Day 1644: Change is Hard

Since Disney made more than one announcement concerning the future of more than one Disney Parks attraction the other day, the internet has been buzzing with controversy. As a Disney Blogger and YouTuber, among other things, it can sometimes be difficult to stay quiet when there's such continuous conversation abut the future of the parks - about what's right and what's wrong and what Walt would or wouldn't have wanted. But if I've learned anything in almost five years of blogging, it's that you should probably stay quiet until you've had enough time to truly come to a conclusion about how you feel, and then you should probably reexamine that feeling more than a few times over. For some, this might only take a few minutes, but I prefer to take a bit more time to sort out my thoughts, and I think I finally have.

We'll start with the first announcement, concerning the attractions currently sponsored by Siemens: Spaceship Earth, IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, and it's a small world. So many seemed shocked by this development, but for me, it was just a few weeks ago that I scoffed at an article that suggested the company would obviously renew their sponsorship with Disney. It hasn't been a question in my mind for almost a year actually; Siemens wasn't going to renew and I was prepared for it.

Given the track record of sponsored attractions in the Disney Parks, the fact that these attractions have kept sponsors on board as long as they have is sort of astonishing. It wasn't until January of 2016 when I stood in the Test Track Chevrolet Lounge gazing out at the Universe of Energy that I truly realized just how important sponsors are for these attractions. There I was, standing tall and pretty in a brilliantly decorated and designed lounge at Test Track when just across the courtyard was Ellen's Energy Adventure, an attraction I've come to love and adore over the years, slowly decaying. The cast member who brought us up to the lounge caught me looking at it and began to explain the sad story of how, because it has no sponsor, the Universe of Energy is only maintained to the point where it can continuing running. They'd make those minor repairs, just enough to keep it going, but it quickly became obvious that not everything at Walt Disney World is meant to stay the same, and sometimes for more reasons than one.

Does that mean I'm terrified for the future of not only my favorite attraction, but also my favorite nighttime show? Of course. I'm always terrified for an attraction that loses a sponsor, because I've seen what they've done to attractions in the past, Maelstrom at the forefront of that list. It's not a matter of Frozen Ever After being bad, because it's not. It's more about the fact that, at some point, every single one of these attractions becomes a part of the staple, normal Disney experience. We welcome new attractions into the Disney Parks family, and we say goodbye to them too, and even after all this time, I still feel for those that have lost their favorite attraction. Sometimes I even fear of it happening to me too.

Which brings us to the second announcement from Disney Parks and Resorts: the changes to the Auction scene in Pirates of the Caribbean. To say I wasn't shocked about this announcement, unlike the sponsorship from Siemens, would be a lie. I couldn't have predicted this one in a million years, and for me, it seemed so out of the blue that I initially found myself angry. How could they take out such an iconic scene and completely change it? It seemed unnecessary, regardless of the fact that I completely and 100% agree with the reasoning for changing it.

It frustrated me, then, that I was so upset about something that I knew I shouldn't be upset about. I watched as Twitter exploded with arguments on both sides of the discussion, some calling it a necessary change, praising Disney for finally working its way out of the gutters of sex slavery and human trafficking, and others petitioning to put a stop to the changes altogether. It felt odd, to sit on the sidelines and watch as so many argued about the fate of an attraction that, for the most part, will stay the same when the fate of my own favorite attractions hangs in the balance.

So I stayed quiet, until I happened across a tweet that made a reference to the future of IllumiNations. What will happen when they likely announce the replacement for my favorite nighttime show at the D23 Expo later this month? Am I not supposed to be sad? Am I supposed to walk around praising Disney for getting rid of something that literally means the world to me simply because others can do without it and it's in need of a change anyway? Am I supposed to ignore those feelings simply because what follows IllumiNations might be better or more politically correct or in tune with the world we live in today?

Simply, the answer is no, and that's what's important here. It's ok to be sad about change, even the changes coming to Pirates of the Caribbean. Yes, Walt always intended for the parks to be continuously changing, but sometimes change comes with a forced hand, oftentimes after the departure of a long-time sponsor or a change in the social climate. Yes, it's incredible that Disney has waited until now to update the Auction scene in Pirates of the Caribbean when it should have been done years ago. And yes, perhaps if you're arguing that there's nothing wrong with the scene itself, you might want to reexamine your views.

But because these attractions, whether it be experiences as a whole or specific scenes, become a part of our Disney experience, we grow attached to them. There's something special about sailing on Pirates of the Caribbean and hearing "We wants the Redhead!" because it's something we've done for a very long time. I know it was incredibly difficult for me when they removed the smoke and distinct smell of the burning of Rome on Spaceship Earth, and while that was a much smaller change than what's coming to Pirates, it still affected me. It affected a lot of us, just as these new changes will.

And as hard as it might seem, it is time to move ahead. I'm incredibly excited about the New Auction scene in Pirates of the Caribbean, because it's obvious that Disney has already put a lot of time and thought into creating a better message while preserving some of the history and nostalgia from the attraction we grew up with. If that's what we're truly getting and that's how Disney is going to move ahead with whatever is coming next, whether it be for Pirates or Spaceship Earth, IllumiNations or the Universe of Energy, what else could we ask for?

Have a magical day!

Day 1409: We Are Divided

I won't be the first to admit that the 2016 Election didn't go the way I wanted it to, and I certainly won't be the last, but what hurts more than waking up to a President-Elect that I most certainly didn't want to be anywhere near the Oval Office is seeing the hatred and concern in those around me. 

On one hand, this could go down as one of the worst days in American History - not because we elected Donald Trump as our next President, but because of the violence and terror filling cities across the country. There are stories of those already involved in hate crimes and so many are discussing moments of fear as they face oppression. Now, I'm not usually one for politics, at least not in a public setting, but not even I can keep quiet this time. Our country is facing immense change, whether it be for better or worse. But maybe change is what we need. Maybe things need to be different, but in what way? 

Whenever I'm feeling lost, I sort of settle in with my IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth soundtrack and think back to Epcot, partially because it's where I feel safest and most like myself, and partially because of the ideals that created it. Epcot is about experimenting and looking ahead, all while celebrating our heritage and history. Within its walls, there's a delicate balance between the past, present, and future, and when it all boils down, Epcot is about acceptance. 

It's about recognizing and accepting our differences. It's about celebrating the qualities that make us unique and connecting through what we have in common, and what we don't. Epcot is about community, an element that is expressed best through the countries of World Showcase, filled with individual from all over the world, coming together as one, and it's not even just the cast members. Think of the table sharing tradition at the Biergarten. We can come from all over the country and world and sit down at the same table and share a meal like a family. That's special. That's what it's all about. That's what it should be about. 

And at the end of the day, we return to World Showcase Lagoon to remind ourselves how we got here, and rejoice in the idea that, regardless of what happens, no matter who will step into the Oval Office in January, we go on. Now is the time for us to stand together and take on the future, hand in hand, perhaps more than ever, and retain the idea that we will get through it together. That may be easy for me to say, especially as a privileged member of society, but we've made it this far, through far worse trials than this, and I have faith that we will get through this. We have to believe that. 

All this being said, I want to take a moment to share that if you need to talk, I am here to listen. If you feel unsafe, I am here to reassure and protect you. If you need help, I am here, and I will help you. If you feel oppressed, I am here, and I will fight for you. I will do whatever I can to be there for you, and that goes for everyone everyday, even after the next four years expire. 

Hang tight America. We may be in for some bumpy seas, but I foresee the American Adventure to continue for a long, long time. 

Have a magical day!

Day 1262: Opening Ceremony

When I was a kid, there was a scene near the end of Spaceship Earth with a mother, I believe, more or less facetiming her child a bedtime story. I've actually talked about that scene before, and now that Facetime and Skype have basically become a part of our everyday life, it no longer seems so impossible. But 20 years ago, it was a distant dream that was far from being perfected.

Tonight, on the other hand, anyone from anywhere in the world could watch the opening ceremony of the Shanghai Disney Resort. For me, it's an 13 hour time difference, making us almost exactly on the other side of the world, and yet I was lucky enough to witness a spectacular historic event for both the United States and China.

It's been months since I visited the D23 Expo show floor, where an entire section was carved out to display upcoming attractions to the newest Disney Park, but I can definitely still recall the amazement of myself and those around me as we discovered some of the experiences for the first time, even if they weren't actually in front of us. You could tell immediately that immense thought was put into every element of this resort, and the tagline of "Authentically Disney and Distinctly Chinese" fits perfectly. Of course, I'm still 13 hours away from the actual resort and have pretty much no hope to traveling there anytime soon, but the love and dedication and inspiration that every Disney park, this one included, is made of has been apparent every step of the way.

I'll also be watching the TV special tomorrow on the grand opening of the Shanghai Disney Resort, but for now I'm happy with the presentation, Iger's speech, the beautiful dedication, the culturally enlightening and equally beautiful introductions by Chinese officials, and the delightful performances by some of Shanghai's cast members.

I will say though that the comment about rain on the opening day being a good omen according to Chinese culture kind of gave me hope. I'm positive I'll keep that in mind in the future when it rains on an important day in my life.

And just for the record, it rained here today too.

Have a magical day!

Day 1233: A Museum of Art

When we travel to Florida, we usually end up leaving Wisconsin really early in the morning. In fact, most of our flights are before 7 in the morning, which means that driving the two hours from our home to Milwaukee gets kind of annoying when it's 2 in the morning. Instead, my mom and I have a tendency to prefer to stay in a hotel nearby the airport the night before so that we can at least get some rest the night before we fly out. 

This trip, however, we decided to go down a bit earlier than just the night before. Instead, we went down the afternoon before and made a stop at the Art Museum in Milwaukee, which I haven't visited in a while. I took a few pictures of my favorites, which, may I add, I own no rights to! 

The picture on the left below is by Georgia O'Keefe of Chimney Rock, which is located at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico. I was particularly excited to see this piece, along with several other of O'Keefe's paintings, because I'll be heading to New Mexico this summer to see the real Chimney Rock and visit several of her inspirational sights. As for the piece on the right, I just really identified with the cat lady.

The below picture is titled "Catastrophe." What a catastrophe indeed. It actually made me laugh while in the museum though, simply because it reminds me of the stereotypical life of a college student, where the worst thing that happens sometimes is that the wine spills.

I don't really know why I liked the below picture so much, but it also probably had something to do with something I hope to see on a trip this summer. 

As for this one, I just really loved the design and the colors. At the time, I'm pretty sure it reminded me of something Disney, but I can't really remember what that thing was...

And finally I discovered a part of the museum that featured an "Infinity Room," which is created with lights and mirrors to make it seem to go on for infinity. I'd never been in there before, but the second I walked in I couldn't believe how similar it felt. After all, there's an infinity room somewhere right on Disney property...on Spaceship Earth! Can you tell which one is which? 

And those were the highlights of my trip to the Art Museum. I definitely saw most of the museum, and obviously saw more than what I have featured here, but you just can't capture an entire building full of amazing art in one blog post. After all, it seemed to go on for an infinity. 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1231: All the Spaceship Earth

My mom was making fun of me lately for how many pictures of Spaceship Earth I take while in the park, and she's right, I do take a lot. Usually I'm stocking up on pictures to use for Spaceship Earth Sunday on Instagram, but when it comes down to it, I have more pictures of Spaceship Earth than anything else at Walt Disney World, I'm positive. I figured it might be fun, then, to count up how many I have from my last trip in January, and the number is sort of amusing.

Any guesses?

One Hundred and Sixty pictures of Spaceship Earth...in one trip. Now, that's counting every picture that has Spaceship Earth in it at all, including both interior pictures and those with me in the picture as well, but the large majority of them are of the exterior of the attraction. Other trips are relatively the same, especially since I got my first iPhone, which quickly enabled me to take even more pictures of Spaceship Earth.

This habit goes much further back than January of 2016 though, as I definitely remember the days when I'd have my parents, especially my Dad, take pictures of Spaceship Earth for me, or when I'd take them myself with one of my first cameras. In fact, my Dad was taking plenty of pictures of Spaceship Earth even before I came along!

It's not just pictures either, because there's definitely a good collection of video of Spaceship Earth as well, which I'll be counting up soon, and with our estimate of somewhere around 175 trips on the big golf ball to date, I suppose none of this should come as a surprise. 

Maybe one of these days I'll try to actually count up how many pictures I have in total of Spaceship Earth, but if we consider 160 to be a typical number in recent years, I can only imagine how many hundreds or even thousands I've taken in my lifetime. 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1203: The Epcot that Once Was

I wasn't around back in the 80's when Epcot first opened, and I barely remember some things from my youngest years in the late 90's, but I do know that the Epcot that once was is very different from the one that sits in Central Florida today. It's a shame really, because the original Epcot was popular, and there's a huge community of fans that would love to see it restored to its former glory. Actually, most people just really want Dreamfinder back, but I don't blame them at all, because, well, me too. And Horizons too!

Pretty much every pavilion at Epcot has undergone major changes, with the exception of World Showcase, which has stayed relatively the same until just recently. Back in Future World, on the other hand, very little of the original park still exists. Spaceship Earth is close, still telling the story of communication through a slow-moving trip through time, but the World of Motion has turned into Test Track, and Horizons was demolished to become Mission SPACE. Even the Seas has changed drastically with the addition of Nemo and his friends, a change that actually brought life back to the pavilion. In Imagination, Captain EO has come and gone multiple times now, and meanwhile, Figment barely holds on without is pal Dreamfinder, and back on the other side The Universe of Energy is quickly becoming both rundown and outdated. Even Innoventions is looking it's age as half of it sits empty, and as the other half is in danger of the same.

And yet, many of us try to keep the memory of the old Epcot Center alive. I see both sides of the story here, really. A good part of me agrees with the fans, wishing to see some of our favorite vintage attractions return because, really, they were so much better than some of what's there now. On the other hand though, I'm not entirely sure that those old attractions would appeal to the general public today. Attention spans are shorter and the appreciation for the dark ride has come and gone. Instead, I really think we should be putting our energy into combining the thrills of modern Epcot and the stories and educational quality of the past. 

Where this theory seems to work already is the Seas, where Nemo has taken over. Some hate the addition of the little fish, but you can't argue with the fact that the pavilion is once again somewhat popular, and that it's at least somewhat nice to have an attraction back in there! Plus, over the past few years I've noticed the educational programs picking up speed, and overall the pavilion seems to be running much like it did years ago, just with a different theme. 

There's some problems with this theory too, since many of the original attractions were outdated by the time they left, and just like with Tomorrowland, it's difficult to keep attractions and areas ahead of the curve continuously without doing major remodeling every few years. It's where we lost Horizons and the end of Spaceship Earth. And current educational programs in the United States are far different from what they were in the 80's and 90's, mostly because we're more opinionated now than we were then, meaning attractions that promote healthy eating and exercise, much like Kitchen Kabaret and Food Rocks did, will no longer be popular with guests. 

In the end, I suppose we'll have to just go with the flow here and force ourselves to keep moving forward. As much as we might want the original Epcot back, even I'm not sure that it would be the right fit for our current society, and while I agree not everything should be about money, I'd rather keep Epcot open and running smoothly than see the sequel to The Carousel of Progress one more time. 

Although bringing Dreamfinder back might be a good compromise. 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1198: Collect Me

A long time ago in a galaxy not so far away, I shared my Spaceship Earth collection with all of you. Of course, that post was written what seems like ages ago, and believe it or not, my Spaceship Earth collection has grown considerably since August of 2013 (this really should surprise no one).

However, I've come to the realization that collecting Spaceship Earth items isn't the most common of collections. I also, like many of my fellow Disney fans, collect pins and mugs and Tsum Tsums and who knows what else (Star Wars merch is definitely up there too), but the shelf reserved just for Spaceship Earth tends to give people pause. And when I say shelf, I really mean shelf...

While I've bought a good part of the collection myself recently, a bunch of it was actually unearthed from the depths of my home, such as the Spaceship Earth waterbottle or the Spaceship Earth picture frame (and we still can't leave out the chocolate Spaceship Earth that has an honorary spot in the collection). 

You can go and read the original collection post from a few years ago HERE, but to find out all about every item in my Spaceship Earth Collection, check out my latest YouTube video! 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1192: Disney By the Numbers: Epcot

Remember back in 2013 when I did a post about how long it would take you to do everything at Magic Kingdom? If you don't, you can check it out HERE, but for those of you that do, you also might remember a couple of other things. Most notably, there's the amount of time it took to figure all that out, and then also just how much fun I had with that project. To date it's one of my favorite blog posts. 

Well, I figured that it's been almost three years now and that maybe it's about time to expand on that idea of "Disney By the Numbers." For this first one I'm keeping it simple (and learning how to use a new online graphic creator I was told about recently) with some numerals representative of Epcot. 

While the graphics definitely take a while to make, I kind of like the idea of a series of posts like this, so expect more Disney By the Numbers in the future! 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1164: Spaceship Earth History

What is it about Spaceship Earth that's so interesting? Why in the world do I like it so much, and how in the world did it get there? After all, an 18-story geodesic sphere doesn't just build itself in the middle of Florida! So instead of just talking about how great Spaceship Earth is again, let's take a second to appreciate it's history...and talk about how great it is. 

Way back before Epcot opened, Spaceship Earth was designed with the help of a well known science fiction writer named Ray Bradbury, who also happened to assist with the original storyline for the attraction that would call the geodesic sphere home. The term "Spaceship Earth," however, came from Buckminster Fuller, who developed the structural mathematics, which many compare to a large golf ball (even I called it that once). If you really want to get technical, it's geometric shape is a derivative of a pentakis dedecahedron, which features each of the 60 isosceles triangle faces divided into 16 smaller equilateral triangles. Each of the 960 flat panels is then divided again into four smaller triangles, which are divided again into three isosceles triangles. So, in theory, there should be 11,520 total triangles on Spaceship Earth. However, some of them don't exist or are only partially there due to structural supports and doors. Instead, the official number is 11,324 full triangles, with some 200 partial panels. 

Gosh, all that math and we still haven't gotten to the actual construction, which took 26 months and 40,800 labor hours. So, in other words, the next time you feel like that lego building your working on will never be finished, remember how long Spaceship Earth took to take shape. Technically, the attraction is two separate structures, with the external shell of the sphere itself and the internal ride system we all know and love. To support the structure, they drove six legs deep into the ground (somewhere between 100' and 160' feet down), meaning Spaceship Earth is almost as tall underground as it is above ground. Oh, and if you've ever wondered how heavy it is, the weight listed on most websites is 15,520,000 pounds. Try fitting that on a scale. 

Inside, Spaceship Earth was originally sponsored by the Bell System from 1982 to 1984, until AT&T took over until 2004. And finally, starting in 2005, Siemens became the sponsor of Spaceship Earth, and continue to do so today. The interior attraction, of course, tells the story of communication all the way from the earliest cave dwellings and far into the future, whether that future be portrayed through audio animatronics like the rest of the attraction or a short video featuring you as the main character. And if you were wondering about the historical accuracy of what you see, just remember that several universities and the Smithsonian were called in to help make the experience historically accurate, and every item is an authentic representation of the time period. 

If you want to know more about the history of Spaceship Earth, here's a fun documentary from 1982! 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1123: The First Backup System

I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've been sitting in a class and Disney pops up...only it doesn't. Well, it does in my mind, even if the actual topic of discussion is miles away from anything that seems related to Disney. Today's victim of Disneyization (Yes it's a word I just made up): Geography.

This semester I'm fulfilling a couple of general education credits by taking a geography course immediately followed by an Environment and Society course, and during a recent discussion, my professor was telling us about how Geographers have been around for a long, long time. He put up a slide relating cultures that relied on Geography in the past, including the Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Germans, British and so on. At first I didn't think much of it, but as he went on to describe how Arabs are extremely important to Geography, my ears perked up and thoughts began to align.

The Romans, of course, learned from the Greeks, and contributed significantly to Geography, building a system of roads all over the known world. Sounding familiar yet? My professor then went on to explain how the Arabs helped save many of the documents that were thought to be lost when Christianity took over Europe, such as when the Library of Alexandra was burned.

And then it all clicked. Of course I thought, realizing that the Greeks, Romans and Arabs were obviously all important to Geography along with many other areas of study, as they provided the first backup system, or at least that's what it's called on Spaceship Earth. Oh yes, because of my love of Spaceship Earth, I instantly completely understood exactly what my professor was trying to say, and now it's a portion of the class that I won't forget any time soon, if ever.

Maybe I should relate all of my classes to Disney...

Have a magical day!

Day 1117: Textbooks

It's amazing what you can find in textbooks. 

If you're anything like my family, you tend to look through your textbooks the second you get your hands on them, and then again when your dad really wants to know what you're learning about in Earth Science or World Regional Geography. From there you can spend anywhere from 5 minute to 5 hours going through the book and other textbooks that he unearths from the depths of the basement and the storage room turned library that's filled to the brim with old books. 

Of course, you can find all kinds of references to things in such books, but one in particular has been spotted more than a few times, and maybe, if you've seen it in our own textbook, you can guess what it is. Or you could just look at the picture below. That would work too. 

For some reason, textbooks love Spaceship Earth. Most recently, it did indeed appear in my brother's Earth Science book, for a reason I don't entirely understand. Back during my time in high school, it appeared in a Geometry textbook, for more obvious reasons, and in fact, it was even part of an actual textbook homework assignment. Not that we did that specific assignment...

Either way, it's just another example of how Disney really does pop up in our everyday lives, even when we least expect it! Which puts the question out there for you: have you ever spotted something Disney in one of your textbooks? If so, what did you spot? Let me know in the comments below! 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on January 25 due to travel).

Day 1111: Exclusive

I just realized that it's Day 1111, and for those of you who don't know, I tend to see 11:11 everyday, twice a day. It's literally like a curse.

Either way, we're here to talk about something much more fun than some sort of curse! Try the Test Track Lounge instead! I'm lucky enough to have some great friends in the Disney community, where I've definitely learned that it's all about who you know. Thanks to a friend of a friend, we had the chance to head up to the VIP Private Chevrolet GM Lounge (long name, I know) that's usually reserved for employees and special guests. Luckily I can share just a bit of the experience with you!

The lounge is made up of two areas once you get upstairs via elevator, the front area (on the left) and then the outside window area (right). In the front area there's some brilliant seating and then two custom design stations as well as a receptionist desk and a soda/coffee bar. A connecting hallway then opens into the outside area that features the wall-length window looking out to future world, and let me tell you, the view is absolutely AMAZING. 

Not only do you have one of the best views of Spaceship Earth in the world, but you're also able to look out to all of Future World (you can see The Land and Imagination on the left), and then down below to the outdoor loop from the attraction, which shakes more than you'd imagine. The cars also go by much faster than you'd think, as even when I put my phone in slow motion video with 120 frames per second, the car still seemed to race by. 

From there we learned just about everything there is to know about Test Track, as well as a few other Future World Pavilions before heading onto the attraction for a quick ride through (we even skipped designing our car and went right on), which pretty much made the whole experience feel absolutely exclusive and VIP-like. 

I can't even describe how awesome it felt to be able to head up to the lounge, and I can't wait for the DVC lounge to open in the Imagination Pavilion so I can see more of the Undiscovered Future World (I really should go on that tour too). Thank you so much to my friends who made this trip to the lounge possible! I'll have to repay the favor once that DVC lounge is open! 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on December 24 due to travel).