Day 1421: Cars 3

I still remember the first time I saw Cars in theaters, when my family loved it so much that we just had to see it again...and then one more time before it even left cinemas. I don't particularly remember seeing Cars 2, but I know that we did at some point, and I have more than a few memories of watching both films in my own home. If you've been reading Everyday Disney for a while, you'll also know just how much I love and adore Carsland out at Disney California Adventure. If I could live anywhere in the world, aside from inside Spaceship Earth, it'd be Carsland. Actually, I think I ate at Flo's three times in the five days we were in the parks. Or was it four times? 

Either way, Cars quickly rose to, and has stayed at, the top of my favorite Disney-Pixar movies list. I can't quite pinpoint why, but there's just something about this story that hit me and has stuck with me unlike any of the others. Maybe it's the fact that I love driving, and I really loved my road trip this past summer, which, for a while, took us on Route 66. Perhaps it's that dream I have of driving the Route all together, or it might be the beautiful animation and story that should have won it an Oscar. I'm still a bit salty about that one. 

I think, ultimately, the thing I loved most about Cars was that it's a movie without a central villain. Yes, Chick Hicks is there throughout the film, but he's not really...evil, at least not in the same way as Captain Hook or Cruella de Vil terrorize their own films. Cars was, and is, a personal journey for Lightning, and he becomes his own villain. I think that was a really important lesson for me back in the day - that sometimes we want to blame others when the fault really lies with us. We want to blame Doc and Mater and Sally and Mac and yes, even good old Bessie, for our problems, but we can be the villains of our own story too. Lightning is so focused on his racing career and coming out on top that he neglects those around him, getting caught up in his own ambitions without ever realizing the toll they'll take on others. And when he gets stuck in Radiator Springs, it wasn't truly the fault of Mac - it was Lightning, and as he begins to slow down and truly open his eyes, he realizes that there's more to life than ambition. 

As someone who regularly gets caught up in her own ambition and needs to consciously remind herself to slow down and enjoy life a bit more, Cars made all the difference for me. I know I felt that Cars 2 was lacking that same theme, and a physical villain appeared, so while it's still a spectacular movie, I think it lost some of the same charm for me. Which is why I'm actually thrilled by this first teaser trailer for Cars 3. Like with Toy Story, it seems that we'll be coming full circle with Lightning's story. He was, at one point, the young hotshot who had so much to learn, and it was Doc that taught him new tricks. Now, Lightning's a permanent fixture in the racing world, but as we learned in the original film, fame and good luck doesn't last forever. Lightning was once his own villain, and I'm really hoping that we'll see that again in a new way! 

Let me know what your thoughts on the new trailer are in the comments below! 

Have a magical day!

Day 946: A Whole New Level

After almost 300 days of waiting, the trip I've been looking forward to is almost here. Disneyland.

As if it's not obvious, I've been to Walt Disney World my own fair share, but when it comes to Disneyland, I've got a lot to look forward to. When I went in 2011 I honestly had no idea what to expect, but since that trip I've lived with vivid images and memories of the parks that I can't wait to explore once more. Unlike Disney World, I don't have things down like the back of my hand, but I think that's all part of the charm of a trip to Disneyland, and now I'm more ready than ever to go exploring and see as much of it as I can.

In particular, however, there are a few things I'm VERY excited to go see. Some of them were there when I visited four years ago, and some are new since then, but either way, I guess you could say they're my must see list for this trip!

1. The Matterhorn

If I had Everyday Disney back in 2011, you probably would have been treated to a very long rant about this one. You see, when we decided to go on that trip, I mentioned that the one thing I was most excited for was the Matterhorn. We don't have this mountain at Disney World, and to me I think it feels like the ultimate piece of Disney Parks history, even if I'm not sure why. It's something completely different from anything we have in Florida, so you can imagine how crushed and frustrated I was when it went down for refurb the entire time we were there. This time, however, it's up and running, and I definitely plan on facing it once...or twice...or maybe five times.

2. Mad T Party 

One of my friends (who I'm very excited to see when I head out to Disneyland) has introduced me to the Mad T Party, which I have yet to actually experience but am already completely addicted to. Do I listen to the Mad T Party playlist she made every time I'm driving to and from college? Yes. Do I listen to it when I'm cleaning or making food? Yes. Do I basically listen to it all the time so I know all the words to all the songs when I finally get there? You guess it, the answer is yes.

3. The Grand Californian Hotel

I stayed at the Grand Floridian once, when I was really little, and I don't really remember most of it, so the prospect of staying at the West Coast's fanciest sounds like an excellent plan. On our trip in 2011 we stayed at Paradise Pier, which was basically the greatest thing ever because we ended up getting a park view room on one of the top levels (maybe it was the top level...I don't even remember), which led to me watching World of Color every single night. This trip we're staying for a week of the Californian and then moving back over to a park view room at Paradise Pier for the last few days, and I couldn't be more excited.

4. it's a small world

I'm oddly excited to head back on the Disneyland version of this attraction. Maybe it's because of the differences from the Disney World version that just make this one better? Maybe it's the awesome outdoor loading dock that just sounds super warm and comofortable to me at the moment because I'm freezing? Or maybe it's because I'll have my Tomorrowland pin at the ready? Who really can say?

5. Carsland

This is about what Carsland looked like when we visited in 2011. Walking past it all the time was a real struggle, especially after seeing some of the awesome stuff on display at the D23 EXPO. Thankfully, Carsland was finished not long after we visited, and now I'm more than ready to explore a land made up from one of my all time favorite Pixar movies. I can't even imagine the number of pictures I'm going to take guys.

6. Food

My list of food I want to eat might actually be a mile long. So I've got boxes upon boxes of lactade ready to go, a list of food I for sure want to try and money ready to spend on delicious treats. Like that bacon wrapped asparagus you see up there. I've never really been a fan of asparagus, but my Disneyland friends swear by this one, so I think it's definitely worth my time.

7. World of Color (And all the others)

If you know me, you know I love Illuminations, and in my 20 years of life, nothing has ever come close to topping it on my list of favorite things at Disney (aside from the usual #1, Spaceship Earth, of course)...that is, until I experienced World of Color for the first time in 2011 and absolutely FELL. IN. LOVE. World of Color is one of those things that brought tears to my eyes faster than anything else ever has, other than maybe anything relating to the Disney trip with my high school band. And that would be why I'm planning on seeing it as often as possible. I will find a way. Plus, now Disneyland has a whole slew of awesome nightime entertainment, and having listened to the soundtrack for Paint the Night about 50 million times, I'm 100% ready to see everything.

Now I just need to decide where to stand for Disneyland Forever.

Have a magical day!

Day 165: Carsland? Star Wars Land? What?

So this morning I've heard a lot of rumors about a possible soon to be official announcement about Disney's Hollywood Studios. There's two portions, but first let's review a few things.

A year ago now (tomorrow), Carsland opened at Disney California Adventure at Disneyland, and it was a huge expansion to the park. I was lucky enough to see it under construction, but haven't been able to get back there to see it. I went to D23 back in 2011, and I attended some of the discussions about it and I got to see a lot that was going into it, and honestly I think it is an amazing addition to California.

Then, not even a year ago, Fantasyland received one of it's expansions. Back in December the Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid sections of the area opened, with Storybook Circus opening previously. All that's left now is the 2014 opening of the Snow White area. With a little more luck than California, I was able to see everything under construction multiple times, and then visited during the preview time period before the official opening (which I missed by only a few days). The addition of New Fantasyland is probably one of my favorites of all time, and I can't wait to go back and see the Rapunzel/Tangled bathroom area (or rest area? I'm not sure what to call it) in July. Everything is themed very well, and I'm sure that when it is all completed, it will be a very worthy edition to the park.

And a couple years ago, it was announced that over at Animal Kingdom there would be the addition of an Avatar area. Now, I am not in any way a fan of that movie, I mean it's a nice movie, but I honestly feel that it isn't going to fit in at Animal Kingdom. There's multiple ways they can do it, but I have always loved Animal Kingdom, with and without Everest and certainly without this new expansion, currently scheduled for an opening in several years.

Also, very recently Downtown Disney was confirmed to be expanding, so in other words, there's a lot going on, especially at Disney World.

But like I said, there was some news this morning about how it's possible that a Carsland and Star Wars Land announcement could be coming, with the new additions making their home in Disney's Hollywood Studios. As excited as I would be for something like this to happen, I have a lot of doubts.

First, I would not like to see Carsland at Disney World. I think it fits perfectly at California Adventure, and I just can't see something like that working at the Studios. Does DHS need an update? I'd say yes, but is that where it should come from? No. If anything, a Monsters Inc. themed ride would be better, similar to the one at California Adventure, but different at the same time, if they want to go the Pixar Route. Beauty and the Beast could go, as could the Little Mermaid, because both are now very represented at Magic Kingdom. Having Princesses everywhere only encourages the mindset that it is a place for little children, specifically little girls. Now, this possible expansion could fix that, but there are still other things that need to be taken into account.

As for a Star Wars Land, I'm skeptical here as well. Star Tours is in the middle of the park, surrounded by Indiana Jones and the Muppets, and I certainly don't want to see either of those go. The original point of the park was to make it like Hollywood. They wanted guests to be emeresed in the making of movies. But what, really, is left of that original mindset? The Backlot Tour is there, but it's vastly different from the original, and honestly I feel like it hasn't been great ever since they took out the actual backlot area, like with Residential Street and so on and so forth. The addition of Lights, Motors, Action was a fair one...for like a year, and now it's vastly unpopular. Other than that, I supposed you might be able to count American Idol, but hardly, and there's Art of Animation, but that too has fallen to be less. The last thing that I could even remotely see as an original point of the park would be Indy, and while there have been rumors that it would leave, I, for one, can't see Star Wars land going there, that close to the front of the park. I also can't see Indy leaving because it does such a great job of showing the stunts that are in most movies. And which better movie to do it than Indy? It's entertaining, and generally has been popular. Maybe they could update this too, but with the new addition of both Indy and Star Wars to the family, I can't see it necessarily leaving. Finally, you have the Muppets, which could easily be updated, but I'd hate to see go. I feel a little like it's a tribute to Jim Hensen, and the Muppets were such an important part of TV history, or at least I feel like they are.

So where would either of these expansions go, if they came to Disney World. I think a Star Wars land is a great idea, but, it will require a lot of thought as how to place it. And Carsland would have to be different from California, but at the same time would, I think, just be a repeat. That's not what we're going for here, right? Disney needs to bring new and exciting experiences to the guests, not repeat from the other side of the country. Isn't that what Universal is doing with Harry Potter, after all? I mean, and if they want to win the Orlando Theme Park War, Disney is going to need to bring something that has never been done before to the table. Star Wars would easily do that. It's just a question of if it will actually work.

Here's today's Disney History: 1595: Three major attractions are christened at Disneyland on this day: The first urban monorail system in the U.S., the Disneyland-Alweg Monorail system, begins operation in California's Disneyland. The two Mark 1 trains run on a .8 mile track around Tomorrowland. The Matterhorn Mountain with its Matterhorn Bobsleds opens. Modeled after the Matterhorn, a real mount in the Swiss Alps, it is the first roller coaster to use cylindrical rails and urethane wheels (which will become standard in the roller coaster industry). The Submarine Voyage ride is official dedicated on this day as well in Tomorrowland. The Nautilus and 7 sister submarines - The Triton, Sea Wolf, Skate, Skipjack, George Washington, Patrick Henry and Ethan Allen, allowed 38 Disneyland guests at a time to take their own voyage to the North Pole. Also taking place at Disneyland is a special dedication parade specifically designed for this day's festivities. The parade, and all of the day's events, are filmed for a television special to be titled Kodak Presents Disneyland 59.

Have a magical day!

Day 39: California Adventure

Oddly enough, my day was so busy I really didn't have a lot of Disney to look into today. But, of course, Disney still found me as I turned on my computer upon returning home and found that it was indeed a very big Disney Birthday!

Yes, back in 2001, 12 years ago, California Adventure opened. It's not every day that there's a Disney Park birthday, so it's always something to talk about.

While I've only been to the park once, I do know a little bit about it. When I was really little I remember seeing the ads for the park on TV and on the videos...and quite honestly I remember thinking that it was the strangest looking thing ever. I just couldn't understand why Buzz Lightyear was going on a missing to a park with a giant dog mountain and riding a Roller Coaster while everyone else was freaking out back at Disneyland. Granted, I wouldn't travel to Disneyland to understand what everything looked like for another 10 years, but the park was still something very new to me. And it's true...it's the newest Disney park in the U.S.

I went during the renovation period...so I saw construction on CarsLand and on Buena Vista Street and that's about it. Paradise Pier was finished thankfully, so I spent a lot of time over in that section of the park, but otherwise the park was just a lot of walls and loud noises. Still, I enjoyed my trip very much...especially World of Color. It's one of about two or three things I wish we had at Disney World (the others are Indiana Jones and the Pirates of the Caribbean version they have there).

And so, I'd like to wish Disney's California Adventure a happy 12th birthday. May you have many more!

Here's Today's Disney History: 1960: Walt Disney receives two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for television and one for movies. The TV star is located on the North side of the 6700 block of Hollywood Boulevard, while the Movie star is at the North side of the 7000 block of Hollywood Boulevard.

Have a magical day!