Monthly Archives: October 2006

Disneyland’s Dark Rides

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I’m going to begin my Disneyland attraction reviews with some of the classic Disney rides, found at many Disney parks around the land.

“it’s a small world”
Perhaps the most well known of all Disney rides, “it’s a small world” was originally designed by Walt Disney as a ride at the New York World’s Fair. Often dismissed by many as being silly, boring (or even creepy), this rides is a classic “dark ride”. I have always found the message behind the ride positive and uplifting (if you get past the stereotypes), and it is the ride I remember most from when I was a young child. The simple ride mechanics (moving water propelling the boats) have been used for decades, and the colors and simplicity of the animatronics hold up well, despite the corniness. It is interesting to note that the Disneyland version of the ride starts outdoors, with the riders boarding amid animal-shaped bushes, before proceeding indoors, which is different than the other versions of the ride around the world. On the past 5 or so trips to Disney parks, my parents and I have said that we do not need to ride it, but in the end we always do. Maybe that alone shows its quality.

Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
My dad and I were thrilled to discover that Disneyland has a version of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride (which was closed at the Magic Kingdom at Disney World to make room for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh). Based on characters from the classic Disney film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, this ride takes you on an out of control journey through London to “nowhere in particular”, ending up in Hell oddly enough. Known for its sudden turns and wild nature, it was nostalgic for my dad and I to ride this classic once more.

Pinocchio’s Daring Journey
The film Pinocchio always scared me when I was little, and so I avoided watching it. So the ride, for me, was like a refresher on the story. We rode it simply because we could not remember it very well, and the line was ridiculously short. One of the original “dark rides” like the other two I have reviewed so far, it basically follows the story of Pinocchio exactly.

Peter Pan’s Flight
My personal favorite of the “dark rides” is Peter Pan’s Flight, due to my personal connections with the Peter Pan stories. You board a miniature pirate ship (yeah, maybe I like it because of that too) and you fly through the famous scenes from the atrocious Disney movie version (don’t get me started). Thankfully, the ride is such that you can imagine the real story fitting into the scenes you see, without having to relive the Disney movie. The sets in the ride are wonderful, especially when flying over London and Captain Hook’s ship, the Jolly Roger. I will ride this every time I get a chance.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
For those of you who don’t know, I absolutely adore Winnie the Pooh and all the characters in the stories (especially Eeyore). The ride is a new addition to the collection of Disney rides, built in the classic “dark ride” style, but with more modern sets and effects. You board a giant honey pot and embark through the three stories that make up The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh movie. One of the neatest effects is the simulation of raindrops during the flood sequence, using fiber optics. The highlight, though, is going through the Heffalumps and Woozles dream sequence, one of the most creative moments in all of Disney animation. The odd thing about the Disneyland version is that it is tucked back behind Splash Mountain in the “Critter Country” land, instead of in “Fantasyland” where it belongs.

Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin
I’m a huge fan of the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and I was very excited to go on this ride. We actually had to get a fastpass for it, and return after riding “it’s a small world”. The ride did a great job of combining a typical “dark ride” with the ability to spin your cars like in the famous “Tea Cups” style ride. The story for this ride was rather nonexistent, unfortunately, and failed to use any of the humor of the movie. There were only really a couple of scenes shown in the ride (none of which came from the movie, I believe) and the focus seemed to be more on spinning your cars (which, admittedly, was very fun). I was disappointed in the ride however, the only highlights being the quality of the animatronics (especially Jessica Rabbit) and the design of the ride cars (taxi cabs with light up headlights). A few moments were reminiscent of the movie, usually involving single shots or bits of music, but overall I would have preferred something more interesting and creative.

Well, if you actually read all that and got to this point, you can look forward to more of my ride reviews soon. And if you didn’t read it all, and just skipped to the end, I don’t blame you, because that probably wasn’t very interesting to anyone other than myself. Sorry.

Disneyland Trip Overview

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My parents and I experienced 24 different rides or shows in our two days at Disneyland. We rode 5 rides twice and one ride three times, bringing the total to 31 attractions. The longest wait time was between an hour and a half and an hour and forty-five minutes, which was for Space Mountain. We only used Fast-Pass once, for Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, and we had several rides where there was no line at all. We saw two shows, Disney’s Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular and Jim Henson’s Muppet*Vision 3D, the first being a live stage show and the other a 3D movie. I rode two rides by myself, Dad rode one by himself, only two of us rode 11 rides, and all of us experienced the remaining 17 attractions. The full list of attractions, in the order we experienced them, is below. We also ate at 3 restaurants; the Village Haus Restaurant in Disneyland and the Taste Pilots’ Grill and Pizza Oom Mow Mow in Disney’s California Adventure.

Day 1
Disneyland
Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye
Pirates of the Caribbean
The Haunted Mansion
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – J & B
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride – J & B
“it’s a small world”
Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin
Star Tours
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
Peter Pan’s Flight – J & N
Pinocchio’s Daring Journey
Disney’s California Adventure
Golden Zephyr
Mulholland Madness – J & B
Orange Stinger – J & B
California Screamin’ – J & B
Soarin’ Over California
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!
Disneyland
Space Mountain
Star Tours – J

Day 2
Disney’s California Adventure
Sun Wheel
California Screamin’ – J & B
Maliboomer – B & N
Orange Stinger – J & B
Mulholland Madness – J & B
Disney’s Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – B
Jim Henson’s Muppet*Vision 3D
Disneyland
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
Star Tours – J
Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye – J & B

Overall, I was very impressed with Disneyland and I was surprised by Disney’s California Adventure (which are the two different parks at Disneyland Resort). Disneyland opened in 1955 and Disney’s California Adventure opened in 2001, and they are vastly different. Disneyland was originally known as the Magic Kingdom, until that name was adopted by the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. Disneyland has most of the same rides of the Magic Kingdom, with a few notable additions like Star Tours and Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye (also the Matterhorn Bobsleds, which were unfortunately closed while we were there). It is more compact than the Magic Kingdom, due to Disneyland Resort’s lack of land, and has a slightly older feel, but is still just as magical. Disney’s California Adventure is very unique. Like many Disney parks it is divided into different areas or lands. The Hollywood Pictures Backlot area contains rides based on movies and TV shows, and is very reminiscent of Disney-MGM Studios. There is “a bug’s land” based on the Disney/Pixar film A Bug’s Life, which is oriented towards children. There is also an area based around an enormous water ride. The most interesting area, however, is the Paradise Pier half of the park. This area is designed to reflect fairgrounds and Coney Island style amusement parks. It has a wonderful roller coaster, a Ferris wheel, swings and carnival games. It has a great feel to it. Disney’s California Adventure is known for being something of a failure, due to its low ticket sales. I think this is because the park is too “real”. While the park is relaxing and fun (and the lines are short), it does not allow people an escape from reality, which is the main reason people go to Disney parks. However, I loved both parks, and I look forward to going back as soon as possible.

Something Beautiful

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Lord,
Please let me create something beautiful. Give me the talent, the ability, the luck, and the path to do so. I don’t care if I never create anything that makes money, becomes famous, or makes people know my name. Lord, please just let me create something.
And let it be beautiful.
Amen.

The Happiest Place on Earth

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“To all who come to this happy place – welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, dreams and the hard facts that have created America… with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.”
-Walter E. Disney, July 17, 1955

My mother grew up about 20 minutes away from Walt Disney World in Florida. For as long as I can remember, the Disney theme parks have been a part of my life. I have ridden approximately 74 different rides at the Disney themeparks and seen 32 different shows (not counting fireworks and parades). I have even personally ridden a ride 10 times in one day (Star Tours at Disney-MGM Studios, of course). I have stayed at 5 different hotels on the Disney property and have eaten at more restaurants, shopped at more stores, and walked more miles than I can possibly remember. It was no surprise to my parents that, when asked where I wanted to go for vacation after graduation from high school, I chose Walt Disney World, and that I chose it again after my third year of college to take Ginny with us. Disney is in my blood, and for me, it truly is the “Happiest Place on Earth”.

When my parents told me they wanted to visit in October, I suggested we go to Disneyland Resort, in Anaheim, CA. We had been once, when I was four years old, and I very much desired to compare Disneyland to Walt Disney World. I also wanted to show to my parents, and to myself, that things had not changed between us, just because of where I now live, and that I am no longer dependent upon them. This past weekend was wonderful, and over the next couple of days I will fill this blog with reviews of the parks and of the attractions that fill them. If you have no interest in these things, feel free to not read them. Disney is still, and always will be a part of my life, my most sacred of vacation spots, and the place where I smile the most. Ginny has gotten a taste of this and will continue to get more. She realized after that first day at Magic Kingdom last year, as the greatest fireworks display I’d ever seen went on around us, how truly magical this place can be.

My reviews will be silly and cheesy, and will approach the rides and shows both from a technical viewpoint as well as a pure enjoyment viewpoint. I hope those of you who have experienced these attractions will find the warm memories flowing back into you, and I hope that those of you who haven’t yet felt that warmth might become inspired to make the journey for yourselves.

Good Grief

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So, my town, here in the desert of California, near the Mexican border, lacks both a decent electronics store and any type of bookstore. So in a recent pole on the website of the local newspaper, readers were asked to pick which they would like to see appear in the valley first. The choices were Best Buy, Barnes and Nobles or In-and-Out Burger. I’m sure you can see where this is going. The vast majority voted for freaking In-and-Out Burger, followed by Barnes and Nobles, and then Best Buy. I can’t wait to move to another town.

I hate being angry. I love everybody, but it’s so hard sometimes.

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WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS FOUL LANGUAGE AND IS AN ANGRY RANT ABOUT THE STATE OF THINGS FROM MY POINT OF VIEW. I COMPLETELY RESPECT PEOPLE FOR HAVING DIFFERENT OPINIONS THAN I, AND I HOPE NO ONE WHO READS THIS IS OFFENDED. IT IS NOT MEANT TO BE AN ATTACK ON ANYONE BASED ON THEIR OPINIONS, NOR IS IT AN ATTEMPT TO SHOW PEOPLE THAT THEY ARE WRONG. IT IS ONLY MEANT TO HELP ME VOICE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I FEEL SO STRONGLY. THOSE OF YOU WHO KNOW ME KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT YOU, AND THAT I WOULD NEVER ATTACK YOU. IF YOU WILL BE OFFENDED BY FOUL LANGUAGE OR AN ANGRY LIBERAL VIEW OF THINGS, THEN PLEASE DON’T READ THIS. I WOULD RATHER NO ONE READ THIS THAN HAVE SOMEONE GET OFFENDED.

“Made my bed and I sleep like a baby, with no regrets and I don’t mind saying,
It’s a sad sad story when a mother will teach her daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger.
And how in the world can the words that I said send somebody so over the edge that they’d write me a letter saying that I better shut up and sing or my life will be over?”
-Dixie Chicks

Just thinking of those lyrics, and some of the things I’ve heard on the radio, read on the web, seen in the papers, and heard come out of my coworkers’ mouths makes me angry. If you don’t like what they say, or don’t agree with them, then don’t listen to them or buy their albums. Don’t attack them for having opinions different than yours, and having the courage to voice them. Toby Kieth doesn’t get attacked for stating his positive opinions of our current administration or the Iraq war. You can’t have it both ways, either no one should be allowed to state their opinion in public, or everyone should, not just people who agree with you. Is it that hard to respect someone with a different opinion than you? I don’t think so, because most of the people I respect the most totally disagree with me on most issues. So why can’t the rest of the country? It makes me so fucking mad how people who do not support the president or the war or whatever get attacked when they speak out, but no one ever attacks people for speaking out for the war or for the president. Or if they do get attacked then it gets no press time. It’s just not fucking fair.

So the Chicks have a documentary coming out in a few weeks about the “incident”. People are complaining about the press they’re getting because of it and so on. The big issue is that there is a scene where Natalie Maines calls President Bush a “dumb fuck” twice. I have called him that before too. If you do not want to hear her call Bush a dumb fuck, then don’t go see the fucking movie. It’s that simple. If you don’t want them to state their opinion, then stop all public figures from giving their opinion. Otherwise, leave them the fuck alone.

People have told me that I should respect Bush because he’s our president, and he is our leader, and we should respect him because of that. I’ll respect him when he earns some fucking respect. I’m not going to respect someone just because they are a leader, or were elected to an office. I’m not going to support them just because they have power over me. On the contrary, I’m going to subject them to more scrutiny because of the responsibility they have. I refuse to follow anyone blindly. I respect people based on their individual merits and their actions, not based on what their title is. And Bush has not earned my respect. What he has earned is my anger and resentment and frustration. I find that I don’t have the words to truly express how I feel about the war, or the administration (don’t even get me starting on this fucking torture bill). I think the best way I can put it is “Enough is enough. I have had it with these motherfucking snakes in our motherfucking government” (put that on your facebook).

I am so fucking sick of all the hatred in our country (and in the world). I know how easy it is to hate someone for being different, or having a different opinion. I have done it before in the past too, and it took me a lot of work to get over it. But damn it, we’re better than this. If all of the people I’m friends with can accept people for who they are, not based on whether they agree with you, then so can the rest of the world. So someone is different, who the fuck cares? Stop judging people.

A couple disconnected things that piss me off, while I’m ranting. On Sirius Radio, the liberal station is called Sirius Left and the conservative station is called Sirius Patriot. People have been blasting Hollywood for making Death of a President (which features, in documentary style, a fictitious scene where Bush is assassinated), when it was made by two British guys.

I’m sure people think I’m un-American for saying these things, for not supporting the war or the pres (I do completely support the troops, and I pray that they will all return safely and will act bravely to save lives and to protect the weak). That’s total bullshit. Peace is more patriotic than war. Just because we go to war doesn’t mean we have to support them. This isn’t a football game, where you have to root for the Hokies, and if you don’t it means you like the other team better, or that you don’t support the Hokies. This is a war, started on lies, and started against the will of most of the rest of the planet.

Ok, I need to calm down. Writing like this makes me feel so shitty about myself, but today I just needed to, even if I don’t leave this up. I might delete this post tomorrow, I don’t know. Once again, I hope I haven’t hurt anyone’s feelings, or made anyone think badly of me, or offended anyone. I love you all, and my friends and my family are the most important things in my life. I kinda want to close this with something random and more positive. There is a song called “Only in America” by Brooks and Dunn, which I had the pleasure of seeing performed live by the duo, which I think is one of the greatest examples of what rocks about this country (it was also the biggest tear producing moment in the movie “World Trade Center”, for me). I’ve changed a bit of the lyrics to show why I like it so much. I also want to say that I also like the first verse and a half of “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” by Toby Keith, up until he gets into the parts about 9/11 and how the American way involves putting a boot up people’s asses (the most horribly offensive thing I have ever heard in a song, making us out to be bullies, it’s insulting).

“Sun going down on an Richmond freeway
Newlyweds in the back of a limousine
A lawyer’s son and a farmer’s daughter
All they want is everything
Only in America
Where we dream in red, white and blue
Only in America
Where we dream as big as we want to
We all get a chance
Everybody gets to dance
Only in America”

How to tell a story

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With the new season of Lost beginning on Wednesday, I thought I’d share some thoughts on Lost, what makes a TV show good, and how different tactics by producers and writers can lead to different, but equally worthwhile results.

The Lost Experience recently ended, and I vowed to watch all of the first two seasons of Lost on DVD before the new season starts. Having failed at that (only got through about 10 episodes) I returned to my normal DVD routine, watching Star Trek: The Next Generation. I own all seven seasons of ST:TNG on DVD and am about halfway through season five. After I switched to watching Lost and then back, I realized how remarkably different the two shows are, and yet how good they both are, despite their differences. Let me preface this by saying that I think ST:TNG is the greatest show in the history of television, and too bad if you don’t agree. It is iconic, deep, resonant, emotional, insightful, and has more of a legacy than even the original had.

The format of the two shows is very different. ST:TNG tells a unique story with each episodes, and while there are overlying themes and stories, it is easy to simply tune in and watch an episode, because for the most part, they stand alone and are not parts of a whole. Lost, on the other hand, has a continuous story, which means that it is difficult to understand what is going on if you miss an episode. Paradoxically, considering the number of episodes, not as much has happened on Lost as happened in the first two seasons of ST:TNG. Sure, lots of things have been discovered on Lost’s island (am I the only one that think the island needs a name?), but only a few major events have happened.

The explanation for this delves even deeper into the methods of storytelling employed by the two shows. Lost uses characters to show you the story, ST:TNG uses story to show you the characters. On Lost, the majority of the episodes are spent learning more about particular characters, either by flashbacks of their past which are used to explain their present, or by situations or relationships they encounter in the present that show and test who they truly are. Much of the information about characters is revealed either through exposition, or through choices and decisions the characters must make, directly involving us in each character.

ST:TNG is the exact opposite. Sure, there were episodes that focused around individual characters, but where we learned from the most was the way each character acted with respect to the story being told in each particular episode. By making the stories the focus of the show, it allowed the actors to develop their characters more naturally. You learned about each one the way you would learn about anyone in real life, by the way they react in certain situations, with small glimpses into their personal lives: as friends, rather than as observers.

In Lost, we are shown a character, given information from a God-like perspective, where we can see all that is going on, and shown the type of development or traits that the writers want us to see. This allows a deep look into a particular character, almost like dissecting a frog in science class. It makes you try to fully understand each character, and why they act the way they do. In ST:TNG, you also have the pleasure of learning how the frog works, not by cutting it open, but by observing and interacting with it, and appreciating it for its whole, rather than the sum of what you are shown.

Many people look at Star Trek (all versions) characters as easiest terms, the most simple definitions (see The Breakfast Club): the android who wants to be human, the blind engineer, the empathic counselor, the doctor and her son, the Klingon. Lost has similar stereotypes, as pointed out by Sawyer in season one, and the majority of the character development is spent trying to get you to look past all that to see the people inside, and try to get to you to relate. Star Trek shows you the characters, and lets you learn from them. Instead of relating (because it is impossible to completely relate to one character, since we are combinations of all), we get to experience and consider how we would react in a situation, and we learn something about ourselves. Data is the best example, and this is why he is the greatest television character in history. His endless quest to be human, and to understand humans, led us not to a deeper understanding of Data, but a deeper understanding of ourselves. We didn’t relate to him as he tried to understand why we act a certain way, but his quest for understanding showed us why we do. And that, my friends, is what made Data more human than any of us.

P.S. I think many great lessons about ourselves can be learned from Lost too, and many great discussions about life and characters and all the good juicy stuff can come from Lost. I just think that the interesting bits of Lost come from analyzing the characters, while the interesting bits from Star Trek come from analyzing ourselves.