Forty Years of Magic

It's been forty years since the Magic Kingdom opened it's gates and changed the world forever.  Some people think it's an over statement to say that Disney World changed the world and they would be wrong.

Before Disney World opened there was nothing like it.  Disney Land was near LA.  People could visit Hollywood, LA, and Disney Land in a group.  On the other hand Orlando was a small town in the middle of Florida.  Unless you had business there you just didn't go there.

Disney World proved that people would go to the middle of nowhere if you built something worth seeing.  Not only that those people would stay there.

Over the last forty years a lot of things have happened at Disney World.  Richard Nixon uttered the famous "I'm not a crook" line at the Contemporary.  John Lennon signed the documents that officially broke up the Beatles at the Poly.  We could go on for hours just about all of the historic things that have happened at Disney World.

Disney World has become a virtual rite of passage for children around the world.  Disney has done everything to try and convince people that they need to go to Disney to have a normal childhood.  Disney has done everything to prove this.  They did a big shindig for the tenth anniversary.  They did a massive promotion for the 15th anniversary (I know I was there.  I even won a hat!).  They did an even bigger event for the 25th anniversary (I know I was there for that too).   For forty years they...had a one day party?!?

I'll be honest I wouldn't expect a big party for forty years.  Who really celebrates forty years? Fifty sure but forty? 

The only reason Disney would celebrate forty years would be to match what they have done in the past.  I mean fifteen years is an even bigger stretch.  In the past if Disney had a reason to celebrate they did.  Why?  MONEY!!! 

To be honest I'm shocked Disney didn't try to blow this anniversary out of the water.  Why not?  You might just get a few more people in the park.  

If you are really disappointed that Disney didn't do an all out bash for the 40th just wait a little while.  In a few years we'll get to enjoy the 50th.  That will be something to remember.

Why Disney Needs Avatar

I want to start by saying I do not consider myself an Avatar fan.  I enjoyed the movie but I didn’t see it in the theaters and didn’t see it until it after it had been out on blu-ray for a while.

I’ve see a lot of Disney fans who are up in arms over Avatar coming to the Animal Kingdom.  Many of them keep making the same argument over and over again.  With so many in house products why would you need to go outside?  Granted that is a valid point.  Disney does have many franchises that would have fit nicely into the Animal Kingdom.  However that argument overlooks one very important fact.

When Universal built their little Harry Potter land they did something different.  Instead of building an attraction or land in an attempt to get Universal fans into the parks they built a land to get Harry Potter fans into the park.  In the past many theme parks built a themed attraction to drawn in people.  When you build an entire land you don’t just pull in your fans you pull in a whole new batch of fans.

If Disney had used an internal product they would have attracted Disney fans.  By building an Avatar land they are attracting Avatar fans.  There is a good chance that some of those fans never considered going to Disney before.  If Disney wants to boost their theme park attendance they need new blood.  Avatar draws that new blood.

Who is that new blood?  Disney has tried and failed over and over again to nab one vital demographic that everyone wants.  Teen to young adult males is that demographic.  Think about: Race to Witch Mountain – Fail, Tron Legacy – Fail, Insert Disney Live Action Film Here – Fail.  Guess who likes Avatar.

Disney fans can complain all they want.  The fact of the matter is this land is not being built for Disney fans.  Disney already has us.  We are getting the Fantasy Land expansion.  That was for us.  Avatar is for the soon to be Disney fans.  It’s the hook to pull in a whole new group of people.

Avatar Is Coming to the Animal Kingdom

Unlike many of my fake news posts this is isn't a joke.  See the press release below:

BURBANK, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide is joining forces with visionary filmmaker James Cameron and Fox Filmed Entertainment to bring the world of AVATAR to life at Disney parks. Through an exclusive agreement announced today by Disney, Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment and Fox, Disney will partner with Cameron and producing partner Jon Landau to create themed lands that will give theme park guests the opportunity to explore the mysterious universe of AVATAR first hand. Disney plans to build the first AVATAR themed land at Walt Disney World, within the Animal Kingdom park. With its emphasis on living in harmony with nature, Animal Kingdom is a natural fit for the AVATAR stories, which share the same philosophy. Construction is expected to begin by 2013.



“James Cameron is a groundbreaking filmmaker and gifted storyteller who shares our passion for creativity, technological innovation and delivering the best experience possible,” said Robert A. Iger, President and CEO of The Walt Disney Company. “With this agreement, we have the extraordinary opportunity to combine James’ talent and vision with the imagination and expertise of Disney.”

“AVATAR created a world which audiences can discover again and again and now, through this incredible partnership with Disney, we’ll be able to bring Pandora to life like never before. With two new AVATAR films currently in development, we’ll have even more locations, characters and stories to explore,” said James Cameron. “I’m chomping at the bit to start work with Disney’s legendary Imagineers to bring our AVATAR universe to life. Our goal is to go beyond current boundaries of technical innovation and experiential storytelling, and give park goers the chance to see, hear, and touch the world of AVATAR with an unprecedented sense of reality.”


The agreement announced today gives The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) exclusive global theme park rights to the AVATAR franchise and provides for additional AVATAR themed lands at other Disney parks. The other locations will be determined by Disney and its international theme park partners. James Cameron, Jon Landau and their Lightstorm Entertainment group will serve as creative consultants on the projects and will partner with Walt Disney Imagineering in the design and development of the AVATAR themed lands.


“This exciting new venture combines the world of AVATAR with the enormous reach of Disney and the incomparable talent of Jim Cameron,” commented Fox Filmed Entertainment chairmen Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman. “While Jim is bringing audiences further into Pandora with the next two chapters in the AVATAR motion picture saga, the theme park attraction will likewise bring a new dimension to the amazing universe he created.”


“AVATAR is a uniquely powerful franchise that has global appeal with audiences of all ages. Its spectacular settings, intriguing characters, imaginative creatures, and strong themes of family and loyalty make it a perfect fit for Disney,” said Thomas O. Staggs, Chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “We can’t wait to give our guests the ability to journey to Pandora and explore the incredible immersive world of AVATAR in person.”


In addition to setting a global box office record, AVATAR has been hailed as one of the most innovative and visually stunning movies ever produced. With its advanced motion capture and 3-D digital projection technologies developed by James Cameron and his team, moviegoers were able to connect with the world of AVATAR in new and engaging ways.


This new venture complements Walt Disney Parks & Resorts’ strategic efforts to continue to invest in its core theme park businesses around the world while simultaneously expanding into other parts of the family vacation business.

I liked Avatar but I never pictured it in a Disney Park.  At least they are finally giving Animal Kingdom some much needed love.

CMDTA Travel Tidbits: Vintange and Vine

Try to imagine you are at the entrance to Epcot.  You pay your admission and head towards to World Showcase to enjoy Food and Wine. 

You arrive at the first booth.  You look through the offerings trying to decide when the cast member hands you one of each for free!  Next they hand you a free wine glass and let you try all of the wines for free!

You go to one booth after another and they are all free.  You can eat and drink as much as you want.  Some of the booths are hidden in the gardens.  Others hidden in the attractions.

You make it to the American Adventure and there are a number of five star chefs doing demos and you don't have to pay to take part.  Outside there is a band playing and a nice big bon fire.

You wake up and realize you are not in Epcot you are at Strawberry Banke in Portsmouth, NH.  You are not in the middle of Food and Wine you are at Vintage and Vine.

Vintage and Vine takes place at Strawberry Banke which is an outdoor museum based on the history of the New Hampshire seacoast from the 1600s to the 1940s.  All over the place are historic buildings and amazing gardens.

Vintage and Vine itself is a four hour event and cost $40.  For that price you get a free wine glass and as much food and drink as you can handle.

There are about a dozen stations.  Most stations have both food and wine.  In many cases a station consists of a local restaurant and a local vineyard.  The food offerings are diverse and most stations offered at least two food items.  The wine was another matter.

Every wine station had a minimum of five to six different wines you could sample. 

One of the coolest features is the fact that some of the stations were hidden inside the homes and in their vast gardens.  You never knew when you would stumble across the next station. 

In the middle of everything is the five star chef area.  Five stations put together where some of the areas best chefs do cooking demos for everyone.

If you are a wine fan you will love Vintage and Vine.  Between the free food, free entertainment, free wine glass, silent auction and roughly 70 different wines and meads to try; you can't beat it.

Vintage and Vine is everything Disney's Food and Wine should be.

Donald Duck Involved in Terrible Misunderstanding

Donald Duck is recuperating tonight after being mistaken for a mallard duck.

For an upcoming roll in which he plays a mallard duck; Donald had been preparing by dressing up like a mallard and seeing if he can go about without being noticed.

Mallard ducks are an invasive species to central Florida and in an effort to curb their spread Disney has a policy of capturing and neutering mallards found on property. 

This afternoon while visiting the Animal Kingdom, some cast members caught Donald and brought him to the Conservation Station where he was knocked out and operated on.

"This was just a terrible misunderstanding.  The cast members that caught Donald really thought he was a freakish large mallard duck," stated an unnamed Disney spokesperson.

It appears that the cast members in question did not react to Donald's cries of protest.  Apparently they could not understand him.  In fact one of the cast members involved in the capture, Goofy, freely admitted this fact. "I've know Donald for decades.  When he gets excited you can't understand a word he says.  I truly believe this is his fault.  You'd have to be dumber than I am to dress up like a mallard in Disney World."

Donald could not be reached for comment but is expected to be released from the hospital this weekend.

The Annual CMDTA Disney Podcast Awards

Every year or when I get around to it I do my annual Disney podcast awards. Like my blog my awards tend to be...different.

Here are this years awards:

Best Disney Podcast for People Who Don't Like Disney - Netcot

Netcot was a shoe in for this award. There hasn't been a Netcot episode since November so therefore anyone who doesn't like Disney would love it.


Best weekly news report in a Disney Podcast - Inside the Magic

Ricky does a consistently good job each and every week of nailing the all the Disney news.  Others try to do the news but no one does it quite as well.


Least Critical Podcast - WDW Radio Show

On the WDW Radio Show the sun is always out, the food is never crappy or overpriced.


Most Critical Disney Podcast - The DIS Unplugged

This isn't a bad thing.  This is honest criticism that most people would understand.  When Pete goes on a rant it's normally for a very good reason.


Nerdiest Disney Podcast - Betamouse

This one isn't even close.  Betamouse is for Nerds and by nerds.  They cover the stuff you won't hear anywhere else.


Deekiest Podcast - WDWNT Podcast

No one goes into greater detail on more obscure Disney history than this podcast.  This podcast is do deeky that even some deeks think it's too deeky.


The Disney Podcast for Beginners - WDW Today

You ask they answer...no matter how many times they have already answered the same question.  No one is more welcoming that the crazy odd couple like cast at WDW Today.


Disney Podcast Most Likely to Predict the Disney Future - Magical Definations

Jim Hill has connections and he's not afraid to use them to leak all sorts or crazy info of give you the back story to what is going on.

Review: The Dark Side of Disney

I’ve read a lot of Disney related books over the years. Most of them focused on either going to the parks or the historical aspects of Disney World. Out of all of those books I can honestly say that none of them were like “The Dark Side of Disney” by Leonard Kinsey.


When I saw the cover of the book I almost didn’t buy it. I’m not a fan of walking around with a book that has a topless, tattooed, porn star on the cover. Even if it’s a digital book I’m not a big fan of having any book that uses shock value to sell itself. After reading the book I’m not sure if the cover matches the content. The book doesn’t need such an eye catching cover to sell itself.

The content of the book ranges from great to completely ridiculous. There is some information I took notes on to try the next time I’m in the parks and some information that is so offensive I want to hunt down anyone trying it and find a way to get them banned for life from the parks.

Just to give you an idea of what is in this book the author tells you how to sneak in pot baked snacks to get high in the parks, tells you how to break into the utlidors, get cheap drinks on some airlines, where to…do public adult shenanigans without being on camera, and a complete overview of the ticket resale scams.

Almost the entire book is entertaining. Whether the entertainment is good or bad depends on the reader. I guarantee you that some things will make you laugh, some will make you mad, and more than a few will shock you.

I do not recommend buying this book in a paper copy instead buy the Kindle version. The Kindle version is only $2.99. The paper copy is about ten times that price.

Disney On A Dime - Where to Stay

Families that want to go to Disney but consist of more than four members often run into a very difficult situation.  Value resorts really cannot handle more than four people.  In fact fitting four people into a value resort room is a challenge.  Moderates are a little better but five is really tight.  A deluxe resort would do but it's so expensive.

The other issue you run into is the extra fee.  For each person beyond double occupancy Disney likes to tack on a decent fee per person. This fee can make a deluxe impossible and a moderate seem over priced.  What can you do?  In most cases getting two rooms isn't a option.

What if I told you that you can fit six people into a spacious room with a separate bedroom with no per person fee?  What if I also told you it's on property and does not involve renting points off of a DVC member? Oh...and it costs the same as a moderate.

No I'm not crazy.  At least not that kind of crazy.  The room in question is cabin at Fort Wilderness.  Now these are great rooms that include a kitchenette, bunk beds, murphy bed and double bed.  They easily fit six and if you have an infant you could most likely fit seven.

The cabins are spaced out enough that noise isn't an issue unless you are near a bus stop and they can be really dark at night. 

Fort Wilderness also has some of the best recreation of any resort.   It has a lot of options that no other resort offers.  It also has the best dinner show on property in the Hoop Dee Doo, an on site trading post, and boat transportation to the Magic Kingdom.

Granted Fort Wilderness has a confusing internal bus system and it can be a process getting to some of the parks.  However I will say that it's still one of the best values you can find on Disney property.  I'm not just saying this.  I myself had stayed in the cabins many times and on at least four occasions have stayed in a cabin with a total of six people.

All I can say to close this out is hurry up and stay there before Disney finds out and wrecks it for us.