Day 1329: Closing Ceremonies

Tonight we say goodbye to another Olympic Games, and while there have been games in the past I've watched more attentively than I watched these, I've certainly spent more than a couple of hours sitting in front of my TV watching people more athletic than I. I mean, while they're grabbing world records in swimming or running at insane speeds, I'm sitting on my couch eating Hot Pockets, but I feel like that's part of what the Olympics are all about. 

There's been some debate about the NBC Coverage of the games, and while I wasn't a huge fan of it myself, it's still amazing to be able to watch talented athletes from all over the world compete, especially when some of the events are so graceful and inspiring. There were the hilarious moments, heartwarming moments, and heartbreaking moments, and yes, Simone Biles moments, but ultimately, these games are about so much more than just fencing, golf, or table tennis. 

Perhaps it's the immense amount of time I've spent walking the paths of world showcase, but events such as the Olympics are a simple reminder that everyone in the world can indeed get along and celebrate together. That we can work together, even if we're competing against one another. This is an idea we experience every day in the Disney community alone, as along with the numerous Disney Parks around the world that celebrate the unique cultures and international relations, Disney fans period come from everywhere. I frequently meet international guests at Walt Disney World, and, obviously, Disney employs students from all over the world as Cast Members. But even outside the parks, internationally so many of us quickly bond over characters, music, films, and ideas, and that's something special. 

The Disney references don't stop there though, as if you watched the opening or closing ceremonies, you might just recognize that light contraption behind the Olympic Flame. While I'm unclear as to what it really is, it certainly reminds me of the final float in Paint the Night at Disneyland! 

What was your favorite part of the Olympic Games? I personally always love watching the Swimming, but I'd love to hear your thoughts! 

Have a magical day!

Day 960: Paint the Night

The Main Street Electical Parade on steroids? Sounds just crazy enough to work, doesn't it? And let me tell you...it DOES. Prior to heading to Disneyland I definitely did my reserach, so that by the time I finally got around to seeing Paint the Night my first evening in the parks, I knew every word and note. I believe that throughout the course of my trip I "Stumbled" upon Paint the Night around 5 or 6 times for sure, which means I saw Paint the Night more than I did anything else other than World of Color. If that doesn't say something I don't know what will.

This new nighttime spectacular is largely based off of that original Main Street Electrical Parade, which we still enjoy at Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. I love the Electrical Parade, and while I don't always take the time to stop and watch it, over the past few years I've become more likely to take up residence along the Frontierland stretch for the later parade showing when there's no one there to enjoy the magic. However, having now seen Paint the Night, I want nothing more than an updated show at Magic Kingdom.

The only problem? I'm not totally sure it would fit.

The Main Street Electical Parade has become a staple of the Magic Kingdom, and change is always strange and difficult, but without a huge reason, like the Diamond Celebration was for Disneyland, a large scale parade update like that seems a bit odd. Granted, we just got Festival of Fantasy not that long ago while Disneyland's Soundsational has been there for years, so I'm not complaining. But that's not the only reason. Disneyland also has a huge Pixar presense that we don't find at Walt Disney World. Between Cars, Toy Story, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, and A Bug's Life, the Pixar name has certainly made a name for itself at the Disneyland Resort. They even have a whole parade dedicated to Pixar! And believe it or not, a huge portion of Paint the Night is based on those same films, with Cars, Toy Story, and Monsters Inc. floats along with appearances from many of our favorite Pixar Characters.

In particular, I was completely in love with the Cars section of the parade, which I think I could just stare at for hours. In a particularly magical moment, as we headed on the train from Toontown to Tomorrowland, we passed the staging location for the parade, similar to the way you do as you head through Frontierland at Walt Disney World, and the entire Cars section, was ready to go on. The dancers from that section waved to us as we passed, and as if they weren't already my favorite part of the parade, they definitely were then.

But we don't have a Cars Land in Florida. We may be getting a Toy Story Land, but we don't have A Bug's Land or a Monsters Inc. attraction either (we do have the Laugh Floor, but the scale of popularity is still no where near what it is in California). We have more Star Wars (actually guys a Star Wars segment of Paint the Night would be pretty awesome), and the Muppets, and what is apparently lots and lots of Frozen. So while there are definitely things that spill over from park to park, if Paint the Night ever makes it to Walt Disney World, I have the feeling it would be quite different from what we see at Disneyland.

Although if we're changing things can we just get Belle out of that dress and get rid of the Ariel float? Let's bring in some new characters! Star Wars, like I said, or a bigger Rapunzel float! Maybe even Figment? How cute would he be all lit up with his imagination?

How do you think Paint the Night would appear if it was at Walt Disney World? Would it be the same, or would you make some changes?

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on September 8 due to the Disney Trip and College).

Day 951: For Research

Now I'm REALLY close to my Disneyland vacation, and that means that it's the exact right time to continue listening to soundtracks from the parks!

While I still refuse to listen to the World of Color Celebrate! soundtrack to keep it all as a surprise, I've been listening to Paint the Night on repeat for weeks, among other things, and I'm pretty sure I know the entire thing almost as well as Festival of Fantasy now. Ok, maybe not quite as well as Festival of Fantasy, but I still have it pretty downpacked. Then again, what else is to be expected when it's based on "When Can I See You Again" from Wreck-It Ralph, which just so happens to be recorded by one of my favorite artists, Owl City!

Then, also today, for research purposes, I checked out a recording of Disneyland Forever! In fact, I'm about to watch it right now (which means this entire paragraph will be my live reactions). The recording I found included the projections on Main Street, and already I'm totally in love with this show. And boy, I'm only like 30 seconds in. Watching this in public probably wasn't a good idea actually. If I'm almost crying here I'm never gonna make it through the whole thing there. Woah...the Disneyland Tinkerbell is wayyyyyy cooler than the Disney World one. THERE'S A TANGLED SECTION! I'm not crying. You're crying. One of the things I love about Disneyland is it's filled with the rare stuff. Like at Disney World it's just Frozen everything, but at Disneyland we have Mary Poppins and Winnie the Pooh and Tangled and I'm barely halfway through! OH MY GOSH THE LION KING PART. I'M DONE. They have inflatables for the Little Mermaid. What even is this? FINDING. NEMO. So when can we get this at Disney World? Because Fire. And Nemo. I spoke too soon on the Frozen thing, didn't I? Yep. I did. Ok but this is pretty great I'm not gonna lie. The fireworks work so well with Let It Go. Keep it Together Lizzie. Keep it Together.

So now I'm incredibly excited for all of the nighttime shows at Disneyland and I'm trying to figure out a way to see them all as many times as humanly possible. Also I need the ending song of Disneyland Forever to loop for eternity in my life. 

Have a magical day!