Fancy Meeting a Princess?

Well, you can!

If you are going to be at Disneyland next weekend for the Half Marathon, feel free to come along to a special It's A Small World meet! I have never held a meet before - so this will be the Inaugrial Princess Fee meet, hosted by DF'82.

So, if you can, please come along! However, if you can't make that meet, there are several others that you can come along to:

Lori at We Wants The Redhead will have a Pirates of the Caribbean meet.

And Jonathan (at Team Voice and All About The Mouse) has this Indiana Jones meet planned, so far.

If you want to find out about some of the dining meets that are happening, please go to my personal blog!

If you can't make Disneyland, maybe I'll see you around Walt Disney World during the Tower of Terror 13k weekend. I can't wait to meet all my loyal subjects!

Is It Nap Time?

Here at DF'82, we love to introduce you to the many Disney Details of the Disney Theme Parks. But don't forget, these details are not limited to the parks themselves. All throughout the Disney Resorts there are many hidden details that we all love and appreciate.

For example, Hidden Mickeys. These are some of my family's favourite details to look for! And even when you are staying in a Disney Resort, there's a good chance of finding one of these.
Like in the Sequoia Lodge, Disneyland Paris - in one of the lodge rooms, there's many tiny Hidden Mickeys waiting for you.

World Showcase At Night...China

One of the most beautiful pavilions in World Showcase at night is the China Pavilion. If you have the chance to travel around the pavilions in Epcot at night, especially during Extra Magic Hours, you should. I really feel it shows each country in a whole new light.

Today, let's have a look at China, and see what the Imagineering Field Guide to Epcot has to say about this mysterious land.

The dominant element in the skyline of our China is the Hall Prayer for Good Harvest. This striking tower is an imperial prayer temple, where the emperor would go to pray for a good harvest or give thanks for one that had already passed.

This agricultural theme prevades the detailing of the hall's interior. Note the four columns in the center, each representing one of the seasons of the year. The twelve exterior columns are indicative of the twelve months of the year and of the twelve year cycle that the Chinese live by. In Chinese design, circles define the heaves and squares stand in for the earth - used together they form the universe. This motif repeats itself throughout the building. The red and yellow that are found all around represent happiness and the emperor, respectively. The original hall was built solely with interlocking pieces of wood - no nails or fasteners.

Imagineering Field Guide to Epcot [p86]

Furthermore in Hollywood

In addition to La Terrasse, the Tower of Terror and the Department store, we also have this beauty of a building:

Of course, Beverley Court is named as such after the famous Beverley Hills area in the west part of Los Angeles.

Time For Some Refreshments?

Apart from La Terrasse, where in the Hollywood Boulevard area can you get something refreshing to drink?

How about Hollywood and Lime - where you can get some sparkling water-based cocktails! Delicious! It is the choice of Royalty.

Monday Memories - More Books!

I adore books! It's probably why I read so many blogs, and why I love to do research on all things Disney. So, you can imagine my surprise when I popped into my local library this weekend and came across these two books:

I am really looking forward to reading them - although, unfortunately, they are not small enough to put in my suitcase! The only downside is that I won't be able to keep them for myself...but in the meantime, I will cherish them and enjoy them until I can own these works.

La Quatrième Dimension

The Tower of Terror in Hollywood Boulevard, Walt Disney Studios Paris is very similar to it's cousin at Disney's California Adventure. Known in French as La Tour de la Terreur - Un Saut dans la Quatrième Dimension (The Tower of Terror - A Jump Into the Fourth Dimension), the attraction similarly allows the guest to travel into the Fourth Dimension via a mysterious and possibly cursed service elevator.

The queue area takes us through the Hollywood Tower Hotel's gardens, and brings us into the Reception Area. Although, it looks like no one has stayed here for several years. Surely that should warn us, right?

The pre-show to the attraction is similarly held in the library, where we watch a presention (in French, with English subtitles) warning us of the mysteries of this hotel. "1939... The Hollywood Tower Hotel was a star in its own right, a beacon for the show business elite".

After the presentation we enter into the boiler room, where we head towards a maintenance service elevator "still in operation, waiting for you". Whatever could that mean?

The Tower of Terror at Walt Disney Studios opened in December 2007, but officially opened on April 5th 2008, after almost 3 years of production and building. The main difference in this Hotel is that it was built with concrete rather than steel, due to French building guidelines. There are 6 elevators in 3 shafts, and up to 22 guests can journey into the Fourth Dimension. The Tower is 180ft high, with a drop of approximately 160ft - that's a long way down!

And if you wish to pass some time, you should visit the Hollywood Tower Hotel's official website - they can't wait for you to drop by!

City of Angels

I think my love of the Art Deco movement, and early 20s architecture, is part of the reason I adore the Hollywood Boulevard land of Walt Disney Studios, Paris. I love the curves and the essence of the period, and especially the typography used too.

This is a straight on look at the Deluxe Talent Agency building that we looked at yesterday. Here you can see some La Terrasse - a small, patio eating area, which we will look at another day - and the offices of the Talent Agency. If we look closer, you can see a couple of other business residing in this building:

Mulholland Records is a 'shout out' to the Mulholland Drive area of Los Angeles, a road passing through the city on which you can see views of the Hollywood Sign, Burbank, Universal City and downtown Los Angeles. Laurel Canyon Real Estate, well, this relates to the Laurel Canyon neighbourhood of Los Angeles, which connects West Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley. The area has also been home to some very famous residents, including Steve Martin, George Clooney, Harry Houdini, Boris Karloff and Jennifer Aniston.

The billboard on the top of La Terrasse also highlights an area of Los Angeles known as "the Movie Colony's Most Prestigious Address": Sunset Hills. Likely to be a reference to Sunset Boulevard.

Another small detail that I love - the Information Booth which is located in front of Hollywood Boulevard keeps with the theming. This is why we love Disney Theme Parks and the Imagineers!

Everything's Real In Hollywood - Right?

Today's view on the Streets of Hollywood Boulevard in the Walt Disney Studios, Paris, focuses on the facades of the buildings surrounding the Tower of Terror. In order to stay as authentic as possible, Disney Imagineers have successfully created these 'shop fronts' to make you feel like you are in 1920s Hollywood. Of course, that is all they are - fronts. Behind them is nothing but more areas of the Disney Studios.

But the sheer detail that goes into these buildings is very impressive, in my book. Take a look, for example, at this towering arch-way and the detail that has been carved into it.

And as for the shops, well, who can resist a souvenir and department store? I know I can't! That's why the Imagineers made sure to get a Franklin Department Store moved into Hollywood Boulevard! I might try and go there next time to get some giveaways for DF'82!

But in the meantime, I think I'll head over here to the Deluxe Talent Agency - I could probably get myself an agent before I head over to the American Idol Experience in Walt Disney World! Oh wait, did they have American Idol in the 1920s? I know Simon Cowell was around then, but...

Join us tomorrow when we have a look at some more details of the Talent Agency building!

World Showcase at Night - Japan

Today's World Showcase Pavilion is Japan - one of the most beautiful pavilions in the whole of the the Showcase! My picture is only a small part of the pavilion, but I thought we should look at another excerpt from the Imagineering Field Guide.

In order to evoke the serenity and drama of traditional Japanese settings, WDI designers drew heavily upon the underlying principles of Japanese design. Among these are balance, harmony, simplicity, formality, and delicacy. The pavilion is laid out in such a way as to place all of the major elements within view of the central entry point, from the symbolic gate on the lagoon to the massive walls of the feudal palace to the soaring majesty of the protective pagoda. The arrangement of all of these elements serves to tie the space together and connect the viewer to his or her surroundings.

Choices were made in the selection of references in order to maintain that distinctly Japanese sensibility. For instance, the original design of the pagoda was deemed by our Japanese advisors to reflect more of the Chinese influence, dating to the time before the Japanese had adapted their pagoda designs to suit their own preferences. So, it was changed.

Imagineering Field Guide to Epcot [p104]

The Streets of Hollywood

If you are a regular reader of DF'82, you will know how much I adore all the Disney Details throughout the Disney Theme Parks. I had previously discussed some of the different street names throughout the Walt Disney Studios, each named after Film and Cinema Legends.

With the new Hollywood Boulevard section of the Studios, there is also a famous name in attendance. This one, however, relates to an actual street in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles: Hollywood and Vine.

Named because of the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, Hollywood and Vine became famous for being in the centre of the thriving movie and radio business in the 1920s - or the "Golden Age of Hollywood".

The following is from Wikipedia:

The historical marker plaque placed at the site by The Broadway-Hollywood Department Store and the Board of Supervisors of the County of Los Angeles[1] reads:

"Hollywood was given name by pioneers Mr. and Mrs. Horace H. Wilcox. They subdivided their ranch in 1887 and called two dirt cross-roads Prospect Avenue and Weyse Avenue. Prospect Avenue, the main artery, was renamed Hollywood Boulevard and Weyse Avenue became Vine Street. This was the origin of "Hollywood and Vine."

The streets were renamed in 1910, when the town of Hollywood was annexed by the City of Los Angeles.

Beginning in the 1920s, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the area began to see an influx of money and influence as movie and music businesses began to move in, turning the local farms and orchards into movie backlots. Hollywood and Vine was the second busiest intersection in the area, after Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue.[2]

In the 1930s radio programs such as KFWB and the CBS Lux Radio Theater spoke of "broadcasting live from Hollywood and Vine," and newspaper columnists Hedda Hopper and Jimmie Fidler regularly touted the intersection's mystique.[2]

In 1958, the intersection became the central point of the newly-installed Hollywood Walk of Fame. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, the astronauts of the first lunar landing mission Apollo 11, were awarded television stars for coverage of the mission, and given the places of honor at the exact corners of Hollywood and Vine.

Monday Memories... Magic Kingdom Club

While my father, the King, was doing some cleaning out, we came across some 'blasts from the Disney past' - his membership to the Magic Kingdom Club and the Disney Club. I had forgotten completely about these, but I guess it was like a D23 for the 90's.

Yesterland.com has a fantastic article detailing the origins of the Magic Kingdom Club - you can visit it here (it really is very interesting!).

The King also found this baggage tag he received as a member of the Club! I wonder if we will find any more of these kind of memories... Of course, I will share any I find with yourselves! As someone has yet to become a member of D23 (international postage and packaging is the downside), these membership cards bring back some fond memories!

We were also a member of The Disney Club - which I presume came along after the Magic Kingdom Club - another benefits programme. I found a press-release from the time the Walt Disney Company introduced this club:

Members will be connected to the latest Disney offers, savings and benefits through an exclusive member Web site at www.disneyclub.com, as well as a toll-free member services center. The offers will constantly be updated based on the latest new products from throughout Disney.

The member services center will be staffed with specially trained personnel who understand members' needs in order to provide more relevant offers and services to them. Members also will be notified of special Club offers through monthly mailings.

I can't seem to find out how long this club lasted for, but it probably wasn't very long!

It's The Point of the Pirate

Unfortunately, this is the last of our Point Photo series - and I have saved one of the best for last! Adventureland might be a little different - it is full of Pirates and Adventurers - but they like a Point Photo just as much as the rest of us!

And in this next photo, the Queen (my mother!) shows us exactly what we should do at each of these Point Photos.

World Showcase At Night...Morocco

Continuing with our wanderings through Epcot's World Showcase in the evening, our next stop on this journey is Morocco - one of the most immersive pavilions, in my opinion.

Let's see what the Imagineering Field Guide can tell us about this Pavilion:

Our Morocco takes inspiration from the cities of Casablanca, Marrakesh, Rabat, and Fez. It is drawn from the traditions of Islamic architecture. The pavilion, like most Moroccan cities, is divided into two sections - the ville nouvell, or new city, and the Medina, or old city.

The gateway to the city - the Bab Boujouland Gate from Fex - defines the entrance to the Medina. Such gates were typically part of the protective system of the old cities, and were therefore not very welcoming. Ours has been tweaked and given a more pleasant context so that it will work better for our purposes.
The Nejjarine Fountain to the right of the restaurant is also from Fex, and is representative of most of the villages in Morocco.

The minarets, or prayer towers, that form our Moroccan skyline are replicas of the Chella minaret from the capital city of Rabat and the Koutoubia minaret from Marrakesh. [p.108]

If you would like to get your own copy of the Imagineer's Field Guide to Epcot - and it is a must have! - you can find it at Amazon's US Site or their UK Site.

Technology Problems

Due to reasons outwith our control, the Royal Household does not have any internet access at the moment (I am secretly typing this at work!). It could be several days until we get it back - we have the servants and the jesters trying their best! - but until then, there won't be any DF'82 posts.

Make sure to check back often, as there will be posts as soon as communications allow!

Further Along the Hollywood Trail

Having another look at our Hollywood Boulevard land of Walt Disney Studios, as we leave the gardens of Tower of Terror we approach the actual attraction.

This small detail is one of my favourite - the empty water fountains of the Hollywood Tower Hotel. Surely the fact that this isn't full of water - and the gardens are a little overrun - alert us to the fact that possibly the hotel is no longer 5-star?

Oh well, they're still allowing us to enter, so it must be okay...right?

World Showcase at Night...Italy

Let's have a look at another World Showcase at night image and description from the Imagineering Field Guide. This time, I thought we would have a look at the Italy Pavilion. Even though the image is not the sharpest, I still think it encompasses the beauty of this often over-looked Pavilion.

Our Italy pavilion is weighted toward the architecture of Venice. It's not the most representative architectural style for the entire country, but is the most distinctive and perhaps the most recognizable as being Italian. Our departure point is the Piazza di San Marco, or St Mark's Square. The landmark structures are the Doge's Palace, constructed between the 9th and the 16th centuries-spanning Gothic and Renaissance styles - and the Campanile clock-bell tower built one-fifth the size of the original.

The two columns at the entrance to the piazza mimic those that grace the original. One holds a statue of a lion - the guardian of Venice - and the other shows St. Theodore slaying a dragon. The Arcata d'Artigiani, a stucco building with a clay-tile roof, brings together elements of the rural region of Tuscany. The Fontana di Nettuno is intended to capture the spirit of the world of the prolific Renaissance sculptor, artist, and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini, but is not based upon any particular piece. [p92]

Introducing Hollywood

A recent addition to the Walt Disney Studios, Paris, is the beautiful Hollywood Boulevard section. Placed between the Toon Studio and the Production Courtyard, this new land also brought along a new E-Ticket attraction for the Studios, the Tower of Terror.

Here at DF'82, we like to introduce you to as much of Disneyland Paris as possible, and Hollywood Boulevard is no exception! So check in from time to time, as I slowly immerse you in 1930s Hollywood!

For starters, I thought it would be nice to have a look around the gardens of the Hollywood Hotel - a Hotel which has now entered the Twilight Zone after being hit by lightning in the 1930s.

World Showcase At Night.. The American Adventure

Let's continue on our little journey around the World Showcase at night time. It really is a beautiful place to wander - and our next focus is delightful at night.

The American Adventure is a beautiful building, patriotic in nature, with an historical and informative attraction within. Although I am not an American, I would like to think that Americans are very proud of this being their pavilion. In my opinion, it very much reminds me of a culmination of buildings from Boston and similarly historical cities.

Let's have a look at the Imagineering Field Guide's detailing of this building:

Our building's edifice is an example of English Georgian architecture, prevalent during the 18th-Century reigns of King George I through King George IV, and therefore common in colonial America as well. This style expresses itself in the Greek-revitalist porticos, the stone-quoined corners implying strength and solidity, and the characteristic clock and bell tower above the roof. This look carries over to the American Gardens Theatre, designed as a fitting compliment to the main building.

The colour palette at the American Adventure is very tightly controlled. One can see in all of the concept art throughout its development that this was always on the minds of the design team. The red, white, and blue colour scheme repeats itself throughout the pavilion. We see a red promenade, white pilasters on the marquee, and a blue-tile fountain. We have 110,000 red bricks, white architectural trim, and the blue sky backdrop. The flowers are always planted in red, white and blue groupings. And there's always a layer of banners and buntings declaring the patriotic learnings of the place.

The Imagineering Field Guide to Epcot at Walt Disney World [p.95]

Who's A Pretty...Point

I know how you all love these Point Photos - and here's another one from the Disneyland Paris collection!

Can you guess what area this is in? I like to think that this is Parc Disneyland's tribute to the Tiki Room!

Tick-Tock-Tick-Tock

Never Smile at a Crocodile

Apparently on the beaches of Adventureland in Parc Disneyland, Paris, you certainly can never be friendly with a crocodile. Surely it's just coincidence that Captain Hook's ship is docked by Skull Rock?

Is that a clock I hear? Uh-oh!

Streets of the Studios

Finishing up our look at the Walt Disney Studios' streets, over at the theme park in Paris, we have a very special Plaza for you today: The Disney Bros Plaza.

Although it is easy for us Disney fans to guess who the Disney Bros are that this plaza is named after, let's have a look at the description anyway.

Walt Disney (1901 - 1966)

Roy Disney (1893 - 1971)

In what is arguably the longest and most successful partnership in the history of show business, Roy, the financial genius, and Walt, the creative visionary, together ran the Disney company for nearly half a century. They changed the face of entertainment and virtually created the genre of the animated feature film.

And what could stand in a Plaza like this? Well, there's only one statue it could be.

World Showcase At Night...

Continuning through the World Showcase at night series I thought you might like, today we look at France. Whilst I have never been lucky enough to eat here (I am a fussy eater - used to only the most Royal of dishes!), it is a restaurant that I think really showcases a French eatery.

Let's see what the Imagineering Field Guide to Epcot at Walt Disney World says about the French pavilion as a whole [p110]:

The France pavilion derives most of its look from the beautiful city of Paris. Not just any part of Paris, but specifically those elements dating from La Belle Epoque, or Beautiful Age - the period between 1850 and 1900, during which Baron Von Haussman ruled the master planning of the city and imparted an aesthetic that today makes Paris one of the most striking and beautiful cities in th eworld. This was known as the Grand Design, which specified the elegant mansard roofs and dormers that are so characteristically Parisian. Buildings were limited to seven stories, creating a comfortable pedestrian environment.

Designers were sure to capture the essence of a visit to France, with details such as as the sidewalk cafe, the prevalance of water fountains, the arcade entrances, and the provincial France depicted on Le Petit Rue - the little street at the rear of the pavilion.

Last But Not Least

It has been ages since I've introduced you to another popcorn cart from Disneyland Paris - so, it's about time I showed you my final find from the European theme park.

So, can you guess where this one would be found? It's not too difficult...you might need a professor of sorts, perhaps...