Tag Archives: Disneyland

E.121 Fantasmic! Obscure Disney Podcast



On this episode of the Obscure Disney Podcast, we are going to dazzle you with our knowledge of the nighttime spectacular; Fantasmic! We discuss our favorite parts of the show, the cost of doing each performance and even talk some spoilers about the exciting finale of the show.

 

Fantasmic! is a nighttime show at Disneyland Park at the Disneyland ResortDisney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort, and Tokyo DisneySea at Tokyo Disney Resort, that features fireworks, characters, live actors, water effects, pyrotechnics, lasers, music, audio-animatronics, searchlights, decorated boat floats, and mist screen projections. The narrative structure of Fantasmic!—although varying differently in set pieces in all three versions—centers on a voyage through Mickey Mouse‘s imagination that culminates in a battle against the Disney Villains.

Fantasmic! originated at Disneyland in 1992 after Walt Disney Creative Entertainment was asked to create a nighttime spectacular involving water and fireworks to reinvigorate the space in front of the Rivers of America. The area was reworked, including terracing the walkways to accommodate viewing and modifying part of Tom Sawyer Island to allow the show’s staged live-action segments. The producers employed the resources of Walt Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Imagineering.

A second version, featuring new scenes, debuted at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 1998 and a third version debuted at Tokyo DisneySea in 2011, replacing BraviSEAmo!. A new, updated version of the Disneyland version of the show featuring a re-recorded soundtrack in addition to new scenes, lighting, choreography, and costumes debuted in 2017.

 


E.120 Disney Park, After Dark, Obscure Disney Podcast



On this episode of the Obscure Disney Podcast, We chat about the magic that is the parks after dark; the lights, the shows, the rides. Listen to us talk about what is fun to do after the sun goes down and maybe a few constructive suggestions to make your night at Disney all that it can be.


E.119 WDW Did it First



On this episode of the Obscure Disney Podcast, we are asking, Which came first?! Today we explore the attractions that Walt Disney World introduced to the Disney fans that then spread to the rest of the parks. You might be surprised at some of the attractions that originated in Florida.


E.118 Indiana Jones Adventure (Temple of the forbidden Eye) Ride Review Obscure Disney Podcast



On this episode of the Obscure Disney Podcast, we are talking a bit about Indiana Jones Adventure (Temple of the forbidden Eye) at Disneyland in Anaheim California.

 

The Indiana Jones Adventure is an enhanced motion vehicle dark ride attraction at Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, based on the Indiana Jones film series. Guests accompany intrepid archaeologist Dr. Indiana Jones on a turbulent quest, aboard military troop transport vehicles, through a dangerously lost temple guarded by a supernatural power.

The attraction premiered as Temple of the Forbidden Eye at Disneyland in Anaheim, California on March 3, 1995, and opened to the general public on March 4, 1995. A second, and nearly identical, version of the ride opened as Temple of the Crystal Skull on September 4, 2001, at Tokyo DisneySea in Chiba, Japan, unrelated to the 2008 film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.


E.113 Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2018



On this quick episode of the Obscure Disney Podcast, we are talking about Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. With dates now beginning in August, How early is too early? Listen in to get our take on Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a separate-admission Halloween-themed event held annually during the months of August, September, and October at the Magic Kingdom theme park of the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, near Orlando, and at Disneyland Paris Resort outside Paris, France. The party began as a response to the Halloween Horror Nights event at Universal Studios Florida. Disney’s event caters to a traditional family atmosphere, whereas Universal’s has more of a “fright-centered” event with their monsters (Count Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, Jason Voorhees, etc.)

The event encourages guests to dress up in Halloween costumes and celebrate the season with themed events throughout the park. Normal rules prohibit guests over the age of fourteen years from dressing in costume; however, this rule is waived for the party, although anyone dressed as a Disney character is prohibited from signing autographs or posing for pictures with other guests so as not to be confused with regular cast members (the Disney term for employees) in those roles.


E.110 Pinocchio (1940 film) Review, Obscure Disney Podcast



On this episode of the Obscure Disney Podcast, we are going in on classic 1940 film, Pinocchio. This is part of our series of watching all Disney films from the beginning of the Disney catalog. We talk about first impressions of the movie and the lasting effects on children and society. Naturally, we bring up some things that we loved and made us laugh or think, along with things that don’t make sense or seem out of place.

Pinocchio is a 1940 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and based on the Italian children’s novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. It was the second animated feature film produced by Disney, made after the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).

The plot of the film involves an old wood-carver named Geppetto who carves a wooden puppet named Pinocchio. The puppet is brought to life by a blue fairy, who informs him that he can become a real boy if he proves himself to be “brave, truthful, and unselfish”. Pinocchio’s efforts to become a real boy involve encounters with a host of unsavory characters. The film was adapted by Aurelius Battaglia, William Cottrell, Otto Englander, Erdman Penner, Joseph Sabo, Ted Sears, and Webb Smith from Collodi’s book. The production was supervised by Ben Sharpsteen and Hamilton Luske, and the film’s sequences were directed by Norman Ferguson, T. Hee, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney, and Bill Roberts. Pinocchio was a groundbreaking achievement in the area of effects animation, giving realistic movement to vehicles, machinery and natural elements such as rain, lightning, smoke, shadows, and water. The film was released to theaters by RKO Radio Pictures on February 7, 1940.

Critical analysis of Pinocchio identifies it as a simple morality tale that teaches children of the benefits of hard work and middle-class values. Although it became the first animated feature to win a competitive Academy Award-winning two for Best Music, Original Score and for Best Music, Original Song for “When You Wish Upon a Star” – it was initially a box office disaster. It eventually made a profit in its 1945 reissue and is considered one of the greatest animated films ever made, with a rare 100% rating on the website Rotten Tomatoes. The film and characters are still prevalent in popular culture, featuring at various Disney parks and in other forms of entertainment. In 1994, Pinocchio was added to the United States National Film Registry for being deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

More info at www.ObscureDisneyPodcast.com


Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion Discussion E.104



On this episode of Obscure Disney Podcast, we discuss Disney’s Haunted Mansion at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom. We talk about Hat Box Ghost and the Fantom Manor in Disneyland Paris.

The Haunted Mansion is a dark ride attraction located at Disneyland Park (Disneyland Resort), Magic Kingdom, and Tokyo Disneyland. The attraction, although differing slightly in every location, places riders inside a haunted manor resided by “999 happy haunts”.

The Haunted Mansion features a ride-through tour in Omnimover vehicles called “Doom Buggies”, and a walk-through show is displayed to riders waiting in the line queue. The attraction utilizes a range of technology, from centuries-old theatrical effects to modern special effects featuring spectral Audio-Animatronics. The Haunted Mansion has inspired two similarly themed attractions, Phantom Manor and Mystic Manor, which exist at Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland, respectively.

More info at ObscureDisneyPodcast.com


Ant-Man and the Wasp E.102



On this episode, we talk about all things Ant-Man and the Wasp. We also talk about theaters located in the parks at Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure.

Ant-Man and the Wasp is a 2018 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics characters Scott Lang / Ant-Man and Hope van Dyne / Wasp. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel to 2015’s Ant-Man, and the twentieth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film is directed by Peyton Reed and written by the writing teams of Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, and Paul Rudd, Andrew Barrer, and Gabriel Ferrari. It stars Rudd as Lang and Evangeline Lilly as Van Dyne, alongside Michael Peña, Walton Goggins, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Tip “T.I.” Harris, David Dastmalchian, Hannah John-Kamen, Abby Ryder Fortson, Randall Park, Michelle Pfeiffer, Laurence Fishburne, and Michael Douglas. In Ant-Man and the Wasp, the titular pair work with Hank Pym to retrieve Janet van Dyne from the quantum realm.

More info at ObscureDisneyPodcast.com


Monsters Ink E.101



Steve and Ryan discuss Monsters Inc; Mike and Sulley to the Rescue at Disney’s California Adventure, the ride, history, and opinions. Then they talk about the patch (available at disneypatch.com) inspired by the movies and ride.

ObscureDisney.com