Monthly Archives: January 2013

Hello, Old Friend

Posted on by

From Walt Disney World’s News release: “During ‘Long Lost Friends Week,’ lesser-known Disney characters will step into the spotlight Jan. 21-27, 2013 for meet and greets at Town Square in Magic Kingdom park at Walt Disney World Resort. Fans will have the unique chance to get up-close and personal and enjoy photo opportunities with characters that could include Clarabelle Cow, Robin Hood or The Three Little Pigs.

 

I’ve read countless stories of people, especially young adults, who have rediscovered their love for Disney after going through that adolescent phase of “Disney is not cool.” Be it the influence of peers, the loss of innocence, or just an attribute of  growing up, it seems to occur for many. While I never went through a true “dislike” of Disney, I definitely did try to distance myself from it. It just wasn’t the “cool thing” to like, and as most boys around the junior high age, I just wanted to fit in. Do I look back at those years without professing my mouse fandom with regret? No, I don’t. I don’t think I would appreciate Disney as much without the opportunity to rediscover it.

The summer before I started high school, I walked down to my local Blockbuster with a friend to rent a movie – Back to the Future 2, if I remember correctly. While in the store, browsing movies I saw The Little Mermaid on the shelf. Remembering my sister had mentioned wanting to watch it sometime, and in a rare instance of being a good little brother, I picked it up and brought it home as well. Not for me, but for her. Nonetheless, I put it in when I was home by myself, and became entranced; more than I would admit for a long time. The animation was great, the music by Ashman and Menken was just plain fun, and the story was enough to keep me interested. Buddy Hackett’s voicing of Scuttle was perfect, and still cracks me up to this day.

 

One of my favorite posters from the movie.

 

Of course, as much as I loved it, I wasn’t about to admit it to the rest of the world, much less tell the guys that I hung out with, “Hey, you really need to check out The Little Mermaid!” It still wasn’t the “cool” thing to do. So, as much as I was re-embracing the magic, it was a slow process I wasn’t sure I wanted to share with others.

Being a part of performing arts in high school was a life changing experience for me. It taught me a lot about individuality. For anyone that’s been part of a group such as choir, band, drama, dance… I’m sure you get it. There are a slew of personalities, and in the confines of those hallways, they truly emerged. It was there I learned to be willing to share my appreciation for Disney, including, yes, The Little Mermaid. Along with one other particular experience chronicled in an earlier entry, “A Thank You Note,” high school was a critical time in rediscovering my love of Disney.

Then there was the beauty of being able to go to Disneyland as a choir member. Having not been in a few years, that was an amazingly magical trip. Although it was only a day, and a day interrupted by “having” to perform, it was a day of firsts. My first time on Space Mountain, my first time on Splash Mountain (complete with a two hour wait in line), the time I truly was able to really appreciate the details in rides like Pirates of the Caribbean, and my first…churro. Oh, crispy, yet soft tasty churro. How many we ate while waiting in that two hour Splash Mountain line, I’m not sure.

Between rediscovering movies like The Little Mermaid and going back to Disneyland that year, it really was like Disney was a long lost friend, but somehow I was truly meeting them for the first time.

 

 

In many ways, every trip back to Disneyland and many of the movies I see are like seeing those old friends for the first time yet again. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The Golden Entertainer

Posted on by

Courtesy wallyboag.com

Disney’s Press Release: Guests visiting Disney Parks in 2013 will find an extra sprinkling of pixie dust each week with “Limited Time Magic.” At DisneylandResort, those limited-time events include a special tribute to the classic “Golden Horseshoe Revue” beginning Jan. 10. “A Salute to the Golden Horseshoe Review” will play for four weeks, with shows every Thursday through Monday from January 10 through Feb. 4.  Inspired by the world-famous Frontierland show enjoyed by Walt Disney, “A Salute to the Golden Horseshoe Revue” will be an homage to those fun-filled, family-friendly musical variety shows of the past. Hosted by Miss Lily and her Saloon Girls, the show brings together favorite song and dance numbers such as “Hello, Everybody,” “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” “Belly up to the Bar” and “Can-Can.” Guests may reserve a seat at the show by requesting a reservation at the Golden Horseshoe entrance on the date of the selected performance. Tickets for the preferred show time will be issued based on availability.

Hello, dear readers and fellow DisNerds! Few words in this post today, as I have chosen instead to let a legendary performer’s talent speak for itself.

Wally Boag, one of the stars of the Original Golden Horseshoe Revue (Along with Betty Taylor, Donald Novis, and later, Fulton Burley along with many others), was, to say the least, one of a kind. Although I was never blessed to see the man perform at the Horseshoe, I consider myself a fan of his high energy and incredibly funny style. Known for physical comedy (pratfalls, balloon animals, spitting out “teeth” after being decked by Ms. Taylor), his comedy translated well onto record as well, evidenced by the Walt Disney Records release of Slew Foot Sue’s Golden Horseshoe Revue. No matter how many times I listen, I still crack up at his delivery of “When they operated on father, they opened mother’s male.”

To my understanding, in the current tribute running at Disneyland, there is no “Boag-esque” part of the show. This is not a disservice; instead it’s a testimony to how amazing the man was in the roles he played. As well, there is another tribute to the man that has stood the test of time:

Jose, aka Herr Schmidt, who has no hair!

As I stated earlier, instead of going on about my admiration for a performer such as Wally (you can find more information on the performers life and achievements here), I’d let his work speak for itself. Not with a video from the Revue, but instead from an early appearance on the original Mickey Mouse Club. Note how he’s not “Wally Boag from The Golden Horseshoe,” but instead, “Wally Boag, the balloon man from Disneyland.” I know I wouldn’t have minded the honor of my very own Boagaloon!

Thanks for reading, and see you next week with another new “Limited Time Magic” inspired post!

(Shameless plug: Confessions of a DisNerd is now on Pinterest – feel free to follow there as well!)

I’m All Ears!

Posted on by

Year Of the DisNerd, Week 1

From the Disney Parks Blog: ” We’re also excited to announce that 2013 will be the “Year of the Ear” at Disney Parks. Every month, Disney Parks will release new ear hats to add to your collection as part of “Limited Time Magic.” January will start with the limited release of Disney Couture Ear Hats. And each month, there will be fun designs to discover.”

From the first airing of the Mickey Mouse Club in 1955, I’m sure Walt knew mouse ears would be big. After all, he’d seen coonskin caps take off  the year before with Davy Crockett, and also knew the marketing power of the mouse. However, the phenomenon of mouse ear hats in the parks… well, who could’ve guessed?

Ears quickly become a must-have for fans of all ages, especially on their first trip. It was that way for me…

Vintage Mickey, and Vintage Me.

And it was the same for my daughter.

Though you can barely see them, mine say “I Never Want To Grow Up.” I stand by that statement.

Of course, it doesn’t end with children, or Mickey ears for that matter. Kids and adults alike can be seen wearing all kinds of headgear, ranging from ears, to wigs, to oversized hats throughout the park. Why? Perhaps because everyone else is doing it? Certainly not the fashion sense, although with a line of couture inspired ears, it could be possible.

I truly believe it’s because we lose our inhibitions at places like Disneyland and Walt Disney World. We walk through the turnstiles and, for the most part, embrace fantasy. We skip down Main Street, we talk to the characters as if they’re long lost friends (of course they are!), we journey with pirates, and sing along with birds and tikis as if it were an everyday occurrence.

And we don the ears, as if they are a natural extension of us within the park. Yes, we may buy a ball cap to wear at home to remind us of our trip. But for our time within the park, it’s more natural to have wild auburn hair under a top hat, dreadlocks underneath a pirate’s three-point hat, or spherical rodent ears protruding from our skulls.

Year of the ear?

As long as there’s imagination left in the world, I see many more years of ears to come.