Thursday, August 7, 2014

Imagineering Disney

Here’s another blog of interest to Disneyphiles:


What it’s about:
“Welcome to our unofficial Disney blog where we share our thoughts about Walt Disney Imagineering and the Disney parks of yesterday and today. We launched this blog in 2009. Our small volunteer staff is made up of a few people who have at one time worked for the Walt Disney Company.”

And here below are some interesting articles you might like as an introduction.

The Haunted Mansion Like You’ve Never Seen it

The Haunted Mansion Like You’ve Never Seen It [Part 2]

Disneyland Turns 59

THEN and NOW: Walt at Disneyland

Friday, August 1, 2014

The Myriad Monikers of Gotham’s Villains 2.0

Found on Pop Chart Lab.


For $20 and just in time for the Dark Knight’s 75th anniversary, Pop Chart Lab’s taxonomy of Gotham’s rogues gallery has returned to strike again! Featuring an all new pulp-inspired design, this 12" x 16" chart is a veritable Who’s Who of knaves and ne’er-do-wells, and categorizes by name nearly every one of Batman's colorful combatants--from big-time baddies like the Joker and Mr. Freeze, to lesser-known lawbreakers like the Walrus, Batzarro, and Larry the Judge.


Thursday, July 31, 2014

Disney Parks Blog - Banner Headers, part 8

Which is better: Disneyland or Disney World? I think how one answers that question more shows one’s own biases than a well-considered, impartial conclusion.

On the west coast, Disneyland Park is the original and the park that Walt worked on from start to opening trough its successful first eleven years. Disneyland Resort also includes the second Park, Disney California Adventure, hotels and a shopping district is spread out over about 400 acres not including parking and non-entertainment developments. If you were to check out Disneyland site, the Original Park has 53 listed attractions.

On the east coast, Walt Disney World is a huge complex blessed with size at over 27,000 acres that’s comprised of four major theme parks, water parks, resorts, shopping districts and more. The Magic Kingdom, its first park and mostly Disneyland Park analog has 43 list attractions on its site today.

I won’t attempt to offer any type of answer here. You can find plenty of other sites who run through comprehensive and exhaustive compare and contrasts lists on the matter.

However, to my core statement, if every answer to the question is subjective, does the Disney Parks Blog reveal any sort of bias between the two resort complexes? I think that they do post more about Disneyland than the other parks. The blog definitely posts about the Disney Cruise Lines the least. I think the topic distribution has to do with the the blog being a portal for new things, and Disneyland probably introduces more new things, mostly in the form of events and merchandise, to cater to the sizable percentage of guests who live in Orange County and regard the Park pretty much as their playground. Judging by the headers in part one of this series, Disneyland is represented most. Almost conspicuously on the low end is Disney’s Animal Kingdom (DAK).

— DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM —
— Walt Disney World, FL —


— DISNEYLAND PARK —
— Disneyland Resort, CA —

— DISNEY CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE —
— Disneyland Resort, CA —

These Banner Headers appeared in rotation earlier this year. The DAK headers bolstering for a grossly under-represented park, even if about half of them look like some body else’s vacation photos - some body else’s professionally shot vacation photos.

The Disneyland Frozen Meet-and-Greet might be a good reason to usher in new Disneyland themed headers, as perhaps one for the stage-show Mickey and the Magical Map. However, since, as a whole, randomizing banner headers need not be an attempt to show everything that’s a blog has, and therefore they needn’t represent more of Tomorrowland or Critter Country, the new Disneyland headers end up being nice additions because they’re pretty.

 Disneyanadocious rating so far: (8/10): D D D D D D D D - -


For an interesting analysis of how Disneyland is designed for its size, read The Awkward Transitions of Disneyland! on Passport To Dreams blog.

All images © Disney Enterprises.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

“Marry You” Cannon



Published by ScottBradleyLovesYa Dec. 29, 2012
on YouTube

An alternate universe of pop music.

Violinist David Wong stopped by to help Scott create some 21st century wedding music: a mashup of Bruno Mars’ “Marry You” and Canon in D, Wagner’s “Here Comes the Bride” Wedding March, “Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring,” and Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March.” 

http://youtu.be/HFQrHE2H8Ho?list=PLtgRxzvQqsdTfP2OmLcVBb4DNAch0f7Ze

blog: http://www.postmodernjukebox.com

Edge of Tomorrow

Edge of Tomorrow [PG-13] - Action/ Sci-Fi
June 6, 2014 - Village Roadshow
Directed by Doug Liman

Grade: B+
Up-graded from B.

Par: Cast: Tom Cruise (Major William Cage), Emily Blunt (Rita Vrataski), and Bill Paxton (Master Sergeant Farell).

+1: Dark comedy of a war-time “Groundhog Day”.

Par: Alien (Mimics) design and animation.

Par: “Cut the head off, the body dies” battle strategy.

Par: Screenplay: Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth. John-Henry Butterworth.



Rapture-Palooza

Rapture-Palooza [R] - Comedy/ Fantasy
June 7, 2013 - Lionsgate
Directed by Paul Middleditch

Viewed on Netflix

Grade: B+
Up-graded from B

+1: Cast including Craig Robinson (The Beast), and Anna Kendrick (Lindsey).

+1: Foul-mouthed crows and abusive locusts.

Par: Strangely functional post-rapture society.

Par: Terrible songs sung by Craig Robinson.

-1: Conclusion.



Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Disney Parks Blog - Banner Headers, part 7

Fireworks in the night over a Disney castle. It’s been a Disney iconic image ever since it was depicted in the animated opening scenes of the black and white ABC anthology series Walt Disney Presents (1958-1961). Then the image became indelibly Disney with the series’  move to NBC and the move to color (!) in the opening sequence of Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color (1961-1969). It continues in to the present in Walt Disney Pictures’ vanity titles for its feature films with a fly over pan of a computer generated three-dimensional fantasy castle (c. 2006).

Well, Disney Parks Blog had them too (either in July or for the new year).

— FIREWORKS OVER SLEEPING BEAUTY CASTLE —
—Disneyland, Disneyland Resort —

— FIREWORKS & THE MATTERHORN —
—Disneyland, Disneyland Resort —

— FIREWORKS OVER CINDERELLA CASTLE —
—Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, FL —

Disneyanadocious rating so far: (8/10)  D D D D D D D D - -

All images ©Disney Enterprises.