Monthly Archives: July 2015
Disney Now and Then: Meeting Characters
Jul 31
It doesn’t matter how old you are, no trip to Disneyland is ever complete without visiting the characters. I don’t care if you went on Space Mountain 10 times and waited 5 minutes to go on Peter Pan. If you missed seeing a character, you missed a pivotal part of the trip, because let’s face it: Meeting Disney characters will give you warm fuzzies. I know this because a certain someone I know teared up when she hugged Mickey on her 30th birthday at Magic Kingdom, then I went on to gush that I used to work for him and well gosh I was just so nervous! Ok, the teary eyed mess was me. While I was a character host at the Disneyland Resort, I got to be a part of people’s memories as they met characters for the 1st or 100th time. A lot changed in the time I worked at the resort, and a lot continues to change. I can probably fill a book with the stories of working in this department, but these are the tales that stand out. Sit back, relax, and let me take you back to a simpler time, in this week’s Now and Then: Meeting Characters.
THE CASTLE AND THE QUEUE
In most of my childhood photos, I’m a) At Disneyland b) Posing adorably with a character and c) There is not a single other person in the shot. You see, my parents used to rent out Disneyland for me so we wouldn’t have to deal with crowds (kidding). The park just wasn’t as packed back when I was a kid as it is now. There was once a time I was on Royal Paige duty hosting one of the princesses, and you could take a casual stroll towards the castle and wander the area greeting guests and making magic. I still remember the first horrifying day that everything changed. I was walking a princess through the hub and over to the wishing well. I made the mistake of looking behind me, and my heart sank. A line formed behind us while we were walking. Everyone following us was determined, and I can guarantee you, the last thing on their mind was having a delightful twirl or curtsy with a princess. Their only goal was to get in line before the line was cut. Think of visiting a princess like a Black Friday sale. You HAVE to get there before the doors open or everything will be gone aka, a host is going to cut the line right as you walk up. With the insanely large crowds that would swarm the princesses, I would start to feel like Princess Secret Service.
This was the birth of Princess Fantasy Faire. Fantasyland theatre was the location for P.F.F. and you could do everything from catch a coronation ceremony on the Fantasyland stage or wait in the hour and a half line to see not 1 not 2 BUT 3 PRINCESSES yay! Here’s the catch: The photo location was a grab bag, meaning that guests had no idea which 3 princesses they would get. Due to the popularity of the area, the location was heavily staffed with royalty, however once in awhile, the extremely popular 3 princess such as Snow White, Cindy and Aurora would depart and they would get replaced with Princess Minnie, Lady in Waiting and some princess that the entire line has never heard of. In these rare occasions, I would be beaming thinking, “This is awesome! Guests get to see how adorable Minnie looks in her pink princess dress!” or “You haven’t lived until you had a chat with a Lady in Waiting.” Guests did not always agree with my joy at these types of switches.
Here’s the thing, I haven’t visited Disneyland in 4 years. Last I went, Princess Fantasy Faire was alive and well, and I’m positive that so much has changed. The thing that I will always miss when that change occurred, was casually walking through the park and seeing a princess by the castle. Because if you want magic, that’s it right there.
HIT SQUAD AND OTHER ADVENTURES
The characters used to go on rides. That was a thing. They were known as the ‘hit squad.’ An entire unit of characters would get sent out to go on a ride with guests and holy cow it looked like the coolest thing. It was like a living breathing Disney commercial to see Mickey and the fab 5 ride Splash Mountain together or to see Cinderella, Pearla, Fairy Godmother and the Prince ride the carousel. If you weren’t on the hit squad for the day, there were still a ton of ways to have a good time. I used to play duck duck goose with the Queen of Hearts and characters of Wonderland or host a game of hopscotch with Goofy in Toontown.
Guys, I’m not going to lie…I was a trouble-maker. I once walked with Brer Bear all the way from Critter Country to the exit of Haunted Mansion so that he could scare people exiting the ride. It was his idea! Brer Fox also convinced me to walk the overpass at Splash Mountain and toss ice chips into the water next to the logs to get a giggle out of people on the ride. At the time all of these incidents were occurring, the characters were allowed to free roam through certain parts of the park. As the crowds started to increase, setting up designated photo locations became a way to keep the guests organized. While I completely understand the logic behind a photo location, I will miss the days when I ran around the park with characters trying to see what kind of mischief we could get into.
THE RETURN OF THE HOST
I’m thrilled to go back and visit my old stomping ground this August for D23. I promise, I will try not to host the critter country characters or form a line for Mickey Mouse. I’m really excited to see how the department has changed, especially with the introduction of so many new characters. I’m really curious to see how the Elsa/Ana meet n’ greets are setup, and I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that Thor and Captain America are in the park. I mean, I’m not complaining about it (I will be first in line), but I’m definitely still getting used to the partnering with Marvel. The first thing I will do when I get to Disneyland, is wander around Town Square. There is nothing in the world like being greeted with the smiling face of Mickey and Minnie. And whether they’re skipping around or greeting a line of people, that feeling of seeing characters will never change.
Erika Jenko
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Disney Movie History NYC
Jul 29
Erika went out to visit the Broadway Theatre in New York City where it’s currently gearing up for Fiddler on the Roof but the theater has tons of Disney backstory and history. Check out the video for views of this great theater and a little Disney knowledge!
Erika Jenko
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Disneyland Summer 2015 (Part 1)
Jul 28
Yes, Keith is now a native and he visits Disneyland all the time. His family, however, came to visit to make it the official Disneyland 2015 trip. Check out the first day wit the family! As always, see more from Keith at the links below!
Keith Lapinig
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Monday Memes: My Fridge Problem
Modern Mouse News: Free Cupcakes and DisneyTown
Jul 26
***From August 1st-31st we will be doing a t-shirt sale and 20% of our earnings will be going to Together We Rise – a charity to help foster kids get a leg up and we will be specifically donating to them to help kids go on a fun vacation to Disneyland and help them make new friends! Buy a shirt to help support Modern Mouse Radio and Together We Rise***
Stories Discussed This Week
Sanjay’s Super Team Brings Hindu to Animation
Animated Guardians of the Galaxy
Disney Channel Original Film “Descendants”
Disneyland Celebrates 60 Years with Cupcakes
Disney World’s Family Culinary Adventure
Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival 2015
Shanghai Disney Details!
D23 and ABC bring ONCE and Muppets
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Josh Taylor
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Angie Taylor
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Legoland Summer 2015
Jul 23
Let’s be real, it’s hard to compete with the magic of the Disney Parks. While Keith was in San Diego for Comic Con, he stopped by Legoland to do a little comparing. See how you feel about Legoland after watching this week’s video from Keith. Be sure to check out more from Keith as well at the links below!
Keith Lapinig
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Disney Now and Then: Technology
Jul 22
Selfies? Vlogging? Snap chat? Whatever happened to simply bringing your camera to the Disney Parks? You would think that I had worked at Disneyland when Walt was still alive, but in reality, it’s only been 7 years since I quit working at my beloved Disneyland. I currently live in Brooklyn, and while it’s been 4 years since I’ve visited Disneyland, I’ve started to get in the habit of keeping up with my long lost bestie (Disneyland) via social media and fan sites. So much has changed in only 4 years since I last visited when it comes to technology. And yes, technology is a bit of a general topic and of course you’re going to say, ‘Well, Erika, OF COURSE technology has changed in 4 years.’ However, when you just look at technology as it relates to the world of Disneyland, it’s really quite amazing.
PHOTOS
One of my jobs at Disneyland was being a character host. This meant that anytime you saw a character running around the park, I was following closely behind making sure photo locations were setup, guests were lined up, everyone was safe, etc. The most popular question that I received as a host was, “Can you take a photo for us?” I knew how to use every camera under the sun. I used everything from digital cameras, disposable cameras, and once in a while the super sweet Canon professional looking cameras. The bottom line: People still predominately used regular old cameras to document their memories. Nowadays the guests have got the photo taking element covered on their own. Taking adorable selfies with the characters not only makes you self-sufficient, most of the time the photos come out looking pretty cute and personable.
Here’s where the selfie can get a bit obnoxious. Ever heard of a selfie stick? I didn’t until just about right before the ban on them at the Disneyland Resort. Rig your phone to an extension pole so that you can get the perfect selfie of yourself with characters or on rides….On rides??? Yes, people were taking selfies of themselves on roller coasters at D-land, so you can imagine why they had to ban them. Sometimes the need to document the adventure goes a little too far.
Back in my day, people were generally taking group photos with characters, or photos of the castle, attractions, etc. The point is, they were taking pictures of something memorable that they wanted to cherish. The oddest thing you’d witness was seeing someone taking a photo of the fireworks. Nowadays, people will document anything via photos if it means that they have something to send immediately to their twitter or Instagram feeds. And trust me, I’m guilty of this one. On my recent trip to Walt Disney World, I snapped a photo of every snack and beverage that I purchased as I drank around the world at Epcot. In the moment, it was putting a halt on the experience of simply sitting back and enjoying a beer in Germany or a shot of vodka in Norway. Once I returned home, it was a way for me to share with my friends what kind of things there are to do in Epcot. And it’s so helpful for blogging purposes! It gives people a chance to understand the small details of the Disneyland Resort that may go unnoticed so that they can plan something special whenever they get a chance to visit.
VIDEO-TAPING
For this next section, would you like a warm chocolate chip cookie or a glass of lemonade? Sit back and hang on tight because I’m about to get all Granny on you again. Back in my day, guests visiting the park occasionally filmed their experiences. They might film a parade or Fantasmic! or they would film an interaction between their child and a character. Vlogging wasn’t a thing. There were occasionally Disney trip vlogs that would pop up on Youtube every now and again, but there weren’t people out there regularly vlogging at the parks or dedicating entire Youtube channels to it. Now, Disney vlogging is totally a thing. And thank goodness, because I love vlogging on all things Disney (), but I still can’t get over how much something as simple as videotaping at Disney has changed. As far as using Disneyland as a vlogging location goes, it’s a win win both for the vlogger and for the Walt Disney Co. All vloggers are promoting Disney positively and sparking even more interest in the park which is great promotion for Disney, and vloggers get a luscious and vibrant setting for their videos. The one thing that made me fall in love with Disney vlogging and understand exactly why it’s so important is the fact that I currently live on the opposite coast from Disneyland. Sometimes I miss the sounds and sights of Main Street or I long to go on the Matterhorn again. I’m totally guilty of playing Youtube videos of nothing but people walking through Disneyland in my living room while I enjoy my morning coffee. Sure, I’m not really there, but sometimes a girl just needs her Disney fix! And that’s the great thing about this positive change in technology. Everyone can be included. Just don’t be quick to ruin all the magic for yourself. I feel like I’ve seen the brand spanking new Paint the Night Parade at least 20 times, but in reality, I’ve just watched videos of it.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Guys, I’m about to be real with you. When I worked at Disneyland, Facebook was a new thing. I still had a Myspace account. I wasn’t tagging that I was hanging out in Critter Country when I was hosting Eeyore, and I certainly wasn’t hash tagging all about my #DisneyBounds when I came into the park on my day off. With that said, guests visiting the park weren’t all over their social media either. You would meet tons of AP’s while working in the park, but you weren’t aware of the community revolving around them. While I still do not understand how the heck Snap Chat works (although I do have an account), I love the community that is surrounding social media. It is using its powers for good in the sense that it is bringing us all closer together. Don’t believe me? Go visit Instagram today and search key words like ‘Disneyland60,’ ‘Disneybound’ or Disney’s official hashtag, ‘Disneyside.’ There is a supportive and passionate group of people out there who are just as excited about Disney as you are. There is more excitement surrounding the parks as a whole. You can follow on social media to find out when your favorite Disney inspired clothing lines or artists are doing ‘merch drops’ or ‘art drops’ in the park, so you can go on a scavenger hunt and score some sweet goodies. You can also snap chat your favorite vloggers to see where they’re at in the park. Heck, Disneyland even has a Snap Chat account. Disney has totally jumped on the social media bandwagon, but it was all started by the fans and continuously supported by Disney. For instance, Disney Style, an official Disney blog always supports and posts stylings by Disney fan and official Disney Bounder, Leslie Kay.
MY BOTTOM LINE:
While so much has changed since I last worked there (and also last visited), I’m excited for this kind of change. I just hope I fit in and can catch up with the change when I visit in August for D23. I’m also really happy that I was a cast member before everything changed. I got to see both sides of it. Definitely go out there and tweet and filter those photos, but also don’t forget to sit back and enjoy the magic once in a while. I promise you, if you don’t photo blog about that corn dog you ate on Main Street, the world won’t end. Keep your head up, and enjoy where you are every moment that you’re there.
With that said, if you’re going to be around D23 in August or at the Disney Parks, follow me on twitter to get updates of where I’ll be!
Erika Jenko
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Monday Memes: Ant-Man Theory
Modern Mouse Radio #85: DuckTales and the Disney Afternoon
Jul 19
Matt Parrish () from joins the show this week as he and Josh discuss the television cartoon boom starting in the late 1980s and going all through the 1990s. Discussing what led to Disney pushing for more syndicated television shows instead of adding to their lineup on the then premium Disney Channel. The introduction of shows like Gummi Bears brought interest from children to a Disney product on television but the television model was perfected by Disney until their biggest hit, DuckTales.
DuckTales not only started a Disney television renaissance, it started a boom from several studios to produce children’s television that expanded beyond the limits of Saturday morning. Soon we were seeing children’s animated programming everywhere including weekday afternoons and Disney held the market there with it’s television block called “Disney Afternoon”. The block debuted a number of Disney shows including Darkwing Duck, Chip n’ Dale Rescue Rangers, Tale Spin, Good Troop, and many more.
DuckTales also expanded beyond the network television scene with comics, video games, and merchandise. It was a sensation and rivaled any princess movie with a big fan base of not just kids. Now we look back with fondness at Uncle Scrooge, the money bin, that sweet theme song, and what DuckTales really meant to the Disney television renaissance.
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Josh
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