Monthly Archives: October 2012

Secret Of The Wings – A Review

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(Note from a DisNerd:  I promise in any movie I review here to keep the reviews short, sweet, and spoiler free – I encourage anyone who wants to see this or any movie to make up their minds for themselves and enjoy the magic!)

Images in this post copyright The Walt Disney Company

I’ll be the first to admit, I was taken by surprise by the Tinker Bell series of movies. Somewhere along the line, I went from, “Oh look, a blue fairy…” at Pixie Hollow in Disneyland, to insisting on picking up and immediately watching the latest movie in the Disney Fairies franchise, “Secret of the Wings.” I’m sure it has something to do with a certain blue-eyed little girl, but it also has a lot to do with quality film making.

For anyone not familiar with the series, it follows Tinker Bell’s origins and her adventures among other pixies in Pixie Hollow, an apparent appendage of Neverland. Will we ever find out how she comes to meet Peter Pan and his Lost Boys? That remains to be seen, but the stories being told in this realm have been entertaining enough to keep bringing fans back. Stories of friendship, loyalty and courage – these are values that good family stories are made of.

Needless to say, expectations for this one were pretty high, and it didn’t disappoint.

In “Secret of the Wings,” we learn that unlike other pixies, winter fairies live in a separate area of Pixie Hollow: the Winter Woods, which are off limits to everyone but winter fairies (and the rest of Pixie Hollow is off limits to winter fairies as well). The reason? Apparently, the change in climates can damage their wings; if that happens, there is no cure and the fairy can never fly again.

However, this doesn’t stop the curious Tink from setting out for the Winter Woods, where she seems drawn by some mysterious force, noticing her wings appear to sparkle when she steps foot in the forbidden land. The reason her wings sparkle, she soon discovers, is because she is in the presence of the frost fairy Periwinkle – her sister, born of the same laugh. While thrilled at the prospect of having a sister and someone with so much in common, the joy is short lived; as mentioned before, it is forbidden to cross over into each others’ respective land. This doesn’t stop Tink and Peri from trying, however. Let’s just say the results are far from successful, and soon it’s up to fairies from both lands to work together and save the day. Of course there are a few more twists and turns than that, but what fun would spoiling the movie for others be?

Sisters? There were never such devoted sisters!

As I stated before, the Tinker Bell movies are a big hit in our house, as is anything to do with the realm of Neverland. This movie seemed a little slower to start than the others, but once it got going it was really quite a treat and lots of exciting fun and quite a few laughs as well. The little girl loved it. Even though there were a few heart tugging moments, including when Tink and Peri thought they would have to say goodbye forever. Sometimes it’s hard to watch those goodbyes, even for adults! However, as the fairies worked together to save Pixie Hollow, she sat on my lap with rapt attention. Afterwards she informed us she was Periwinkle – a sure sign that the movie was a hit!

If you’ve seen the other Tink movies, this one stands well with the rest. If you haven’t, it also works well on its own, but I recommend the rest as well! Mae Whitman brings a great voice personality to Tinker Bell, a character who I previously thought was best to remain voiceless. The new characters are a treat as well, and of course, the stories are great ones of courage, strength, loyalty, faith, trust, and pixie dust.

Anyone else out there fans of the Tink movies? Have you watched this one as well? What did you think? Can’t wait to hear from you!

(Disney’s Secret Of the Wings is available now on DVD and Blu-ray.)

Announcement: The Lost Safari

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Hello, dear readers! It’s with great honor and pride I make this announcement to you:

Confessions of a DisNerd is joining forces with two other blogs, Tales of a Disneyland Cast Member and Disney Park Secrets, to form a new partnership: The Lost Safari.

Special thanks to Jenny Skousen for the awesome picture!

So, what exactly is The Lost Safari?

The Lost Safari is a primarily Facebook focused group consisting of the aforementioned blogs created with the intent of having one location to share information and blog postings with our readers. By having this group, this one location, readers can join and choose to be notified via Facebook whenever one of the blogs has a new post, story, or something else we want to share with everyone.

Why was the Lost Safari Formed?

When we first started discussing the possibility of a “support group,” so to speak, our main intent was for a group of bloggers to be able to show support for each others’ writing and postings, as well as promote each others’ blogs in one place. Stated plainly, there are many sites and blogs and websites out there – many on the subject of Disney alone. We realize the individuality of each blogger, but at the same time find ourselves united in one common denominator: Our love for Disney. Through our discussions, we’ve come to realize that the blogosphere is not a place of competition. There are so many worth reading. If we can occasionally partner with each other on content and support, perhaps we can broaden our audience and share our passions with others while maintaining our own unique identities.

In doing this we promise two things:

1:To remain upbeat. If you are looking for Disney “watchdog” groups, you won’t find them in The Lost Safari. There are plenty of websites, blogs and even Twitter accounts that specialize in that sort of thing; just not us. We are, first and foremost, fans. Therefore, our views will more than likely celebrate the things we love about Disney.

2: We won’t overwhelm you with posts. The beauty of Facebook groups is that one can elect to receive notifications whenever there is a new post as opposed to relying on a news feed to show you the latest posting, which can easily be missed. This being said, we promise not to overload your notifications with multiple posts.

So, Mr. DisNerd, we know about your blog. What about the other two?

The other two blogs come highly recommended – great reading indeed! A little info on both:

Tales Of A Disneyland Cast Member

Danielle, author of Tales of a Disneyland Cast Member, worked for The Disneyland Resort at both The Grand Californian and The World Famous Jungle Cruise. Through her recollections of experience and one on one personal interactions, you’ll find yourself laughing one minute and in tears the next. Many of her stories seem to hit home with many readers, either through the magic Disney provides or similar life experiences. I highly recommend reading stories like “A Main Street Kiss” with a box of tissue.

Disney Park Secrets

Meanwhile, over at Disney Park Secrets, Austen and Jake have taken the time to set up a blog to appeal to even the most casual of Disneyland visitors. They have combined their knowledge of park information, such as history and details of rides, to give park visitors a new appreciation for what they are seeing as they go through the park, as well as things to keep an eye out for, such as finding Jabba the Hutt in Adventureland (who knew?!?). In addition, with one of the authors living locally, you’ll see newer pictures and reports of more recent experiences, such as the space shuttle Endeavour’s final flyover of Disneyland.

As for me, I’ll keep doing what I always do, covering and chronicling my love for all aspects of Disney, perhaps with more reviews and articles that focus outside of the parks. One thing will stay consistent – hopefully my love for all things Disney, i.e. my DisNerdom shines through.

I encourage anyone who is interested in following this new partnership to check out and join The Lost Safari on Facebook, as well as follow both Tales and Secrets on their individual Facebook fan pages as well. And of course, if you haven’t yet followed Confessions of a DisNerd on Facebook, I encourage you to do that also!

Thanks for taking the time to read this rather lengthy post – we all look forward to seeing what the future holds for our new partnership!

Disneyland, Sptember 2012: A Photo Essay (Part 3)

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With the first two parts of my photo essay taking place over on the Disneyland side of the resort, it’s now time to head over to California Adventure with a few pictures of their two newest areas, Buena Vista Street and Cars Land.

Of course, first, we had to stop and eat our fill at Goofy’s Kitchen. While a little up there in price, the character interactions are always awesome. We always make sure to go back for seconds in the all-you-can-eat buffet, along with desert; thus eliminating the need for lunch, making things a touch more cost effective.
Not to mention, the PB&J pizza is out of this world!

Peace out, Pinocchio!

Time to walk off our breakfast from Goofy’s and head to Disney California Adventure! So much to see, new places to discover – where o where do we start?

Luckily, we have our tour guide to check the map!

I have to say, Buena Vista Street is a great addition to the park. I love the idea of a 1920’s “Walt was here” theme. The music is great, the “citizens” roaming the street are awesome – the atmosphere is just right.

I keep wanting to call the cop “Ward” for some odd reason…

I couldn’t help feeling truly transported on Buena Vista Street. I have a friend who happens to live near the resort; one of his favorite things to do is drinking coffee and reading the latest copy of the Buena Vista Bugle in the mornings while people watching.

With views like this, I can’t say I blame him!

From one red car to the next…

See what I did there with that transition?

Cars Land is a huge home run for the folks at Disney. the detail of…well…. everything is amazing. So great to see such a welcome addition to the park! I couldn’t help but notice everything from the tiniest details like the tops of the chain stanchions in the queue for Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree….

They’re radiator caps!!! I’m amused by these little touches.

…. to the tribute to Teepee-style lodging on  Route 66 with the Cozy Cone Motel!

FYI, if you have the opportunity (and don’t mind ultra sweet stuff), I highly recommend the deliciousness that is Red’s Apple Freeze at the Cozy Cone!

Of course, the rides are awesome as well – I’m just a huge fan of being able to take in all of the touches that bring about an authentic “Disneyfied” feeling. Both new parts of the park do this well. I couldn’t help but think as we exited, that it truly lived up to the name of Disney, as well as the fun and entertainment it stands for.

Thanks again, Walt. For your dream that turned into so much more! I know so many dreamers who appreciate that!

Folks, that wraps up my photo essay of the latest trip. I look forward to bringing you more for the kickoff of the holiday season in November. Keep your eye on the blog for more stories, thoughts and views of Disney (parks and otherwise) from the eyes of a true fan. Please know that I appreciate your reading, your comments, follows, likes and shares more than you know!