Disney Women of a Certain Age

Posted on October 22, 2015 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

Halloween is right around the corner. I love this time of the year so much and I go all out with the spooky decorations. We’re having a little get together to celebrate the season and, as expected, I’m adding Disney touches here and there. We’ve invited our friends to a costume party and, me being me, I want to wear a Disney costume to this shindig. Therein lies my problem. I’m past the princess age and too mature for the cute stuff. What’s the deal? Think about it – most of the women my age in Disney movies are either evil or dead. How depressing! And challenging

Disney Women of a Certain Age

Mulan’s mom was alive and so were Andy’s mom in the Toy Stories, Helen Parr in the Incredibles and Mrs. Darling in Peter Pan. Would anyone know who I was if I tried to dress up as one of them? Yes, Elastigirl! Absolutely NO to the spandex. I don’t think so. Who do you remember the most? I’ll tell you – Evil middle-aged women! Be it queen, step-mother, magical-baby-stealing-hag, or fur-obsessed dog-napper – those are the stand-outs.

Alas, my options are limited.(No, I can never pass up the opportunity to say, “alas”.) Think about Bambi, Snow White, Tarzan, Cinderella, and Anna & Elsa – their moms are all gone (a.k.a. deceased). Dumbo’s mom! Yeah…No. WHO? Who can I be? I am running out of time to decide. I guess I’ll have to go with “mature” and evil. Check back this weekend over on the Facebook page and see who I end up as. Any suggestions?

I’m pretty secure with being the age I am – I’m all about being age-appropriate (yet trendy and stylish) – Honestly, this costume thing is quite a challenge!

Are you dressing up in a Disney-themed costume? I’d love to hear all about it. Maybe I can live vicariously through your fancy Belle or Rapunzel costume. Or Jessie or Bo Peep or Snow White…

Happy Halloween!!!

Walt Disney and New Orleans

Posted on October 20, 2015 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

Walt Disney and New Orleans

I’m fascinated by the connection between Walt Disney and New Orleans. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of exploring the Big Easy – the draw is undeniable. A city like no other, New Orleans leaves visitors with the impression of old world charm, mystery, tradition, funky modern influence, and, yes, a bit of seediness woven in here and there. A unique place, this steamy city on the Mississippi delta made such an impression on Walt Disney, he incorporated her iconic images in Disney parks, resorts and movies.

It’s said that New Orleans was once a contender for the location of Disney World. If this article is true, it’s amazing to think about what might have been! We recently had the chance to head south for the weekend to a wedding in New Orleans. While I’ve been there many times before, this time I tried to look at the city with fresh eyes; tried to picture the streets, the buildings, and the atmosphere as Walt Disney might have seen them so many years ago. While lots has changed in post-Katrina New Orleans, her heart is the same. She’s still mysterious and fascinating – much like you’d expect in a neighborhood founded in 1718, yet full of surprises at the same time.

Our hotel was just a couple of blocks from the heart of the French Quarter. It was cloudy and misty, which made it thankfully cooler, but a bit dreary for pictures. We strolled leisurely along Bourbon Street after lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, the Red Fish Grill. Turning right on St. Peter Street, we passed a New Orleans Ghost Tour headquarters, the famous Preservation Hall, and Pat O’Brian’s pub (home of the famous Hurricane) as we headed to Royal Street. Once on Royal, we slowly made our way from the touristy voodoo and souvenir shops to the more upscale boutiques full of antiques, estate jewelry, art, and crystal chandeliers. Street musicians of all types were plentiful and added the perfect soundtrack to our wandering, as special as the city itself. Browsing incredible (and incredibly priced) treasures of all sorts was both interesting and educational. All the while, I tried to imagine Walt and Lillian shopping for the furnishings for Disneyland’s Club 33. It was very easy to do!

Now let’s look at some of the New Orleans influences that can be found in Disney parks and resorts (photos courtesy of Nick Maglio) – Can you tell me where each of these pictures was taken?

Learning German with Disney Characters

Posted on October 17, 2015 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

Happy Saturday, Disney Friends! Time to check in with Nick and see what surprises we can find. Today’s discovery is a uniquely interesting little treasure from *gasp* Nick and Barbie’s Disney book collection. I was perusing the Disney Musings blog and whoa! This amazing little item caught my eye (certainly not EYES as I’m only half German and therefore only have one German eye…according to my math.). It’s a Disney book for learning to speak German! Who knew? Certainly not me, and I’d love to learn German from Mickey and the gang!

Good news! You can still buy this book on Amazon!!! Here’s the description: “Divided into 10 thematic sections which children can relate to, this book contains 1000 German words carefully selected to meet the requirements of the first years of learning German. The sections featured include: leisure, sport and celebrations, at school, in the country and at home.” Prices in the used book category start at $.75 (Plus $3.99 shipping and handling). Here’s the link.

Learning German with Disney Characters

By Nick

My wife spotted this at “The World’s Largest Garage Sale” at the Allentown Fairgrounds in Allentown, Pennsylvania recently for $3. It was published in 1992 by Harrap.

It takes classic Disney comic illustrations, and identifies specific images in German and English.

As a bonus, it includes the actual strip the highlighted image is taken from, and presents it in German and English as well.

Auf Wiedersehen!

Follow Nick, his wife Barbie, and friends for more Disney adventures (and to see all their Disney collectibles!): Disney Musings Blog, on Twitter, on Facebook, On Instagram, On Pinterest.

Nick and I, along with our buddy, Dave, host The Disney Exchange Podcast where we discuss our love of all things Disney and offer travel tips, restaurant and resort reviews, planning advice, and other Disney-related nonsense…while we argue and laugh a LOT. Follow the Disney Exchange on Facebook and weigh in on our many opinion-solicitations.

Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland – 5 Great Things

Posted on October 16, 2015 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

I love Tomorrowland – yes, yes, I do love ALL the lands, but Tomorrowland holds a special little place in my heart. Happy memories are involved and plenty of nostalgia – a red flag for my acceptance of any future (I’ll admit, necessary) changes to this side of Magic Kingdom. Contradictory? Indeed, but there you have it. I’d say goodbye Stitch’s Great Escape without batting an eye. The Speedway, while a wonderful vacation memory for many of my friends, has seen better days and could, at the very least, do with an upgrade to some sort of high tech vehicles. I don’t visit Sonny Eclipse’s Starlight Café, opting for other Magic Kingdome eateries instead. Buzz Lightyear’s fun, but not as much as Toy Story Midway Mania over at the Studios. It’s weird how Tomorrowland mixes the old and the sorta new and still presents itself as Tomorrow-ish. The mash-up isn’t bad, just strange – The whole being greater than the sum of its parts, to be sure.

No matter the odd assortment of attractions and details, I’m about to share my favorite bits and pieces in yet another list! Friends, I give to you…

Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland – 5 Great Things

Carousel of Progress – The rumors about this attraction, one of my most favorite of favorites, are a bit dire. Said to be either going away forever (at some unspecified future time) or moving to Epcot, the Carousel is OLD like me – in fact, we’re the same age. I say this makes us cool, hip, retro, and therefore awesome! What would Tomorrowland be without guests singing, “It’s a great big beautiful tomorrow…”? I like it best when I’m wearing my Carousel of Progress t-shirt when I see it!
The PeopleMover – What is not to love about this attraction? If you don’t like it, please don’t tell me…I could never understand your point of view and we couldn’t be friends. This is the coolest, chill-est, most relaxing tour around Tomorrowland – in the most beautiful omnimover next to a Doom-buggy. Full belly, tired feet, or just needing to dry off from Splash Mountain – the reasons to hop on the PeopleMover are endless! The view never gets old.
Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor – I can’t help that I am genetically predisposed to adore puns – the best and most amusing form of humor I know. I’ve passed this gene onto my children and they’ll agree with me – this show is hilarious! Every single time.
Space Mountain – I try to score a FastPass when possible and the older I get, the harder the Mountain is on my body. That doesn’t mean I want to change anything! The queue, while not the most interesting, has a fantastic soundtrack. I might not jump in and out of the rocket as easily as I once did, but there’s a lot to love about this attraction – the landscape of Magic Kingdom would not be the same without it.
The Details – Metal palm trees, soaring planets, cool colors, eye-catching shapes – the atmosphere in Tomorrowland is incredibly unique. This is what Disney does best! Total immersion into this alien land – while the whimsical Fantasyland and the old-fashioned Main Street U.S.A. are right next door.