Beating Like A Big Brass Band!

Disney Cinema Parade - Movie Reel

Continuing with our Disney Cinema Parade, we have to keep an eye out for an evil character...Cruella De Vil, in fact. She's parading along with some of the 101 Dalmatians, guarding the Movie Reel, helping to shape our movie. Of course, you have to be careful with her - she could turn on you at any moment! Especially if she's not happy with how she comes across on film.

When she's not being truly evil, she's helping to shape our film and edit it so that it can be ready for our Maestro! Keep an eye out for her henchmen - I hope that's more film they're carrying in their bags...I think we will need to keep a watchful eye on them, just until our movie is ready.

Disney Cinema Parade - Movie Can

Ah, we can relax now - it's Mary Poppins and Bert looking after the movie can! With our movie near completion, all we need is to get is ready and 'in the can', like they say over in Hollywood.

Of course, seeing Mary and Bert wouldn't be complete without their Jolly Holiday and some of their enchanted carousel friends. And isn't it nice how Bert has brought out the red carpet too? Mary deserves nothing less!

What's a Motto With You?

Disney Cinema Parade - Script

One of the most important items in any movie - and potentially the starting point for any future film - is the script. So, of course, the Disney Cinema Parade has to have a script. But who could possibly introduce the script to us? Why, 'The Lion King' characters, of course. One of the most memorable and moving stories from Disney, with some of the most memorable characters.

And who better to headline the float than Rafiki, a great and wise storyteller. The float itself is in the shape of a large book, with Simba stepping out of the pages. Timon is also on hand, just to give that script some extra flair!

Disney Cinema Parade - Clapperboard

We have the lights...we've definitely got the camera...now all we need is the action. And what better way to introduce this than with our old friend and favourite wooden boy, Pinocchio!

Accompanied by Gepetto, and with Jiminy Cricket hanging around somewhere too, you can bet that our movie is almost ready to get started. With a clapperboard this size, surely there can be no mistaking when our director shouts 'Action!'.

Cameras & Costumes

'Medames et messieurs et vous les enfants - Meine damen und herren, liebe kinder - Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls - Walt Disney Studios est heureux de vous presenter - ist stolz Ihnen zu präsentieren - proudly presents... Disney Cinema Parade!'

Disney Cinema Parade - Camera

You're standing in position, ready for the parade to commence. You can hear the music in the distance - first hearing tunes like "You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly!" and "Second Star To The Right" - then you see Tinkerbell heading towards you, atop a giant Mickey Mouse shaped film camera. Of course, with Tinkerbell comes Pixie Dust - mabye she'll sprinkle some of it for this parade... And with Pixie Dust, you just know that there's going to be a whole lot of mystery and magic!

Peter Pan is on-hand inside the camera, making sure it's running smoothly. And you can just see Captain Hook hovering behind. I'd keep an eye on him, though, we don't want him putting our Movie in jeopardy, do we?!

Disney Cinema Parade - Costuming

Who better to look after the costuming of our movie than Ms. Minnie Mouse? She surely knows great sense and style - polka dots never go out of fashion! She follows closely behind Peter Pan's crew, getting everything ready for our big stars. I wonder who she's made that dress for...

Spotlight On... Disney's Cinema Parade

It's a Friday, and what better way to start the weekend than having a look at one of the original Disneyland Paris parades! Specifically, the Disney Cinema Parade, over at Walt Disney Studios Park.

A daily event, the Disney Cinema Parade brings some of your favourite Disney characters and friends together in a parade inspired by all things related to the movies. We have director Donald Duck, Tinkerbell getting ready to shoot, Minnie getting the costumes ready and Mickey Mouse overseeing the whole shebang! Of course, like most things Disney, the parade tells a story too - and over the next few posts, I'd like to share this with you. Through the magic of photographs, maybe you can feel like you're really there...

The Disney Cinema Parade premiered in the Studios on June 1st 2002, and has experienced many changes. The floats were created in towns in Belgium, the Netherlands and Northern France, while the costumes were imagined and brought to life in Beniche, a carnival town in Belgium. Until early 2004, the Parade also included a 'warm up', with Goofy going along the parade route, along with some of the Park's movie stars, interacting with guests. This was removed as it was thought not all guests could enjoy it, due to the fact that Goofy was solely speaking in English.

Similarly, the "Lights! Camera! Action" 'parade stops' (in which the floats stop and the characters dance/interact with the guests) were removed from the parade in September 2004. However, these were reintroduced in 2006. The parade runs along from right to left (as seen on the map), finishing up at Backlot Express/Rock N' Rollercoaster. As I previously mentioned, instead of ropes, guests can sit along the 'film strip' of Mickey Ears to get ready for the parade.

The Parade has 9 different themes making up the story: Camera, Costuming, Script, Clapperboard, Movie Reel, Movie Can, Director, Filmstrip and Cinema. Each of these themes are represented by Disney characters or movies. There is also one ongoing theme throughout the Parade too, in the form of the dancers all being dressed as Ushers.

As far as I am aware, this parade no longer runs at the Walt Disney Studios. At present, guests can enjoy High School Musical On Tour and High School Musical 2: School's Out instead. I have heard that the Stars and Motor Cars Parade from Disney's Hollywood Studios shall be making an appearance in the near future at the park.

In the meantime, hold onto that Ticket to Disneyland Paris (I hope you all still have it!) and get ready for one of the funnest Parades in the Disney Parks!

My Verdit On... Wall*E

I finally got to see it - the film I had been waiting months to see! Ever since I saw the first trailer with the cute robot, the catchy music, and the intriguing storyline, I had been looking forward to this film.

And it was finally released here in the UK on Friday. And, well, it was brilliant! I won't give away anything about the film (as I won't be presumptuous enough to believe everyone who reads this went, like me, as soon as physically possible to see it), but it was pure enjoyment. For 98 minutes I enjoyed the journey this film was taking me on - from a desolate earth, to an almighty lifestyle out in space, it was a marvellous rollercoaster.

Not only were the graphics/animation amazing, but the characters were truly heart wrenching too. I fell in love with Wall*E the moment I saw him - and then the friends he makes along the way...well, I fell in love with them too! The crew of robots he also meets along the way - how could anyone not find them endearing? I bit of a flash back to a scene from Lady in the Tramp for me at one point, too.

I went along to see the film with my parents, and my dad thoroughly enjoyed it alongside me. We laughed at so many parts - and I even had a little tear in my eye once or twice. There's also enough action in the film to make even young boys (and girls!) sit at the edge of their seats, holding their breath.

Of course, I knew it was a love story - I'd remained pretty much spoiler free when I went to see it, but I knew that much. Not only from what I'd read on the internet, but from the trailers and tv spots they had been showing over here. Little did I know how much of a love story it was - a love story on so many levels, all relating back to one massive love story for us all - the earth.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much the film wasn't a pin-up for how badly the human race is treating the planet. That point was part of the story, but from what I had heard I thought it would be the core of everything. The film teaches us that we have to look after where we live, but IMO it wasn't the core of the story.

Additionally, I was worried about how John Ratzenberger would be placed in the film (with it mainly being 'talkless'). Thankfully, my worries were pointless, and the minute I heard his voice I was overjoyed! :)

So, overall, this Princess enjoyed the film! While I don't have robots like that around the palace, I sure could do with one or two of them now and then. Oh, and my breakthrough character of the film? Well, it's gotta be Mo.

And as for Presto... I loved this short! One of the things I love about going to see a Disney/Pixar film is the feeling of getting a 2-for-1. The shorts are always just as much fun as the film, and this one was no exception. How cute was that little bunny rabbit? My dad and I were laughing all the way through!

A Trip Along the River

Like many other Disney parks around the world, Disneyland Park in Paris has it's very own Riverboat Landing - the Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing. Named after the fictional setting of most of Frontierland in Paris, Thunder Mesa has two Riverboats - Mark Twain and Molly Brown. You can see Mark Twain in the photos.

These two boats travel along the Rivers of the Far West and were made specifically for Disneyland Paris. As you can probably imagine, the stern-wheeler Mark Twain is based on the Anaheim Disneyland boat of the same name, whilst the Molly Brown is an original and the only side-wheeler boat in any of the Disney theme parks.

The Molly Brown, for those of you who didn't know, is named after an American pioneer who heroically saved many fellow passengers on the Titanic in 1912. Unfortunately, the Molly Brown has spent many years out of service, after an incident in May 2005 in which the engines overheated and guests even had to be moved from the boat using Keelboats. In September 2005, the Molly Brown was moved to dry dock for refurbishment, while the Mark Twain came back to the Riverboat Landing in March 2006.

During this voyage, you get excellent views of Big Thunder Mountain, which is uniquely an island by itself in Parc Disneyland. You pass Smuggler's Cove, Joe's Landing, Settler's Landing and Geyser Plateau too. You also get a fantastic view of Phantom Manor and Boot Hill Cemetery. I'll discuss these areas in more detail in future posts. Both Riverboats are operational at night, with spotlights illuminating the shoreline. Like many Disney attractions, experiences at night can greatly differ from during the day!

Celebrating Family

Thinking about what I should do for my 100th post - or, to celebrate it. And I thought to what D.O.C has been writing about over at The Disney Obsession recently - about family. I thought, what better a way to celebrate my 100th posting by writing about the one part of my life that has helped my Disney obsession - my family!

My mum and dad introduced me to Walt Disney World and all things Disney when I was very young - my first trip to WDW was when I was 8 (picture below), and they like to remind me how I looked the first time I entered the Magic Kingdom. Ever since that age, when people asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up I would say 'Work at Walt Disney World'. And with the help of my parents, I did - twice.

They have supported me financially and mentally to reach my dreams and my goals in life - never standing in my way. They helped me to become the person I am today, and they have definitely helped my Disney obsession!

I know this kind of posting is more at place in my personal blog, but I think it's important to realise that not everything Disney is just in the parks. It's in the hearts of us, and the people that help us celebrate and embrace our love for Disney. Whether they like it or not!
So, I just wanted to thank my parents for helping me in all ways Disney - and for goofing around with me in the parks, and truly embracing the spirit of Disney!

Friday Notings...

Just a couple of things that I wanted to highlight to you all, instead of a post, for today. Posting will resume tomorrow, of course, with a belated celebration of this blog hitting 100 posts!

I firstly wanted to point out to you all about the MagicMeets Fan Gathering which will be happening this weekend. During this meet, which is in the States, there will be a charity auction on July 19th for the Dream Team Project. Imaginerding and The Disney Obsession have great posts about this auction and the Dream Team Project in general, which is helping to send ill children and their families to Walt Disney World.

For all of you who, like me, cannot attend the auction in person but would still like to help this worthy cause, you can head over to http://www.firstgiving.com/dwtdreamteam and donate as much or as little as you can! And, if you do so between 9.00am and 2.30pm EST (2pm and 7.30pm UK time), you will be announced on the WDW Today Podcast! But, you can donate at any time and help out the Dream Team Project.

In other news... Wall*E is released in the UK today - finally! I will be heading to my cinema this weekend to check this out - maybe twice, if I can manage to. So, look out for a little post, probably praising this Disney/Pixar movie and the cutest robot ever to grace our planet...

Just Because

DSC09141
Originally uploaded by df82

I'm having a bit of writer's block at the moment - so, to pass the time, I thought I would share a lovely picture of Le Chateau at Parc Disneyland.

Personally, I think there is no limit to the pictures of this Castle I can look at. I love it!

Memorabilia Monday - Stationery

I'm back now and, although I don't have a lot of time, I wanted to post something for you all (in between re-organising myself and catching up on blogs).


While this may be a bit of a 'cop out', I'd like to share with you some stationery from the Disneyland Hotel in Paris as today's Memorabilia Monday. Partly because I think it's very classy, but also because today is Bastille Day! I know stationery doesn't have very much to do with this national celebration, but it is from France.

Oh, Alice!

Slightly later than promised, I wanted to tell you some interesting details about the Curious Labyrinth that we have just been exploring!



The Labyrinth - formally known as Alice's Curious Labyrinth - opened along with Disneyland Paris in 1992, and has been a staple in the Fantasyland scenery ever since. With the striking flower display of Cheshire Cat and the towering Queen of Hearts' Castle (which, George, isn't too tall - maybe 2 stories), it is unique and intriguing.

Speaking of the Castle, you can actually go inside and have a wee exploration of this building - I'm sure it's just a replica of the Queen's actual castle, as I'm sure hers would be much larger, just like mine! Interestingly enough, there was a slide originally in the Castle, for children to play on, but this was closed down within the year (due to health and safety).

For all you tree lovers out there, the hedges throughout the maze are Thuja coniferous variety, which are part of the Cypress family, and were originally grown in the north of France. As you can probably tell, the maze isn't too difficult - it only took us a few days to get through! - but there are a total of 8 dead ends. The theming of the Labyrinth is split into two sections - the first illustrating Alice's adventures prior to meeting the Queen, and the second comprising of the final scenes from the film 'Alice in Wonderland'.

I hope you all enjoyed our trip through the Labyrinth - I for one did! And I hope you all learned something from it too. Personally, I learned how to spell 'labyrinth', so that's good enough for me!

Apologies the picture is not great - it got very wet just as I was finishing up at the Labyrinth and I didn't want to hang about too much!

Update: Just to let you all know, I'm going away for a few days and there won't be any posts until Monday. I wanted to have a few posts prepared for you all, but time slipped away from me! Have a great weekend and see you again on Monday!

Reaching the End!

Whoever says there is only one castle in Parc Disneyland is wrong! If you manage to find your way to the end of the Curious Labyrinth, you can find the Queen of Hearts' Castle - complete with protective cards.

But watch out, she could be lurking anywhere...

Join me tomorrow when I'll tell you some more details about the Curious Labyrinth that we've been making our way through!

Memorabilia Mondays - Stars & Stripes

For those of you who don't read my other blog, I wish all of you who observe it a very belated Happy 4th of July! And a big shout-out to lovely Ryan at Main Street Gazette. If you don't already, please visit his blog, there are some amazing articles - and recipes - over there.

In honour of this, my first Memorabilia Monday of July is going to be of a gift we were all given upon joining the International Program over at Walt Disney World.

As you can see, this classic Mickey Mouse pen is decked out with the Stars and Stripes and has the following quote on it:

Do More Than Imagine... Live the Dream!

Walt Disney World International Program

Off With Their Heads!

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Originally uploaded by df82

As we're nearing the exit, you may need to watch out for these guys!

I mean, they're just following orders - and I don't know about you, but I quite fancy keeping a hold of my head!

Deeper Into The Wonderland

As you delve deeper and deeper into the maze, you never know what's around the next corner.

And for a second you forget where you are - until you catch a glimpse of La Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant, to remind you that you're in the Happiest Place in Paris (or Disneyland Park, anyway).

Who, Are, You?

One of my favourite characters from 'Alice in Wonderland' is also featured in the Curious Labyrinth, the Caterpillar.

Although, I'm not sure that it's a smoking area! Anyway, how doth the little crocodile improve his shining tail?