Saturday, April 12, 2008
Blast from the Past
Remember when cable was affordable? And pretended to cater to families?
Labels: Cute Overlord, Disney, Modern Life
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Thursday, March 06, 2008
Methinks They've Seen it Too Many Times
Word for word, this was the conversation between Kira and Parker on Sunday:Kira: Amos Slade, you trigger-happy lunatic! Give me that gun!
Parker: My radiator! Why, you blasted female...
Kira: Hold it, right there.
Parker: Watch it, that thing's loaded.
Kira: Now it ain't loaded.
Parker: Your fox was after my chickens!
Kira: Poppycock!
Parker: You muddle-headed female...
Kira: Amos Slade, that temper of yours is going to get you into a lot of trouble someday.
Parker: Temper? Temper? Woman, you ain't seen my temper! If I ever catch that fox in my property again, I'll blast him, and next time I won't miss!
I'm thinking I might start up a Disney theater troupe soon.
Labels: Disney, Hooray for Hollywood, Kira, Parker
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Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Robin Hood
Parker's intense fascination with all things medieval has finally centered on Robin Hood. Robin Hood is currently his favorite Disney movie, and "Robin Hood Daffy" never ceases to make him laugh. Both he and Kira have taken to yelling "Yikes and Away" while running into things throughout the house, most notably walls.------------------------------------------------
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Moving Imagination
Parker, Kira, and I spent two days at Disney this weekend, primarily to see the Imagination Movers, a children's quartet from the Disney Channel.
They had fun at the concert, but their attention was really piqued immediately afterwards, when the group came into the audience to sign autographs. Parker had to tell each of the band members how he had a guitar at home and a set of drums. After had spoken to the lead singer, Mover Rich, I asked Kira if she wanted to go and get her picture with him, as he was still kneeling right in front of us. Kira was clinging to my leg shyly, when all of a sudden, BOOM, she was off like a rocket, and nearly bowled him over with the force of her hug. Rich's face lit up with a terrific smile, and he said that she had absolutely just made his day.
Later that night we watched the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom from the steamboat. It was a lovely trip.
Some other gems from the kids:
- While going through Ocala, Kira proclaimed her absolute need for candy. Parker responded solemnly "Kira, candy's gonna rot your soul", a line from Mika's song Lollipop.
- Upon entering the hotel room, Parker saw a coffeemaker and exclaims "Look, a coffee cooker!"
- At the rest stop, Parker cautioned the group of college students getting in the car next to us that the love bugs will get in their car if they don;t keep the doors closed. The driver looked at him and said "But, If we get all of the love bugs out of our car, where will the love come from?". Parker was stumped by this question for some time.
Labels: Cute Overlord, Disney, Kira, Parker
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Saturday, August 11, 2007
Star Wars Weekend
We braved the sweltering weather of the Florida summer to brave the one location that Florida residents routinely avoid like some sort of cursed ancient burial ground - Disney World. True to form, it was sweltering, and gave us an absolutely torrential downpour that ended our attempt at the Star Wars Weekend way early. We spent about two hours trapped in a theater with Jedi Mickey, catching only a glimpse of Chewie as he was whisked to the back (According to his handler, the Ewok that was with him got swept away by the flash flood).Parker wasn't as into it as I thought he would be. He didn't want to join the Jedi Training Academy, an interactive adventure where kids in the audience could duel Darth Vader. Later, parker solemnly told me he didn't need to be part of the training, as he was already a Jedi. He seemed pretty confident about it.
We were soaked to the bone by the time we got through the park and back to the cat, riding a tram through a violent lightning storm that was certainly equal to any fireworks display we might have seen later that night. We then practiced some contortionist tricks changing out of our clothes and into our clothes from the day before, in the back of the van, taking breaks every eight minutes or so to hide behind fog-tinted windows as another tram disgorged another soggy mass of tourists who had reached their limits. I think my shoes dried out somewhere near Ocala.
Labels: Art, Disney, Kira, Parker, Star Wars, Weather Dominator
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Monday, February 12, 2007
Going on a Trip in Our Favorite Rocketship
I find myself reading a lot of blogs regarding Disney lately, primarily the ones regarding a populist urge to get the Parks to take better care in maintaining current rides and in making healthy decisions for the parks' growth. My two favorites are ReImagineering and EpcotCentral.EpcotCentral really got me thinking of how this park could be retooled. It really is my favorite for just being in - it's landscaping, buildings, design of the walkways, and lighting make it a joy to just stroll through, without having a particular destination in mind. However, what makes it fun for me makes it precisely not fun for kids - walking only captures their imagination for so long (thank the heavens for amply number of ducks and bunnies to pick up the slack).
Ride and attraction wise, Epcot has in recent years been catering to a more teen audience, and this leaves the little ones out in the cold. With the loss of Horizons, Universe of Energy, and Body Wars, there's far less to take the little tykes on, and Mission to Mars, Test Track, and Soarin' don't make up for it, given the minimum height requirements. So what to do?
EpcotCenter has recently railed against the inclusion of Kim Possible as an attraction at Epcot. Currently, teens gets clues from a Kim Possible character that resides in the remains of the original ImageWorks facility on the second floor of the Imagination pavilion (now only open for special events). The clues take the teens to various places around the World Showcase to earn some sort of prize.
I don't share EpcotCentral's hate for the concept behind the Kim Possible quest; getting an audience to actively participate in the parks that otherwise wouldn't is always a good idea. But I'd argue they used the wrong set of characters, and missed out on a golden opportunity to get young kids interested in Epcot.
They should have used the Little Einsteins.
For those who have not seen them, the Little Einsteins are a group of multicultural children who travel around the world in an anthropomorphic rocket on various missions. Along the way, they introduce children to different pieces of classical music, as well as famous works of art. Currently, the characters hang out in the backlots of MGM.
To me, this is a much more logical fit for Epcot. Teens now have thrill rides in the park to garner their interest: little children don't. But now, they could interact with characters they are most likely familiar with (Little Einsteins airs daily on Playhouse Disney). Disney could reopen the second floor ImageWorks area: it's sounds and light oriented interactive displays go hand in hand with the lessons that are taught in the series, and would create a welcome area for parents with younger children to take their children and let them loose. From there, the Einsteins could send children on a mission: to gather clues from various pavilions in the World Showcase (these missions could also vary, to encourage repeat visits). Then, each of the missions would be tied to the unique art and music of that country - given that most of the pavilions already showcase art and music from the host country, it would be easy to integrate into the existing infrastructure with very little additional costs to the company). It enforces the ideals behind Epcot's founding (learning and fostering a better understanding of world cultures), expands on the show's basic concepts, and builds a fun and enjoyable experience for the children who otherwise would also grow up with the opinion that Epcot is the park with nothing to do.
I oughtta be an Imagineer, I tell ya.
Labels: Disney, Sheer Awesome
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Monday, January 29, 2007
A Day at the Races
Kira, Parker" and I went back to Disney today. We made our way leisurely south through Horse country, and took time to watch riders practice for a horse jumping competition. The announcer would state each competitors score over a loudspeaker after each run, and Kira would excitably respond:"Parker, listen! A robot!"
At Disney, we ate at the Garden Grill at Epcot, and Kira finally got to meet Mickey Mouse, as well as Chip, Dale, and Pluto, who was their favorite (Pluto played peek-a-boo with them, and Kira kissed him on the nose). We then rode the Land boat ride through the hydroponic gardens, and then took the monorails to the Magic Kingdom, where we rode Small World, the Carousel, and Dumbo.
Finally, we watched the fireworks - an experience that would have been more enjoyable except the kids suddenly remembered they had not eaten in hours, and then Parker had a meltdown over not being able to eat ice cream in 45 degree weather, and Kira spilled her popcorn all over. Nevertheless, I think the day was huge hit, given that Kira asked to ride the elephant and watch the firework for days after.
Labels: Disney, Kira, Parker, Unbridled Hope for the Future
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Monday, January 08, 2007
My Favorite and My Best
I took the kids to Disney this Sunday, proving it is a viable day trip for us. We left the house a little before noon and got to the park around two. Kira napped as we made our way across the parking lot and into the park. Parker confided in me as we entered that Disneyworld was "his favorite and his best". Kira woke up soon after we entered the park. We shared a box of popcorn as we watched a parade and then met the cast of Pinnochio. We then watched the Main Street Barber Shop Quartet, who sang directly to Parker about Ice Cream as he munched down on a mickey mouse shaped confection.
We then rode It's A Small World, which the kids absolutely enjoyed - and led to a second and third trip. After riding the teacups, went and ate lunch in Pinnochio's restaurant, which allows you to sit and wive at riders of Small World, which the kids did with gusto. We followed that up with Meeting Tigger before riding the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (how I still miss thee, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride) and then went to the Toontown fair to meet more characters. The wait there was a real challenge, as Kira was quite ready to leave, but the sheer joy that came over her face to see Goofy come running around a corner made it worth it.We ended the evening with watching the Wishes fireworks show. Or, should I say, we ended our day at the park - there was still the two hour drive home after that.
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Saturday, December 30, 2006
The Fifth Day: A Five Hour Tour
Parker, his grandpa and I went to the Magic Kingdom today. We watched a parade, a street show involving Woody from A Toy Story, and rode the Pirates of the Carribean ride.This was by far the longest line we had to wait in on the entire trip, and took nearly an hour and a half to get on the five minute ride.
Later that night, we managed to sneak back to the park with Shelli and Kristin, sans kids, and take in the New Years fireworks show, one night early. It was amazing, and benefiteed from a 360 degree launch platform around the entire park. Still, it did not feel as impressive as the daily Wishes show, which is to me the best fireworks show I have ever seen.------------------------------------------------
Friday, December 29, 2006
The Fourth Day: Four Boat Rides
Today we headed over to Epcot for another day of Playhouse Disney. While Kristin and Kira took the boat over to Epcot, Parker and I went on a quick trip on Star Tours, dodged a rain storm, picked uop some vitally needed souveneirs, and took the van over to meet up with them at the other park. Ironically, we got to the Living Seas at just about the same time as Kristin, thereby proving that even glaciers could outrun the Disney boating fleet.
We went to the Living Seas pavilion to watch Shelli go diving in the large coral reef tank. Then, we headed to Morocco to watch the night time closing show and eat some fine Mediterranean food. Then Parker and I repeated our feat of earlier int he day and got the van to pick up the rest, who cleverly escaped out Epcot's back entrance and boated over to the Swan.------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
The Third Day: Three Shaken Martinis
On Thursday, we went to Epcot for Lunch and aleisurely stroll around the World Showcase. Parker got to meet Snow White, and he did a pretty good imitation of Bashful for her benefit. Kira slept most of the day. Near the end of the day, we left the kids with the family and went to eat at Blue Zoo in the Swan and Dolphin, and made our way to Pleasure Island to catch Casino Royale, easily my favorite Bond film since The Living Daylights. Daniel Craig made me realize that Brosnan was simply acting like James Bond - it was all superficial. Craig easily brought the most persona to the role, since, well, ever. And, as Kristin was fond to point out, he's good-looking too, in a rough-and-tumble sort of way.------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
The Second Day: Two Grand Prixs
For the second day of our resort stay, we went to the Magic Kingdom and tooled around Tomorrowland. We made several trips on the Transit Authority, went back and forth on the Speedway, and finally got Parker into the Buzz Lightyear ride, after he had a 100% emotional reversal too after I explained the ride would be silly, not scary. Kids are so mercurial.------------------------------------------------
Monday, December 25, 2006
The First Day: An X-Wing in a Wrosr Tree
Ah, our first day at Disney (sure to the first of many this year). We got to the parks mid-afternoon, just after the skies opened up with the kind of Florida thunderstorm that makes you want to look up the definition of a cubit. Riding to the gates in the tram was like riding a never-ending log-flume ride, and had us wondering if we had really made the right decision. We went straight to guest services to get our season passes, which comes with an application for a micro-loan.The Guest Attendant looked at us knowingly and said "The total comes to $1200....worth of fun!"
The first half hour was spent trying to dry off and finding a restaurant with a little bit of cover. After a soggy lunch we caught the end of the MGM Christmas parade. Kira got her hands on a Pluto 'doggie' that she glommed on to like white on rice, and we then proceeded to make our way to Star Tours.
Despite some initial reluctance, Parker took to the ride like a duck to water, riding it an unprecedented three times. After a little coffee, we decided to call it a day. This level of breakneck activity defined our entire trip, and I know that we parents sure enjoyed it.The final attraction of the day was ducks, which proved nearly as popular as everything else. Best of all, no lines.
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