dream of: Nemo vs. Ariel in the World Series of Blacklight Sensitive Puppetry!

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Sketch of the Day!

Seriously, Carnotaurus was adorable and a sweetie. WTF, Disney?



Bonus much more recent art of a weird-looking prehistoric hoofed mammal! This handsome, hopeful holiday Unitatherium was the result of some Twitter shenanigans and the very last drawing I made in 2013.  I... am okay with this.

"Aren’t you glad Aladdin told us about this?" - Let's Watch "Disneyland Paris: An Unforgettable Stay"!

This thing seems like an elaborate belated April Fool's Day joke - but it's not. I present it to you with apologies to Passport to Dreams Old and New, who found this, and Progress City, who already picked it apart mercilessly. If "Kraft Salutes the 10'th Anniversary of Walt Disney World" was the "Star Wars Holiday Special" of Disney, then this is assuredly "The Room" of Disney.



Mind you, this wasn't like the Disneyland Paris equivalent of Stacy/WDW Information Channel. This was a souvenir video people could buy in order to remember their trip. Or, rather, the very strange trip this one overdubbed family had, I guess.

Since this is a tad short, here's another Disney Theme Park thing that looks for all the world like an April Fool's Day joke. But there's no assurance from the article that it is. Still, really, Disney? Really?
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Sketch of the Day!

What with Donald being such a major character in this video, here is some more fanart of him. This one as you can see is much weirder and is partially inspired by Donald, mostly inspired by our old friend Dale Russel:

Thoughts on "Terra Nova" and Pandora-Land!

And suddenly, it is Autumn! So far the weather has been pretty mild and sunny, good for reading and ill-conceived still life setups. And musing about things that have recently caused major rifts in the areas of the Internet where I frolic. We'll start with something I am disappointed in (and lots of people appear to be largely in agreement with me) and go on to something I am unabashedly optimistic about (and lots of people appear to be largely in disagreement with me).

You know, it seems like only yesterday it was the day after the Superbowl and I was picking apart the trailer for "Terra Nova". In that post, I had a list of things I hoped the producers wouldn't do. Unsurprisingly, they didn't listen to me, but I was alarmed to see that most of those things were right there in the pilot. In hindsight, I wish I had added to my "don't do this" list things like, "no annoying children please", "no annoying teenagers either", and "seriously, guys, don't just be '"Lost" Meets "Avatar" - But They're in the Cretaceous!'"

Too Long; Didn't Read Version: "Terra Nova", I am Disappoint.

Extended Dance Remix: Let's begin in the Uncreative Sh**ty Future that the first ten minutes or so of the show take place in. It is basically the same old post-apocalyptic (post-"Blade Runner", more honestly) land of smog and traffic and overcrowded cities and fascist police and black clothing and in light of everything else absurdly easy to break rules and blah whatever. Since we leave the Uncreative Sh**ty Future and go to Terra Nova pretty quickly, I'm not even sure why it's even part of the plot, except that it supplies the Main Family with Angst. God, this series has Angst. So much Angst. Angst everywhere. Most of it comes from the kids and we'll get to them in a bit. By the way, way to talk loudly about your secret plans on the way to Terra Nova, Annoying Older Brother.

So through a series of events that is too stupid to recount here, the Main Family goes through the Totally Not a Stargate to Terra Nova (the place). This is where we must talk about how the hell time/dimension-travel even works in "Terra Nova" (the series). Through exposition that is way too easy to miss, we learn that this giant rift I guess formed out of nowhere and that things sent through the rift never came back. They assumed this rift must lead to another dimension (another easily missed bit that really only exists so time paradoxes aren't an issue even though it brings up a ton of other problems) because the signals from the objects were never received by the scientists who APPARENTLY HAVE A RADIO THAT CAN COMMUNICATE WITH THE DISTANT PAST HOLY SH*T! If you hope to have this magic radio explained, you will be disappointed. They also don't explain how anyone learned how, if the rift takes you to a different time and dimension on a trip that there is no returning to the future from, the rift led to a place that is even habitable for humans instead of, like, the bottom of the sea or inside a volcano or on a planet with a toxic atmosphere or no atmosphere at all or, hell, in the middle of nowhere in outer space. I'd go on and on and on about all this but I am starting to feel myself getting a nosebleed.

So Main Family go through the rift and immediately start Angsting at each other, like you naturally do when you are a human who is suddenly in the Cretaceous Period holy sh*t! And you have just escaped the horrible post-apocalyptic future. And you are experiencing the sun and the moon and clouds and stars and clean water and clean air and edible plants and trees and ferns and flowers and nonhuman animals other than cockroaches and Cher for the very first time ever. This freakin' series, my God.

Annoying Older Brother is mad because his father was in prison for two years, and now he's mad because his father is no longer in prison, and now he's mad because his girlfriend is back (?) in the Sh**ty Future, and now he's mad because there's nothing to eat but Duran Duran Fruit, and now he's mad because his iPhone doesn't work, and holy sh*t shut the hell up already Older Brother! By the way, raise your hand if you would rather see a series focusing on the first scientists to explore and build Terra Nova instead of focusing on this Boring TGIF Sitcom Family.

And then there is the youngest daughter. Sweet Raptor Jesus. Finally we Jurassic Park readers have our book-accurate Lex. I am so Goddamn happy about this you guys, you don't even understand.

So... we learn that there is a group of Other people who went through the rift and live in an Other part of the forest and want to do things in the Cretaceous Other than what Colonel Quaritch wants to do. They've adapted to the weird new world long ago and are in on the local Ontological Mystery (tm) involving mystery numbers. So, yeah, the show basically does look a whole awful lot like '"Lost" Meets "Avatar" - But They're in the Cretaceous!'"

Which brings us, finally, to the dinosaurs. Oh man. We got our first look at a motion-capture dinosaur and it looks bad. Like more herky-jerky in it's movements than something Ray Harryhausen would have animated. That bad. We also get our first look at one of Brannon Braga's invented dinosaur species and...

Goddammitsomuch, Braga.

It might actually be easier to post this, so here is your Art of the Day:



(Edit: Thanks for noticing this one, guys! [And see Albertonychus' comments below as well.] Can you tell at what moment I was done with this series?)

"But Trish, it's just a TV show! Plus something about how it isn't really the Cetaceous Period and how it's more about the human characters! You should, to borrow a phrase, really just relax!"

You know, I want to. I wish I could. But the sad, sad truth is that more people are going to watch Braga's bulletproof gorilla suit Oviraptor-things tear up tanks with their tail-blades and assume that what they're seeing is the Bakker's-honest truth than will ever pick up a book. Or visit a museum. Or listen to teachers and scientists.

Listen, there are still folks out there who have no idea Dilophosaurus didn't have a ridiculous frill-thing. To the point where you will see such things on cheap knock-off toys. And to the point where a sign in a zoo I once visited - and dear reader you cannot imagine how much I want to be making this up - assured everyone that it's actual alive Frilled Dragons do not spit poison. So when your much-hyped fictional species looks like a not-sarcastic version of Matt's Prehistoric TV Reconstruction Kitteh, that makes me very, very sad. People, dinosaurs were perfectly normal animals just like you and me, not something that looks more at home in a D&D Monstrous Manual. (And anyway, as has been established, the human characters suck.)

Man, to think a few weeks ago we were all complaining about a dinosaur documentary!

Ah well, speaking of things the Internet likes to complain about, how about the "Avatar"-based section of Disney's Animal Kingdom that was announced a little while ago? Here are my thoughts, which are edited from things I posted over at DisBoards' thread on the subject. (I do not recommend reading the whole thing, which is damn near fifty pages of mostly "Wah! This isn't what I would have done with this intellectual property I didn't happen to create or own the rights to! I know better than the people in charge of my favorite things!" Unless you have a very strong drink handy.)

Here we have Walt Disney World teaming up with James Cameron. Cameron is a filmmaker who is a notorious taskmaster who goes on many an ego trip -- but who ALSO goes big, shoots for the moon, wants to blow the audience's mind, wants to show people things they've never seen before, has created some of the best-selling films of all time with some of the most passionate fans you will ever meet, and who, above all, basically invents technology along the way just to get a movie made.

Hmm... just like Walt Disney did.

So I have no problem whatsoever with a Disney/Cameron Marvel Teamup.

Now as far as the film "Avatar". Very few people were enamored of the story, even the hardcore fans. Why did people keep coming back to the theater? Why were an alarming number of ordinary folks crying at night, wishing they could turn into Navi and live on Pandora? (To which I say, my God, pull yourself together and book an ecotour of Costa Rica. Earth is pretty too. And real.) I'll tell you why:

World. Building.

Pandora was built in excruciating detail from the ground up. Some of the most creative minds were put in charge of every detail. I was sold on the movie once I heard Wayne D. Barlowe and Neville Page were involved. (As you may have guessed, I am a creature design nutcase.) So this is indeed a world as detailed as, say, Hogwarts. (I'll give you Star Wars, since we're dealing with several planet's worth of Barlowe and Terryl Witlatch critters rather than one planet we haven't even seen the aquatic fauna of -- yet.)

So there are a lot of interesting opportunities to be had here. One possibility I like (aside from the fairly obvious "Trudy Lives!" flight simulator, "Soarin' on a Turok", and "Neytiri and her Forest Friends") is an exhibit of the real organisms who inspired the fictional creatures: Lemurs, Ocelots, Tube Worms, Birds of Paradise, Lanternfish, Butterfly Lizards, Tree Ferns, Raffelasia, Flower Hat Jellyfish, and a whole slew of plants and animals who are strange, awesome, and need more love.

I've got the same attitude I already had with the Fantasyland expansion: I'm trusting Disney can pull it off and am ready to enjoy something new. Because in the end, we are getting a new themed land out of this. You HAVE to agree that's worth getting excited over.

That said, here's an interesting thing to ponder that I didn't even think of until the folks over at another message board brought it up: If we're going to get a park-within-a-park based on a fictional planet populated with strange creatures and a fully realized ecosystem, why Pandora and not Barsoom? I mean really, Disney. You're usually so good at shameless synergy.

Next Week - So many trip reports!

WDW 2011 - Animal Kingdom Thoughts (and massive photo/sketch dump)

Gorgeous place that it is, Disney's Animal Kingdom is almost fourteen years old and it's still very unclear what direction Disney wanted to take the park in. To illustrate what I mean, here are two T-shirt designs sold within three feet of each-other in one of the park's gift shops:



So there's this side of Animal Kingdom, which I strongly approve of.



But there is also this side. In case the image is unclear, this is basically a group portrait of Disney film characters who correspond somewhat to the live animals in the park. What's worse is that they are seemingly the first ones they pulled out of a hat at that. Really, Bre'r Bear, Lady Cluck, Dumbo, and Dragon!Madame Mimm? And seeing King Leonidas (from "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" although the other one would be a hell of a lot more interesting) next to Simba is just...



One would hope that Disney would eventually "get" what brings most fans of this park back: the animals, darn it! The name of the park is not Disney's Thrill Ride Kingdom after all. What you're seeing here in this photo, besides the Ankole and Elands, is a possible sign that Disney finally has a clue as to what their animal park can do. That's an observation deck for the Wild Africa Trek, a new tour that takes you up close and personal with the animals in Kilimanjaro Safari. You have to pay quite a lot extra for it... but you *also* ride in a vehicle that will actually stop so you can take photos. Earth to Disney: please give us more Animal Kingdom attractions like this.

Herewith, the good side of animal kingdom, as seen through my camera and sketches. These are sights I wouldn't give up for all the puppet fish and audio-animatronic Yetis in the world.



Obligatory pink Flamingos!



Although honestly, I more readily associate white Ibises with Florida. I love how they strut around the Disney parks like they own the place.



Macaws in flight, as they should be. And an awesome Eagle Owl.



And a Crowned Crane. Truly the bird show Flights of Wonder is better than most people expect.



A very handsome Mandarin Duck. This is a good example of it being one thing to see a painting of an animal with unusual features in an encyclopedia or something, and quite another to see it in person.



Which brings us to this lovely Victoria Crowned Dove, sitting proudly in her nest right as we walked into the amazing Maharaja Jungle Trek aviary.





I don't know why, but I have a great affinity for Spoonbills.



And Okapi! I should really say that I have a great affinity for animals most people have never heard of.

And, of course, the obligatory amusing sign:



Here come sketches! Click for big:



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For a bit of levity, Awkward Family Photos just dug up the single most amazing photo they have ever found or will ever find. It is... tenuously related to Disney's Animal Kingdom. Nothing can prepare you for it.