After 26 years I have finally been to Disneyland. I have wanted to go my whole life and I finally went. My in-laws gave the family a trip to Disneyland for Christmas. That is the reason that we have been doing Disney things this month. We figured that it would be easier to accomplish this month's mission if we did Disney things since we were going to go to Disney land for a week.

It would be impossible to do a day by day so I will try to hit the highlights!

Downtown Disney: This was the first thing we did. Downtown Disney is outside the park and is basically a glorified strip mall. A very cleverly disguised strip mall. Everything has a Disney touch. Everything is also very over priced. Granted I come from Chico, things are cheaper in Chico. We ate several dinners in Downtown Disney. First was House of Blues. I wanted to eat there so badly. I LOVE blues music and the Blues Brothers. I was pissed to find Heavy Metal blaring in the speakers and a SHITTY beer selection. My father-in-law paid $7 bucks for a freaking Stella Artois. Give me a break. We also ate at the Rainforest Cafe, which thankfully had slightly better beer selection. There was also a Mexican restaurant with really good carnitas. Everything was over priced and for the most part mediocre. But that's not point, the point is the experience. Which was worth every penny.

Disneyland Rides: Are the best. They are best combination speed and ambiance. My favorite ride was probably Indiana Jones, but there were so many others that I really enjoyed. Haunted Mansion was such a trip for me. I used to wait every Halloween to watch Disney's Halloween Treat and the Haunted Mansion ride is in the opening! I was singing the opening song in my head as we went though the ride. Matterhorn is fun, but made for midgets. Keith and I snuggled into the car and my knees were up to my eyeballs. I also LOVED the Grizzly Rapids in California Park. Got soaked but I didn't care it was so much fun. Splash Mountain was closed which was a bummer.

Churros: Churros are all over the place in the park and I am pretty sure I ate at least ten. They are so expensive but so tasty. While waiting in lines a churros and my ipod touch kept me happy.

Characters: Being a Disney geek, the character experience was so important to me. I saw: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto, Goofy, Chip, Dale, Terk(Tarzan, gorilla), Meeko(Pocahantas, raccoon), Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Belle, Ariel, Tianna, Jasmine, Aladdin and the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella. The Parade we saw had Mary Poppins and Bert and Peter Pan and Wendy. It was so great to see all these characters but I didn't see the ones I really wanted to see. The character I wanted to see most was Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) she is my favorite princess. I also wanted to see Cinderella, Snow White, Maleficient, the Queen, Prince Phillip, Cruella and Mad Madame Mim. None of them were to be found. I went in thinking there would be characters everywhere. But there weren't, we found most of them by accident. I was so sad! I know it seems silly but I really wanted to see Aurora. I was super glad about all the others I did find and Keith and the family waited so patiently for me to get all my pictures and aside from one comment about making a shiv out of a churro everyone was super nice about it.

My trip to Disneyland was everything I could have hoped. Minus the lack of Aurora, it was perfect. I wish the shows would have been running but Keith and I got a sneak peek of the new water show via the glass elevator at our hotel, so that was cool. I definitely decided that should Keith and I have kids before we get to go to Disneyland again, we will wait until they are about 6 or 7 to take them. I saw too many parents with exploded diapers and exhausted faces. How can an infant appreciate Disney anyway?

My in-laws were so generous and fun during the trip. It was so cool to hang out with them and act like a bunch of kids. We really had a wonderful time. I also have to thank my sister for lending me her super fantastic small back-pac. It was the perfect size! It was the perfect accessory to the Disneyland trip. You can see most of our Disney pictures at Keith's flickr page

As much as I hate to do one big post for multiple days, I find that I have no choice. The problem with doing something everyday and then writing about it is that, sometimes, by the time you are finished doing it you have no time to write about it. That has been the plague of Disney month.

Keith and I choose Disney for the month of May because we would be going to Disneyland in the middle of the month. It seemed that Disney would be the easiest thing to do or see everyday while we were in Disneyland. Unfortunately due MacBeth, work, packing for the trip and various other things we have had almost no time to actually sit down and watch a movie. We have mostly watched shorts.

My last post covered Aristocats. The next day's Disney was Darby O'Gill and the Little People. This is my favorite live action Disney movie. It has Sean Connery, he is so handsome and he sings! The special effects in this movie are pretty damn good for 1959. I love this movie, I watch it pretty often.

Over the next few days we watched shorts. We watched Trick or Treat and two Silly Symphonies. Trick or Treat is the short with Huey, Duey and Luey, Donald and Witch Hazel. Donald tricks the boys instead of treating them and witch Hazel helps them get even. It is also featured in the "Disney Halloween Treat" show that I used to watch every year on Halloween. It's my favorite of the funny Halloween themed shorts.

The first Silly Symphony was "the Band". This is the one with the William Tell Overture and the Storm. Mickey is the conductor of the band and Donald is a vendor with hopes of joining the band. He tries multiple times to play his flute and Mickey breaks them. Donald it seems has a never ending supply of flutes. A tornado comes and sweeps up the band, which doesn't stop them or Donald from playing. I love the Silly Symphonies and the exposure they give kids to classical music.

The second Silly Symphony was "The Three Little Pigs." Same old story, just this time they sing.

Newsies was the last thing that we watched before departing. I must say that I love Newsies. I love Christian Bale. Ilove everything he has every done and Newsies has him singing and dancing! In my opinion Christian Bale is one of the most under-rated actors. He is so versatile and talented. He's so little in Newsies too. He has such a lovely singing voice I wish he would do another musical.

Aristocats is one of my favorite Disney animated features. I just love it. I love the dynamic between the three kittens and their mother. I also love the music. It's jazzy and swanky, it really catches your ear and sticks in your head.

I have been finding that while I have been watching Disney my whole life, I have been more critical and paid more attention this month. Normally I watch these movies while cleaning or cooking so I am not paying super close attention to them.

Some people have said that the "Everybody Wants to be a Cat" scene with all the stereotypes is racist. I don't agree. Yes, the cats are from different countries and are drawn in identifiable cultural clothing but I didn't find that racist. I found it necessary to convey the point to children. The cats all have different accents but I think the clothes were necessary for children to put a country to an accent. There is some Disney that is falt out, without a doubt racist, but I don't think Aristocats is on that list.

I have always loved the line "You're not a lady, you're nothing but a sister." It always reminds me of the relationship I have with my siblings. We are constantly building each other up and then knocking each other down a peg. There is nothing quite like a sister or brother to keep you in check.

There was another line that I heard and it felt like I was hearing it for the first time. Duchess is out on the roof with Thomas and the kittens are watching the romance unfold. Duchess tell Thomas she cares for him but she must get back to Madame and their home and therefore can not be his girl. Berlioz says "Well, we almost had a father." I had never noticed that before, I was stunned. It's a pretty big comment. I am including a video of that scene. The voice of Duchess is obviously not Eva Gabor but it's all I could find.

Disney is big on the broken family thing. I can count on one hand the number of films where the main characters have both parents. Parents that love them and are there for them. It's a sick and twisted truth, maybe at some point Disney will decide that kids/animals from not-broken homes can get into trouble too!

I'm desperately behind here so I'm going to combine some of the Disney fun we've been having over the past week.

Ye Olden Days

This one was made in the olden days about the olden days' olden days. This animated short was made in 1933, making it a contender for oldest thing we will watch this month. It is set in the Middle Ages and follows Mickey's quest to get laid. I am concerned that Mickey and Minnie look so similar and have similar speech impediments; I suspect incest. The animation was primitive, even compared to Snow White which was made only a few years later. The story, silly animation, and songs were kinda fund, but I was glad it was short.



A Knight for a Day

I enjoyed A Knight for a Day. It's one of the animations with the amusing narrator starring Goofy. In fact, every character looked like Goofy. The only thing it was missing was the trademark Goofy Holler.

Mr Toad's Wild Ride

Mr. Toad is a wealthy sociopath with a need for speed, like an amphibious Richard Branson. This fixation is bankrupting Toad Hall, the pride of the community. The movie is based on Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willow and covers Mr. Toad's wrongful imprisonment, escape, and quest to clear his name. I enjoyed this one as well. The Wind in the Willow is a great story and Disney didn't ruin it.


The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

In Disney's version of the classic tale, Ichabod Crane's romantic rival stages a headless horseman attack to scare him off. Between Ichabod's interesting character and Bing Crosby's smooth voice this one wasn't too bad.



The Watcher in the Woods

For a thirty year old full length, live action Disney horror movie this was surprisingly good. By any other standard it was terrible. The movie takes place thirty years after some kids turned happy play time in the woods into creepy secret society ritual. This ritual coincided with a full eclipse of the sun and the combination caused cross dimensional magic to happen. The magic made one of the kids disappear. The missing kid has been replaced by and invisible being with poor communication skills. Now the main character Jan, who looks similar to the missing girl, is having strange experiences and tries to solve the mystery. The cross dimensional being gives her some really bad clues that convince Jan to recreate the ritual with the original attendees, now middle aged, with Jan standing in for the missing girl during another full eclipse of the sun. More magic happens and the missing girl reappears.

The biggest plot hole is the other worldly being is able to communicate by possessing people but refuses to just explain the situation to anyone. That other dimension must be a mess is everyone there is such bad communicators. This being might have been able to return home a lot sooner if it wasn't such a pain in the ass.

I remembered Watcher in the Woods being super creepy when I was a kid. The Disney live action movies cover a wide range of genres. This particular movie is a supernatural thriller. I still like it, although watching it as an adult as brought up some interesting things.

First is the fact that as I child I had zero appreciation for things like plot and continuity. This movie is about a girl who must help correct a dimensional mistake that took place thirty years prior. The mistake caused an inter-dimensional rift that resulted in a being from another dimension switching places with a teenage girl named Karen. That is the cliff notes version. So here's my problem. There is something in the woods that is trying to stop the teenage girl, Jan, from correcting the mistake. The sinister something causes accidents and makes mischief. There is also something giving Jan clues. It is unclear if these are the same sinister something or not. However at the climax of the movie the the "watcher" comes to tell everyone what to do. It seems like Disney needed some more drama so they threw in some evil antics to ramp up the suspense. The identity of the evil doer never comes to light.

Second, how did they get Bette Davis to do this movie? Bette Davis had two Oscars before this movie was even conceived and then she gets a bland part. She brought the part of Karen's broken mother to life, despite the poor writing they handed her. She was pretty old in 1980 when this play was made, but she still has those amazing eyes and talent.

The last issue I have with this movie is that it hasn't been updated. There are so many movies getting the Disney take-two treatment. Most of them are the animated classics. Most recently though was a re-do of Escape from Witch Mountain. I really think that Watcher could use an update and would stand up well through the process. Maybe they could clean up some of the plot mistakes.

Once again I found myself on the floor in front of the television watching Disney and putting on my MacBeth make-up, stopping only to hurriedly eat dinner. I must say that a 6 o'clock call is brutal. I get off work at 5 o'clock and have to eat and have my make-up done so that I can have my fake, painted on tattoos touched up and my hair finished before people arrive. 1078 Gallery only has one bathroom and cast, crew and audience have to share it. It has certainly been an interesting experience.

I love Disney's version of The Legend Sleepy Hollow tale! It has been my favorite for as long as I can remember. I was born on Halloween and have had a love of scary stories and all things spooky ever since.

Disney's version is the second part of the "Ichabod and Mr. Toad" video. It is narrated by Bing Crosby. Bing also sings all the songs! I love it. There is something about Bing Crosby's voice that just warms my heart. I think Disney may have been on to something using a warm, friendly voice like Bing Crosby's for such a chilling tale. It's hard to be scared when Bing is crooning at you.

I am pretty sure everyone knows that Legend of Sleepy Hollow story. There have been so many incarnations a person is bound to have seen one. The Disney version is really focused on Ichabod himself. His gluttony, pride, and his superstitious nature are aptly portrayed. He is always eating! Always, yet he is so skinny. He is a funny man. I prefer to think that the Headless Horseman failed in getting Ichabod's head. Only in this version though. As I said nothing bad can happen when Bing Crosby is there.

I used to wait impatiently for the first day of October when I was little. That was when they started showing the Halloween cartoons. Disney's Halloween Treat was and still is my all time favorite show from my childhood. I still want to watch it on Halloween even though I am now twenty-six years old. Some things are just that good.

Ahhhh Mr. Toad. Every Disney fan's favorite lunatic. Unlike the other Disney crazies, Cruella or Madame Medusa for example, Mr. Toad is a perfectly lovely person. He is kind and funny and absolutely insane.

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is half of the "Ichabod and Mr. Toad" video release. The story of Mr. Toad is narrate by Basil Rathbone. I love his voice. The story is from Wind in the Willows and is an interesting look into mental illness. Although I didn't see it that way as a child. I thought it was an adventure.

Mr. Toad has a obsession with transportation. He lusts after every means of conveyance that can be had. The story opens with the recent purchase of a gypsy cart and horse. Mr. Toad drives it at break neck speed through the area, stopping only when a motorcar drives by and he decides he wants that instead. It is explained that he suffers from mania. The cartoon makes it sound like a perfectly acceptable affliction. The only problem is that he is slowly bankrupting his estate with his excessive and constant purchases.

His friends try to stage an intervention but he sneaks away to fulfill his need for the motor car. Chaos ensues, Mr. Toad is arrested and the weasels take over Toad Hall. I am skipping some of the details in order to get to my point more readily.

Here's my point. This whole cartoon is about Mr. Toad's mania. A mania that affects his friends and his house. There is a failed intervention, an arrest, a jail break, a huge fight involving weasels and eventually the purchase of an airplane, followed closely by property damage. I think the lesson that children can take away from this is that being crazy is a jolly good adventure. Makes me wish I could be crazy too.

My MacBeth schedule is unforgiving. The show opens tonight though, so no more rehearsals! This brings up the problem that Keith and I have been facing with Operation Monthly. While it has been fun, it has been difficult to accomplish. Doing something everyday for a month in order to maintain a blog is one more thing that we have to add to the list of stuff we have to do. Everyday I look at my schedule and mentally add "watch something Disney" while trying to figure out how much time I have available and what fits in that amount time. It's tiring.

Thanks to MacBeth we once again watched a short. This is killing me because for every short we watch that is one less movie we get to watch and I love the movies. I love the shorts also, but the list of movies I want to write about is long. The short we watched was A Knight for a Day. It is one of the narrated Goofy shorts. There are a few with a narrator and Goofy doesn't really speak at all. Everyone else does, but not Goofy. Goofy acknowledges the narrator and performs the actions described. It's an interesting thing to watch.

In this short Goofy is "Cedric" the apprentice knight, who through an accident must compete in the tournament. The knight he is replacing in named Sir Loinsteak, and the knight he is fighting is named Sir Circumference. I think that is hilarious. Loinsteak and Circumference. Well done Disney, as a kid that went right over my head, as an adult I find it hilarious. Inappropriate, but hilarious. In my post about Ye Olden Days I complained about Goofy never getting the girl. Well this time he does, little Cedric (Goofy) defeats his opponent and gets the fair princess. Good for him. Now if only he could maintain the relationship.