Day 1561: Literary Parents

I was supposed to write this blog post for my Creative Writing seminar a week ago, but then life got in the way and it never happened. I did, on the other hand, think pretty deeply about the answer to the question we used as a prompt - Who are your literary parents? - and as I like to say, better late than never! 

Honestly though, I initially had no clue about how to answer the question at hand. While I've been an avid reader and writer my entire life, there isn't anyone in particular that's inspired me to the point where I'd single them out as a "literary parent." Well, I suppose, with the exception of Walt Disney and the writers behind some of our favorite animated films. And if we're citing Walt as a literary parent in regards to fairy tales, we really should be citing the writers of the original stories, and that's where things get deep. 

One could say that I don't know precisely who my literary parents are because it's unlikely anyone knows who they are. If the root of my literary background stems from fairy tales, my literary parents are sort of like those long-lost relatives someone might try and search out on the TV show Who Do You Think You Are? In the fairy tale tradition, many of the stories we know and love are simply transcriptions from oral fairy tales that were passed down through the centuries. Unfortunately, no one apparently found it important to write the names of the storytellers down, or dig up information as to where the tales came from before that, so much of the knowledge has been lost or destroyed. Aka, a tough break for those of us trying to figure out where our literary parents are. 

Of course, some of them are definitive. There are some fairy tales, many fairy tales actually, created by the author that's listed on the front cover, such as Hans Christian Anderson or modern day fairy tale writer Emma Donoghue. Plus, my writing style has certainly been impacted by the show Once Upon A Time, so you could also say that the creators, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, along with their army of writers, have earned a spot on my list of literary parents as well, but the point still stands. No on in particular jumps out as the literary parent, and here's an additional thought as to why that may be: 

Somewhere out there, there's a quote that talks about how we're influenced by every person we meet, even if it's only a small influence or, perhaps, no apparent influence at all. I'm not entirely sure it would be fair to say that if you'd never interacted or "randomly stood next to each other and didn't even notice each other that one time" that you entire life would change, but fate does seem to work in mysterious ways. Regardless, if you apply this theory to literature, you could say that every author I've ever read is one of my literary parents, because they've all impacted me in some way. Some may have made a major impact, like the authors of fairy tales, and some may play only a minor role, like the authors of the books I read but don't remember reading in middle school, but the important part is that they all, in one way or another, have influenced my writing. 

So who are my literary parents? I'd say everyone, and while that may seem a bit messed up biologically, this isn't a science class, so who cares? 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1493: A New Challenge

I write...a lot. 

For my wonderful regular readers here at Everyday Disney, this probably isn't much of a surprise anymore. You know quite well how I am capable of rambling on for what feels like days about some Disney-oriented topic that probably didn't require a five-page explanation. Alright, so perhaps my blog posts aren't that long, but in the four years I've been writing here, I have discussed my writing more than a few times, and really, things haven't changed much. I'm still writing for Everyday Disney, as well as The Odyssey Online, multiple classes, video scripts, in a personal journal and, for the most part, anywhere else I can find a spot to jot down a few ideas or a quick story. 

But as we start a new month and as I write the first in a new series of blog posts (which I'll explain in a moment), I've decided on a new challenge for the month of February that will encourage me to actually keep up with daily blog posts, tie in my coursework with Disney in a whole new way, and will be, I believe, rather interesting.

I'm going to count every word I write in the month of February, and here's the how and why: 

As I round out my final year at St. Norbert College, I've returned to working toward a degree in English with a Creative Writing Emphasis and am enrolled in a creative writing seminar. It's more or less an extension of a fiction workshop course I took last semester, which reminded me why I love writing in the first place. This semester, we're required to write a few blog posts in addition to our regular writing exercises, which I took as a brand new challenge, figuring it would be fun to really intertwine my coursework with what I'm already doing here. 

And as for the first blog post topic? You guessed it - writing. 

When I really sat down and thought about my writing though, I realized that much of my writing style has been, at least in some way, shape or form, influenced directly by Disney or through some connection to the company. In particular, through reading Anne Lamott's bird by bird, I've noticed a few direct examples of this. 

I write like I'm directing a film. Lamott notes that, when writing, she'll frequently imagine a scene as though it were on film. What would the background look like? How would the characters be situated in the scene? What would they be wearing? What would the lighting be like? In all reality - what would it look like if it were a movie instead of words on a page? When I read this, I couldn't help but smile because thank goodness someone else does this too. Working as a videographer and photographer on the side, I'm always picturing exactly how everything would look as though I were in the Disney studios creating a storyboard to make my work into a movie. 

I also rely on the details, similar to the way Disney-Pixar so carefully creates the shadows and reflections that make films such as Finding Nemo or Cars so realistic. I do my research and ground my works in reality, even if the characters and events of my writing are completely fictional. If I'm writing a piece I want to set in Ireland, I'll search the internet until I find the exact location I'm looking for. If I'm writing a piece on a car salesman in the 1950s, I'll search out that perfect name for his wife, what suit he probably would be wearing and what car he'd be likely to drive. I'll do research to the point where, if you read my piece, you'd probably believe that I'd been to Ireland or actually lived as a 1950s car salesman in a former life (spoiler alerts: I haven't been to Europe and I'm fairly certain I wasn't a car salesman...I think). Anne Lamott discusses this too, only for her the topic is gardening, and she works to insure that her writing is as accurate as the apples that are growing on a tree in the fictional backyard, despite the fact that she has fake flowers outside her own home. 

I write with the knowledge that it won't be the final product. Mickey Mouse, as you may or may not know, wasn't Walt Disney's first hit character, meaning Mickey Mouse wasn't the first draft. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was, and he was stolen from Walt along with his workers just before the creation of the mouse we know and love today. But Oswald taught Walt important lessons, and served a purpose of his own. Our first drafts don't have to work out, because they're just paving the way for the spectacular drafts yet to come. Reminding myself that even the creators of Tangled and The Lion King probably had, as Lamott notes, "shitty first drafts," keeps me going through the day. Maybe I won't get it right in the first draft, or the second, or the third, but if I keep working at it, eventually I'll find my own Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, although, perhaps I should aim for Mickey in this metaphor.

The point here is this, because this blog post is getting much longer than anticipated - my writing is constantly evolving, but no matter how far off track I get, I'm always grounded by the habits and strategies I've picked up along the way, the most important one of which is writing a lot. As I tally up the words that make up blog posts, articles, assignments, and journal entries throughout the month of February, I'm excited to see just how much I'm writing, and to reexamine what I'm writing as time goes on, because I'm sure that, as always, it will be quite the adventure.

Expect to see more blog posts from my Creative Writing Seminar in the future. Each will be tagged with #sncEngl425 if you want to hone in on just those posts - or if you're one of my classmates and don't feel the need to listen to my sometimes lengthy spiels about Spaceship Earth.

Have a magical day!

Day 1298: A Closer Look

Since there's so much to see in Marceline, Missouri, I figured it might be fun to give you an extra glimpse inside the museum before my video on the town next week. The museum is in the old train depot, which offers plenty of space, and the majority of the artifacts inside were either donated to the town by Walt himself or to the museum by Walt's sister Ruth. It means the building is filled with unique pieces that you can't see anywhere else on earth! 

The above pictures are in one of the front rooms, which is filled with train memorabilia and artifacts from the film that premiered in Marceline, The Great Locomotive Chase. Just off of this room, you can enter the majority of the museum, which features the artifacts from Walt's sister. One of the room also features a documentary on Walt Disney, which is over an hour long, but offers a nice chance to sit and relax if you're there for more than a few hours. I happened to walk in at the perfect moment of the documentary, when Walt was giving the opening speech for Disneyland. Since I visited the museum on Disneyland's birthday, it seemed like fate that I would catch that portion of the film. 

The brick you see in the picture above is from the original school that Walt attended when he lived in Marceline. Walt had the town promise to keep the cornerstone of the building if they tore it down, and when they did, they were sure to listen. The stone, which is much larger than it looks in this picture, is sitting next to the school replication on the second floor, nearby the model of Disneyland. 

When I mentioned that the Train Depot houses the museum, I'm not kidding. Much of the original building remains, only refurbished to house the museum. The ticket office still stands, filled with extra artifacts that would have been normal during Walt's time in Marceline. Outside, you can still stand on the platform where Walt would as a child, watching one of 70 daily trains go by, and yes, they do go by. You can't spend more than a half hour at the museum without hearing at least one train pass, and it really brings the entire thing together. 

Oh, and if that wasn't enough Disney for you, just as you used to be able to do at Walt Disney World, you can buy a brick to be engraved and added to the path just outside the building. I loved the connection, whether they did it on purpose or not, and while I didn't purchase a brick this time, I hope to do so next time I'm there to continue to help support such a wonderful museum! 

As I said, I'll have a video out next week on more of Marceline, so be sure to keep an eye out for that too! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1294: Marceline

When you mention Disney, most think instantly of Walt Disney World or Disneyland, frequently mixing the two up if we're being honest. Beyond that, they may think of a favorite animated film, character, or song, maybe a priceless family memory, or launch instantly into a rant about how expensive everything is becoming or how terrible it is that Disney now owns Star Wars (because believe it or not...those people do still exist). Whatever they think of, I can almost guarantee that a little town in central Missouri is far from their first thought, if it occurs to them at all. 

For fans of the man behind the company, Marceline is a familiar name. It's a period of Walt's life that many disregard, when in reality a little town in Missouri provided us with so much more than we realize. From 1906 to 1911, a young Walter Elias Disney called Marceline, Missouri home, and he would return more than a few times to visit the closest thing he ever had to a childhood home. Born in 1901, Walt spent the first years of his life in the bustling city of Chicago, which his parents later decided was no place to raise a family. With relatives in the area, the Disney family, with all five children in tow, moved to Marceline, where they'd stay until moving to Kansas City five years later. 

Learning many of the lessons he would take with him throughout life, Walt loved the little town. He returned in 1946 to refresh his memory for an upcoming project, which we'd later realize to be Disneyland. Marceline also inspired the 1948 film So Dear to My Heart, featuring a barn drawn up by Walt from memories of the barn that was on the family farm in Marceline. In 1956, Walt and Roy, along with their wives, would return to Marceline again, this time to help dedicate the Walt Disney Swimming Pool and Park. It was during the same trip that they held the Midwest premiere of The Great Locomotive Chase at the Uptown Theatre in town, where Walt would individually greet every child through the door. Four years later, in 1960, Walt would return once more to dedicate the Walt Disney Elementary School and provide the town with a flag pole from the Squaw Valley Olympics and an artist to decorate the interior of the school. 

While Walt died in 1966 and never again returned to Missouri, he still relocated the Midget Autopia Ride from Disneyland to Marceline just months before his death, making it the only Disney Attraction to ever run outside of a Disney Park. Following his death, Marceline is chosen out of four cities to issue a commemorative stamp in honor of Walt, and the Santa Fe railroad brings the Disney family to Marceline for the celebration of his life. 

The history of this little town goes on from there, and for its size, you'd never realize just how much has happened there. A museum dedicated to Walt opened in 2001 as a memorial of his 100th Birthday, bringing 13 members of the Disney family on a special train right to the depot where the museum is located. In addition, a recreation of Walt's barn is built as a memorial near the old Cottonwood Tree Walt referred to as his "dreaming tree." The tree, sadly, died a number of years ago after being struck by lightning, but a direct descendant of the tree still sits in Marceline today, growing from the soil of Magic Kingdom and water of the Rivers of America. 

I could go on forever about this little town, but I'll try to keep the rest of this short. There's so much history in Marceline, and if you're a fan of Walt Disney, I can't stress enough how wonderful of a place it is to visit. The museum staff were amazing, especially our tour guide Inez, who hosted Walt in her home when he came to Missouri in 1956. The town, which we visited on a Sunday, is quiet and quaint, but the original Main Street U.S.A. really allows you a glimpse into Walt's life, and into what he envisioned in the Disney parks we know and love. The museum itself is stunning, especially for such a small town, and it took us more than a few hours to barely scratch the surface of Walt's legacy in the Midwest. Other than that, all I can say is that I can't believe it took me 21 years to visit Marceline, because I should have done this a long, long, time ago.

To learn more about Marceline and the Walt Disney Hometown Museum, take a look at the official website and have a magical day!

Day 1288: Six and Sixty Years Ago

Believe it or not, I've actually been to Colorado before. That's right, much to the confusion of some, I do occasionally travel places other than Walt Disney World and Disneyland. That previous trip was six years ago, also in July, and also was my very first band trip. We had no idea what was in store for us back then, and it's sort of strange to think about all the changes that have gone on between visits. Still, some things never change, and many of the most unique Colorado experiences have been there far longer than six years. 

One of those experiences exists in the northern town of Florissant, Colorado, or just outside of it rather. The Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument isn't a National Park, but is run by the park service and is a great stop if you're heading through the area. The monument is known for, pretty obviously, its fossils, but it also features some of the largest and most interesting pieces from our world's past: petrified redwoods. 

The enormous redwood tree stumps, like the one you see above, were once much larger trees, filling the entire valley with an ecosystem very different from what sits there now. Millions of years ago, a volcano erupted, causing mudslides to fall and ash and dirt to cover the entire valley. A river was cut off on top of it, creating a lake as well. The volcano continued to erupt before eventually going dormant, but the ash continued to do its work. Covering the bottom 15 feet of each tree, the redwoods eventually died out, but the stumps were petrified and perfectly preserved along with hundreds of other plant, animal, and insect species! 

Now, what's even more interesting about this location is that I just happened to stop by on another anniversary! In 1956, Walt Disney took his wife Lillian on a trip to Colorado Springs to celebrate their wedding anniversary. One evening, they took a drive to the nearby Pike Petrified Forest, which is about an hour and a half from Colorado Springs. Much to Lillian's dismay, Walt left her in the car as he went to inquire about a tour of the petrified forest, despite the fact that it was getting late and the sun was already setting. A young boy did give him a short tour, and at the end, Walt wondered if he would be able to take home a specimen. Initially, the boy pointed Walt toward the small gift shop, but he soon insisted that he wanted something larger, and pointed to a nearby petrified tree stump. A "small specimen" wasn't going to do it. He wanted the whole tree. 

Walt did end up buying a redwood trunk, and as the joke goes, he gave it to Lillian as an anniversary present. The tree can now be found at Disneyland Park in Frontierland with the following plaque: 

The best part though? Remember that trip Walt took Lillian on in 1956? That trip happened to put them in Pike Petrified Forest on July 11, exactly sixty years before I walked the same stretch of land. At first we weren't sure if we were in the same spot, but after a while, we ended up talking to a park ranger, who informed us that we were in the right spot, and showed us where the tree stump was previously. In the below picture you'll see two sets of stumps. The one on the left is a set of triplets, which all originated from the same parent tree, and on the right is an especially large stump. In between there now sits a stage for the educational theater at the monument, but that spot is actually right where the Disneyland tree now stands. Pretty awesome, right? 

You can visit the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument for yourself to see where Walt picked up a tree stump on a whim for his theme park in California! I highly recommend it, and if this trip showed me anything, it's that we truly should all be finding our national parks! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1266: Quoting

I've been doing these Quote Canvases for a while now, and I really believe the hardest part about them is choosing the quote you want most and then finding a design that will fit both the space and the theme. For the above work in progress, it wasn't that difficult, although it took some debating for sure. We knew we wanted something Pixar, and because it was going in our kitchen, we figured that Ratatouille would be a fair place to pick a quote from. 

But with so many great Disney quotes out there, how can you really pick just one? I mean, here are some of the brainstormed quotes that we've discussed for various canvas works: 

"Have Courage and Be Kind" - Cinderella

"All our Dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible." - Walt Disney

"Adventure is Out There" - Up

"Just Keep Swimming" - Finding Nemo

"Oh yes, the past can hurt. But from the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it." - The Lion King

"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." - Winnie the Pooh

To be far, those were just a few of the options that we've considered over time, and I would love to know what you'd put on a quote canvas like the ones I create! Let me know in the comments! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1211: So Far

Every so often I have this overwhelming feeling of "Wow, we've been here a long time." It's Day 1211. It's been three and a half years almost. That's insane. I never expected this to last beyond year one, and now we're in Year Four. Just...where did all the time go? And what in the world actually filled up three years of blog posts? So let's take a look back at what we've talked about so far: 

We've talked about our Fears and we've seen Dreams Come True. We talked about our love of PUSH and Morris Mulch before they left us, and discovered that Disney Music is often inspired by other compositions. We went to Disneyland and Disney World alike, and The Muppets did too, and also to the Twin Cities to talk to Colin O'Donoghue and Chicago to see the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives. 

We saw Musicals, Shared our Ears, and even had Waffles with Walt. We touched on some hard hitting topics, like Air Cooling, Awkward Thanksgivings, and what we find on a cake, learned about the Hatbox Ghost, Fairy Tales, and took more than a few pictures. You can't forget the time we spent a day like Captain Hook either, or how we lived through New Park Maps and Dorm Rooms. Lots and Lots of Dorm Rooms. 

With movies, we talked about Silent Star Wars and my love of Han Solo. We watched Non-Disney movies like How to Train Your Dragon and Pearl Harbor and related them back to films like Cinderella. There were DCOMs and Dapper Days and Bathsoaps and Memes. And if that wasn't enough we went to MathMagic Land and Minecraft too! 

So I guess you could say that in 1211 Days, we've done a lot of stuff. But we're just getting started, because with Disney, there will never be enough. 

Have a magical day!

Day 1190: What Would Walt Think?

Aside from the well-known rumor that Walt Disney is frozen underneath Pirates of the Caribbean (spoiler alert - he's not), one of the most frequent questions I get is "what do you think Walt Disney would think of that?" 

It's really a harmless question, and often enough, actually a pretty good one. Obviously, the Epcot we see today is drastically different from the one Walt is said to have mapped out on the ceiling of his hospital room, and Disney movies like Frozen are a far cry from The Jungle Book, but at the same time, I really try to avoid answering this question for one very good reason: 

We live in a different world from Walt Disney. 

I'm sure, in fact I know, there are people alive that could probably give you an idea of what Walt would have thought of something modern. After all, there are still a handful of legends alive that knew him well, and they'd be your best bet for an accurate answer. But truth be told, we aren't those people, and we never knew Walt personally, so trying to figure out what he would have thought of Tangled is sort of trying to figure out what Abraham Lincoln would have thought of Hawaii. Likewise, attempting to reason what his opinion on Mission SPACE might be is like wondering what he would think of iPhones, and while I'm sure there are elements of the Disney parks and films that he would cock his head at, I'm not sure he'd know what to do with half of what we have now. Other than sit in astonishment, at least. 

I think you get the point though, about how our reality is a far cry from the one Walt was familiar with, although in the end if you really want to know what I believe he would think about a lot of this, it's as follows: he'd be proud. We may not be fans of everything at Epcot that's replaced classic attractions, or of the latest release from Walt Disney Pictures, but I do know that Walt would have loved to see the company continuing to move forward this long after Disney. And that's what we should always remember - that things will continue to keep moving forward, because that's what it was all originally about anyway. 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1189: Walt and Waffles

I really need to invest some time into getting more pictures of Mickey Waffles so I don't have to use the same ones all the time. I mean really, I eat Mickey Waffles all the time! Why don't I have more pictures of them? 

Regardless of that situation, there was a sizable amount of Disney lately, although this blog post probably won't be entirely long. One of my friends is an RA, and he just also happens to be a huge Disney fan. So for his floor program, he decided to do Walt and Waffles as a theme, asking if he could borrow my waffle irons to help with the job. Of course I agreed, because the world needs more Mickey Waffles, and so we spent an hour or so in the basement of one of the residence halls making Mickey Waffles and watching a documentary on Walt Disney. 

I have to give him some credit too, because putting up with me during a documentary on Walt Disney isn't exactly the easiest thing to do. I tend to know a bunch of random stories outside of the film, which leads to me telling said stories during the film. Honestly, with so much random Disney knowledge in my head, it's hard to survive and not tell others about the spectacular Walt Disney! 

After our waffles, we ended up watching one of the live-action Scooby-Doo movies, but that's beside the point and probably not nearly as interesting in regards to this blog as the Walt and Waffles event was. There could have been more people, but for some last minute planning, I have to say that it went pretty well! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1050: For the (New) Record

Almost two years ago my family pulled out some old records and started listening to them, and now, while going through boxes from my Grandma's house, we came across a few others. You can head back and read about the original records HERE, but it's always fun finding new (or old really) records to listen to!

Now, I didn't really take pictures of all the records I found, but I did find several Disney ones that I'm thrilled to listen to as soon as possible, including this Alice in Wonderland record! I know that there was something with Mary Poppins and a few other childrens records stuck in there that were associated with Disney, but it got me thinking!

The way we listen to music today is so different from the way things used to be. Now all we have to do is turn on our computer (or our iPhone, iPad, Car Radio, even watch sometimes) and we have music right at our fingertips. I can head over to spotify and listen to the same music right now if I want to, but that's part of the fun of a record like this! This is a real historical artifact. Yes, I could go and find the same music, but with this I'd literally be listening to a piece of history, kind of like how when we visit the Disney parks and head on a classic attraction we're doing pretty much the same thing! After all, if you've never walked the streets of Disneyland while thinking about Walt Disney, you have yet to live! It's one of the most amazing feelings, knowing that you're walking historical ground, and the same ground that Walt once walked many years ago. It's something to cherish for sure!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 26).

Day 988: American Experience

Many of us had September 14th and 15th from 8 until 10 marked off for months, myself included. After all, it's not every day we get a whole documentary on Walt Disney, especially one like that which appeared on PBS' American Experience. The documentary was made with the agreement that the company would have no say in the content that was included, and while they may have been nervous, I certainly think that this documentary on Walt Disney was one of the best I've ever seen. A few comments on the program overall:

Walt and Roy: I've always had such a respect for the relationship between Walt and his brother Roy. They worked like a team, and it's one I know well. I tend to be a lot like Walt, with grand ideas that I'm set on no matter the cost, and my partner in crime somehow always manages to make it happen. I don't think I know what I'll do without her when I head to California, but American Experience really gave new insight into the relationship between the brothers that you don't always see explored.

"Disney Provides the Passage:" As I write this I'm going through my live tweets from watching the program, and this one stood out: the idea that Disney Provides the Passage, and that's why Disney is so successful. If you think about it, they really do. Magic Kingdom is perhaps the greatest example of this, as in order to get to the park you have to use some form of Disney transportation. It makes for a subtle experience that can make all the difference. When you're at Disney, you're in a world all it's own, and when you're watching a Disney movie, you can be right there with the characters. It's a crucial element that many other film companies still miss, even today.

Animated Pictures: Walt, as I learned in this documentary, was very concerned with how the world viewed animated pictures. They weren't making Cartoons at the Disney stoods, said Walt once, they were making art. I often wonder about the difference between Disney Animated films and animated features from other companies, and it's so true. Disney isn't there to make the next big cartoon character. They're making art, plain and simple. Additionally, there still hasn't been an animated picture that won best picture at the Oscars. That needs to change. Personally, I believe the film industry still sees animated pictures as not worthy, and it's one of those things I can just imagine Walt being upset about.

Disneyland: The Disney Parks segment of the documentary was everything I could have hoped it to be and then more. From sharing behind the scenes footage of the construction to opening day and into Walt Disney World, there was a lot of inspiration in just a short time. In particular, there was a video of Walt driving a jeep through a dirt covered Disneyland that was just priceless. A lot of us tweeted about it, and I think that one clip, while only a few seconds long, really showed Walt's spirit. He was so young at heart, and he taught all of us to be the same way.

Belief: Marty Sklar said in one of his interview moments that "He never tried to sell something he didn't personally believe in." That's an extremely important point, because being a salesperson for something you don't really care about is one thing, but when you really, truly believe something and are passionate about it, magic happens. I learned that from Walt, and it's that same idea that encourages me to follow my dreams every single day. I'm not going to sell out for something I don't believe in.

Untouched: This documentary made me cry, honestly, like I haven't cried in a long time. It was said near the end that "He affects all of us. No one is untouched by Walt Disney." As I sit here working on the 988th blog post of a website called Everyday Disney, I can't describe to you how true this is. My life wouldn't exist without Disney. Most of our lives wouldn't, and thinking of a world without Disney is a terrible thought indeed. He did so, so much good, and changed all of us for the better. He taught us how to love, dream, work hard, and believe in magic. We've all been touched by the life of this amazing man, and I'm so thankful that we were able to see some of it through the eyes of American Experience.

I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who worked on the documentary. It was absolutely brilliant and I couldn't ask for a better four hours of my life. My roommates may have thought I was a little crazy running halfway across campus in order to make it back in time for the second portion, but I made it, and I'm so glad I did.

Did you watch the Walt Disney speical on American Experience?

Have a magical day!

Day 969: The Freedom to Fail

As I was watching the Walt Disney special on American Experience the other day, it occurred to me that one of the greatest lessons I've learned from Walt, in addition to all the other crazy things I've picked up, is that failure is actually a good thing. Walt found failure very early on in his life, but look at where it got him! Ultimately, failing taught him valuable lessons that he could relate back to throughout the rest of his life, and I realized that, in comparison to many other students my age, failure isn't as big of a deal.

That's not to say that I like to fail. I definitely don't, but this idea actually lead me to write a blog post on my English Portfolio site that I'm required to create for my English 305 Literary Writing and Theory class this semester. As the first blog post, I have to say it was quite a bit different writing for a non-Disney blog than writing here on Everyday Disney. I've found my voice here and grown acustomed to it, making small changes along the way as I develop my writing style and my interests change. To write for a different blog, however, especially one that will be graded at the end of the semester, took quite a bit more thought.

A little bit of me feels pretty good about taking 305 and getting right into blogging. After all, I've dealt with Everyday Disney for a couple of years now already, and I've certainly found things that work and things that don't. You can't even imagine the number of times I failed at getting an HTML to work properly as a part of the design. And that's just it. Failure helps us move forward. Not only does it give us the motivation to do bigger and better things, but it also allows us to practice, to experiment, and to take risks.

That's exactly the topic of the blog post I wrote for 305, about how in our society, so much pressure is put on getting good grades, but within this one English course we're suddenly able to experiment without taking a risk of any sort. Sure, at the end of the semester we'll have a huge grade, but if I royally screw up a paper, it's not going to impact me. I can improve that paper throuhout various drafts, and when I'm ready, I can publish it on my online portfolio. In other words, I've been given the freedom to fail without consequences, and I think, for Walt, such an idea would have been spectacular.

It won't go on forever, of course, because as soon as I leave 305 I'll be back to the real world where every paper brings a different high stakes game for a high grade, but by then I hope to have challenged my own writing, making it possible for me to develop my own unique voice, and that's just about all I can ask for!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on September 18 due to a tight schedule).

Day 968: Disney vs. Disney

My dear friend Ashley is currently working on a paper or project or something along those lines right now about the differences between Walt Disney World and Disneyland and which one is better. Of course, it leads to question after question for my mom and I, which is totally fine with us because something tells me we'd both rather answer questions about Disney than do real work any day of the week. It does bring up a good point thoguht, and it's one that I've been asked about continuously since returning from Disneyland just under a month ago: Which is better?

I think, as Disney Parks fans, it's a constant debate for us, and there's seriously a lot of factors at play here. I can tell you that, after visiting Disneyland for the second time, I feel a lot more equal in my evaluation on which is better, although there are certainly a few things that are absolutely one way or the other. Pirates of the Caribbean, for instance, is just plain better at Disneyland, but even with the extra addition of the Hatbox Ghost, Disney World's Magic Kingdom still has Disneyland's Haunted Mansion beat. So let's take a look at some of the similarities and differences and see if we can't quite pick a winner here:

Walt Disney World Pro: 

The blessing of size. I talked a few blog posts ago about the actual size comparison between Walt Disney World and Disneyland. As I mentioned there, Disneyland Park is only made up of 160 acres, meaning it could almost fit into Epcot twice, and the entirety of the Disneyland Resort can just about fit into Animal Kingdom if you include the parking lot. Plus, the entirety of Walt Disney World is 25,000 acres, in which Disneyland could fit 50 times over. When Walt planned out Disney World, so much of it was based on the blessing of size, especially after the cramped quarters that make up Disneyland. It's definitely a downfall there, but...

Disneyland Pro: 

...the one thing about Disneyland being small? It's all super close together and you can get from one place to another very quickly. Not Park Hopping at Disneyland would almost be a crime, as you can see so much more but utilizing hopping from park to park based on hours. Disney World is so spread out that it can be difficult and sometimes not even worth the extra time it takes to parkhop. Sometimes you can walk, but the distance from Epcot to Hollywood Studios is a lot more than the distance between Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure. It's all close together in California, and that gives it a whole difference sense. It's nice, and while you do walk more, it also seems less exhausting at the same time.

Walt Disney World Pro: 

The Variety of attractions at Walt Disney World goes far beyond what you can find at Disneyland. Disneyland is very focused around movies, and that's a little bit different at Disney World. Spaceship Earth, for instance, isn't focused on a movie at all, as are many of the attractions at Epcot and Animal Kingdom. Instead, they're focused on other ideas, which leads to a variety of elements at Walt Disney World. You can easily go from a Roller Coaster to Playhouse Disney Live on Stage within a matter of minutes, and when you get sick of that you can head back to Epcot for fine dining in Japan.

Disneyland Pro: 

However, as versitile as the attractions at Walt Disney World are, Disneyland almost always has them beat. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, The Matterhorn, Pirates of the Caribbean, it's a small world, Space Mountain and the Autopia are just a few examples of attractions that are better at Disneyland than their Walt Disney World counterparts. Many of the attractions, despite being crunched into a smaller amount of space, are longer or more elaborate than the versions back at Walt Disney World. There are a few exceptions, of course, such as The Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion, but for the most part, Disneyland wins here.

Walt Disney World Pro: 

More dining! Disney World is absolutely filled with some of the greatest restaurants in the world, and you can basically spend a lifetime trying everything the resort has to offer. From Boma at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge to classics you can find at the 50's Prime Time Cafe, Disney World has it all. Disneyland, on the other hand, is more selective in their dining locations simply because they have to be. Space is at a premium there, and while you might just be able to uproot an unused area or building for a new restaurant at Walt Disney World, such possibilities don't exist out in California.

Disneyland Pro: 

That being said, on the other hand, Disneyland offers signature foods unavaliable anywhere else in the world. Walt Disney World, of course, has a few such items as well, such as the Carrot Cake cookie or the Butterfinger Cupcake, both avaliable at Hollywood Studios, not to mention signature dishes served at restaurants throughout the various resorts (zebra domes anyone?). But at Disneyland you can find everything from a classic dole whip to Mickey Beignets, an alcohol free Mint Julip, a Matterhorn Macaron, and Chili Cone Queso. Oh yes, it seems that when it comes to fun snacks, Disneyland outwits Disney World, but back in Florida, the restaurants overpower all in California. It's really a win-win if you're able to visit both.

These are just a few of the comparisons we can make between the two Resorts, although there is one that Disneyland regulars really like to pull out on Walt Disney World: the fact that it's only at Disneyland that you can walk in the footsteps of Walt himself. Sadly, Walt was never able to visit his dream park of Walt Disney World, and he never got to see EPCOT in completion, but I live on comfortable knowing that the parks I call home were his dying wish.

In the end, Disneyland and Walt Disney World really should never be compared as one better than the other though, mostly because they're both amazing. Plus, when it really comes down to it, there's one key factor that makes the biggest impact in which we see as better: which of them is our "home" resort. I've grown up at Walt Disney World. Many of my favorite childhood memories occur in the parks there, and I still look forward to each visit like some people look forward to returning home from college. In that sense, Walt Disney World will always be home to me, and therefore, I'm always going to lean towards it as the "better choice." I know every little detail, I could walk the parks blindfolded, I know the words to pretty much every song, and can narrate Spaceship Earth right along with Judy. For some people, the same can be said of Disneyland, as maybe they know every word to Mickey and the Magical Map, or have visited the exclusive Club 33. It's all about what we love and where we've been, but in the end both resorts are spectacular, and both will continue to live on for a long, long time.

Which do you think is better? Walt Disney World or Disneyland? Why? Let me know in the comments below!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on September 17 due to a tight schedule).

Day 965: Only at Disneyland

While planning videos for Disneyland, I left Wisconsin with a lot of ideas. As a Disney YouTuber who lives very far away from the Disney parks, it's a rare opportunity that I get the chance to film on location in the parks. Luckily, I have the resources from Disney World to include footage from just about any attraction in my videos, but Disneyland was a whole other story. I had five days in the parks and LOTS to accomplish, so of course I decided the best plan of action would be to add on another on location video halfway through the trip.

It struck me while out at Disneyland that there has to be some reason that Disneyland gives off this overwhelming sense of home. There's a calming happiness there that you can't always find at Walt Disney World. It's made up of loyal, life-time, local guests, and a history that predates the rest of the theme parks that would follow. As time went on throughout my trip, I realized just how much I had missed some of the things there. World of Color, an absolute favorite of mine, is nonexistant at Walt Disney World. Likewise, we don't have a Matterhorn or Mickey Beignets or Captain America. When I realized that those barely scratched the surface, I decided to take it a step further, and make my own celebration of the 60th Anniversary of Disneyland by exploring just how unique it is...

It took me almost 6 hours to edit this video, one of the longest since I've started doing weekly Friday videos for YouTube, but every minute was worth it. Disneyland, as those who visit regularly know, is a place of real magic. I see Walt Disney World as my home, and I have the feeling that I always will, but there's something about Disneyland that just feels right. I can't quite put my finger on why Disneyland is so special, but I have the feeling it has a lot to do with the fact that it's the only one of the Disney parks where Walt himself walked, and that's a presense you can't replicate at any of the other Disney Parks, at least not on the level you can at Disneyland. 

Then again, Disneyland has a lot of unique stuff, and I absolutely cannot wait to go back soon and experience it all over again. 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on Septmebr 15 due to a tight schedule).

Day 962: Remember

Since returning from Disneyland and heading back to college, I've fallen into the routine of listening to Disneyland Forever daily. And I mean daily. In fact, it's what I listen to as I get ready for class every morning, and I have it both timed out perfectly and I know all the words so I can sing along as I do my hair and makeup. I only got to see Disneyland Forever once from in the parks while out in California, but after listening to the lyrics over and over again, I realized that there's one line in particular that really sums up how Disneyland felt for me, one early on in the show, but about halfway through my trip I tweeted while waiting for the second showing of World of Color one night that "In short, this trip to DL & D23 has reminded me of why Disney is so important not only to me, but to all of us. It's emotional. It's magic."

And it's very true. Disney is magic and it's emotion and it's friendship and hope and trust and faith and plenty of pixie dust and everything in between. But sometimes, between writing a blog about Disney and making Disney YouTube videos and planning my next trip, not to mention my real life, I think I personally forget about some of that. I think we all do, and for the first time in a few years, much of what I was able to experience at Disneyland was a reminder of just how important it all is. In only a few days I was able to meet some of my favorite Disney YouTubers, meet one of my friends I've made through Twitter, experience a whole new world, see Radiator Springs, spend pretty much all my money, see what's next for Disney, and most importantly, be myself.

Laura said to me while we were waiting for T that one of the best things about me being there was the fact that we could go off and enjoy Disney together. We both loved it just as much as the other. She took me on the carrousel, something I rarely do in Florida, we saw Mickey and the Magical Map and fangirled over Rapunzel, we watched Soundsational and blew kisses to our favorites, had magical moments with Alice and the Hatter and Crew at Mad T, and rounded out the day watching Paint the Night while laying on the ground on Main Street. For that one day, I was completely myself. When I saw Captain Hook meeting guests as we got off the carrousel, she told me to go and live my dream, and I did. When we were singing and dancing along at Mad T, everyone around us was doing the same.

I never thought I'd say this, but it was actually Let It Go that provided a lot of the Disney side of me to come out. While watching World of Color from the Grand Californian the night I sent that tweet, it occurred to me that Disney fans go through a lot, and when I put two and two together, I realized that Let It Go is for all of us too. It's for the Disney fans that secretly hide just how much they love Cinderella and Snow White because their friends might find them childish. It's for the Disney Geek who can't contain their excitement over the new Star Wars Land coming to Disney Parks, but somehow manages to keep their cool when they read about it during their lunch break on a Tuesday. It's for the Once Upon A Time fan who quickly throws a cardboard cutout of Captain Hook under their bed before someone comes to visit. It's for the ambitious Disney Employees who get side eyes and weird looks when they say they want to work for Disney. It's for all of us, because sometimes we just have to let it go and be our Disney-Loving selves and Step Into the Magic, because as Walt assured us, it's never going to end.

My brother tried to argue with me part way through our trip that Disneyland Forever wasn't as good as Wishes because it didn't have a story, but somehow it was blantantly obvious to me. Disneyland Forever, and the entire Diamond Celebration as a whole, isn't about the characters or wishing upon a star or the creation of the world. It's about coming home. That lyric I mentioned earlier was one I didn't pick up on until about the tenth time I listened to the soundtrack for the show, but now it brings a smile to my face every time. The first lines of Step Into the Magic narrate "It's a world where you belong, where you can dream aloud, your heart will follow," and I don't think there's ever been words so true to what Disney Parks are. We belong there more than we might belong anywhere else, and as Neil Patrick Harris says in World of Color Celebrate! we can't even possibly imagine our lives without Disney.

So regardless of whether we head to Disneyland or Disney World, with our family, friends or all by ourselves, going to Disney is coming home, and we always need to remember that.

Have a magical day!

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

Day 844: Have Courage and Be Kind

After around a month of waiting past the initial premiere date in theaters, I finally got around to seeing Cinderella. Originally, my roommates and I were all going to go see it together, but with finals coming up soon, we're all so busy that most of us can't swing three hours of our lives to go see a movie, much less the same three hours that fit into our busy schedules. In fact, I think I've been more busy in these past few weeks of this semester than ever before at college, but that didn't stop me from spending the extra time granted by a canceled class wisely! 

I'm not really sure what my expectations were heading into the theater, especially after not liking Maleficent as much as most of my friends and family. I just didn't find it appealing, and with Beauty and the Beast on the horizon, I've been faced with questions about whether or not I'm excited for that film. My only answer? I'll decide after I see Cinderella. Of course, now I am excited for Beauty and the Beast, but that's a blog topic for another day.

I'm pretty skeptical about these live action remakes, especially when they're fairy tale based. I watch Once Upon A Time, where Captain Hook becomes a hero and Prince Charming is currently in some deep trouble with his grown up daughter. The creators of OUAT have changed around these stories to the point where things don't really shock me anymore, and in order for me to like a live-action version of any of these tales, it has to be good. Every element has to be there, and in some ways, I think that's where it fell flat for Maleficent. I'm one of those hard critics, and something was missing from that storyline. 

Cinderella, however, really pulled through for me. I absolutely adored it, and I left the theater wanting to see it again (I probably would have if not for a recital I had to attend about a half hour after the movie ended). Right from the beginning I could see not only the slight changes to the story, but the numerous references that go right back to the original tale. And I'm not ashamed to say that I cried three times while watching it, one of which was during the dress transformation scene. 

But the best part about this movie? It breaks as many stereotypes as a film such as this can. Cinderella is an absolutely strong female character who, ultimately, stands up against her stepmother in an attempt not to protect herself, but to protect the one she loves and the entire kingdom. Kit is an exceptional character in every aspect as well, showcasing that even grown men are allowed to cry. The scene with Kit and his father was one of my absolute favorites of the film, and is one of the main reasons I recommend it for everyone to watch at least once. 

Overall though, it was different and new, but still rooted in the deep traditions that fairy tales stem out of. It's that same tradition that Walt Disney brought to life through many of his original animated films, and the same tradition that will keep these tales alive for many, many years. 

If you haven't seen Cinderella yet, I encourage you to do so. It's brilliantly made with a spectacular cast. Lily James is perfection as Cinderella and no one can tell me otherwise. While we may live in a society far away from one dominated by Kings and Queens, there is one thing that we should all take to heart: Have Courage and Be Kind. It's a powerful message that I hope to live my life by, and you should too. 

Have a magical day!

Day 624: Urban Legends

The definition of Urban Legend is "a story about an unusual event or occurrence that many people believe is true but that is not true." Sounds pretty self-explanatory, right? It's something that people believe to be true but isn't. There are tons of them out there, TONS of them, although some are nothing more than scary ghost stories told around the campfire at Halloween.

But I do enjoy going and looking through those from Disney from time to time. On Facebook recently, a friend posted a link to a few creepy Disney Urban Legends and of course I read it because DISNEY. To be honest, there are a lot of Disney Urban Legends, and some are more popular than others. Some of it is the haters trying to bring Disney down, others just trying to find spooky stuff to scare people away from the most magical place on earth (or happiest!) and some of them are just there to be funny. After all, in a world surrounded by so much entertainment, that's what it's all about: entertainment.

HERE is the article my friend posted, and you can go through them for yourself. To be honest, I don't really believe any of these. Photographs can be very misleading, after all, and I honestly didn't see anything in the Tower of Terror one. Plus, I've been on the Haunted Mansion more times than I can count and have never seen anything, nor have I ever heard of that one previous to today.

There's the urban legend that Walt Disney is frozen underneath Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland...false. There's the one about how no one can be declared dead while on Disney property...also false. Sadly various people have been declared dead on property. Oh and that time Finland banned Donald Duck because he doesn't wear pants. Good news for Donald because he's not banned at all.

There are, however, a few Disney Urban Legends that have been proven true, like the Matterhorn basketball court. There really IS a basketball court within the mountain. The original story tells of there being a problem with ordinances and that's why it's there but that actually has nothing to do with it. It was just one way for cast members to enjoy themselves while on breaks!

However, of all the ghost stories at Disney, there is ONE that I do believe. There's the story of George on Pirates of the Caribbean, and as I totally almost got stranded on that attraction once, right next to the door deemed as "George's Door." Yep, that one I'll believe, and I hope I never have to work at Pirates of the Caribbean because I don't really wish to come face to face with a ghost. Thanks very much.

So the question here is this: do you believe any of these urban legends? Or are they just that: urban legends?

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on September 17).