The Walrus Has a New Gig

A.W. has found a new calling; he's become the roving restaurant critic for Mouse Troop! Drop in and check out his quick n' easy views on finding the best dining at Disney. See ya there!

Mixed Feelings About Florida's Mansion "Upgrade"

Walt Disney World has unveiled its new interactive graveyard-themed queue for the Haunted Mansion.

Hmmm.

On the one hand, it's clever, imaginative, and has some terrific new busts that match the Mansion's visual style and macabre humor fairly closely.

On the other hand, it pretty much destroys any feeling of creepy foreboding one should feel when approaching the Haunted Mansion. Now they're telling you right up front that "the ghosts are going to look something like this" and "it's all in good humor, don't be scared."

This is going to be nice for small children braving the Mansion for the first time; They'll be reassured that the ghosts are actually a bunch of crazy characters who care more about looking creepy than seriously trying to scare the guests.

Here's a video from Jeff Lange. You be the judge.



Some detractors are already labeling it "McMansion Playland." I don't think it's as disastrous as that--In fact, I like quite a bit of it. I like the busts, even though the twins look far too cartoony (plus I never like dead children jokes). I love the tributes to Marc Davis, Paul Frees, Thurl Ravenscroft and many others who brought this wonderful ride to life. I like the crazy bookcase.

But, I do think it goes too far. It's too loud, too silly, and it gives too much away too soon. And I really, really hate that obnoxious Playhouse Disney-style poetry booth--even though it's technically impressive. For crying out loud, you should not be hearing the ghosts talk to you before you've even reached the front door! The whole point of the ride's pacing is to start with cold drafts, stretching paintings, and lots of creepy atmosphere, then build up to the ghosts actually making themselves visible to you. Now that whole terrific concept has been tossed out the cobwebbed window.

Haunted Mansion purists will despise it. Most families visiting the park will probably love it. I'm hoping that the folks who put this together take a good look at the thing and eventually replace some of the atmosphere-ruining setpieces with something equally imaginative--but far more subtle and eerie.

Good storytellers don't give everything away in the prelude.

My Favorite Disney Song is One Most U.S. Fans Have Never Heard

Photo by Peter E. Lee

What's your favorite Disney song?

My picks change often, but Second Star to the Right is always near the top of my list.

Recently, however...and thanks to YouTube...I've been listening to an amazing piece, composed by Disney veteran Alan Menken, that I seriously think is in the running for Best Disney Song Ever!

The song is "Compass of Your Heart," and, unfortunately, it remains unreleased in the U.S. This bold, exuberant, epic song was composed for Tokyo Disney Sea's attraction "Sinbad's Storybook Voyage," and it is flat-out amazing, creating an audio landscape of swashbuckling adventure, grand hopes and vast horizons...

...though I have no idea what the lyrics are! The orchestration and performance convey the general idea just fine.

Here's a link to pretty good YouTube video of the attraction. Prepare for adventure, great designs, awesome music and a dangerously cute baby tiger. Jump to the 7 minute mark to go right to the incredible camels-and-fireworks finale.

It's a stylized boat adventure through a storybook epic full of dozens of cartoon-like audioanimatronics that--while Small-World sized--move with astonishing fluidity. And it's all tied together by the song, which is sung nearly non-stop throughout the voyage with the lyrics changing for each scene.

Apparently this ride originally opened at Tokyo Disney Sea as the slightly darker, non-musical "Sinbad's Seven Voyages," but it didn't attract as many riders as hoped. Eventually the attraction was closed for the transformation into its current musical incarnation. I think it works terrifically.

And I can't get that tune out of my head!

Top Disney Villain Deaths

Quick: What's Disney's favorite way of killing off an animated villain?

Of course, not all Disney villains die. Some are imprisoned and some (mainly in the comedies) are merely humiliated. Then there's Pinocchio, a very dark film in which FIVE major villains get off with no punishment at all. Because the message of Pinocchio is, "Watch Out!" Most people think the message has something to do with wishing on stars. No. It's "Watch Out!"

But, when Disney storytellers do kill off a creep, they've definitely got one preferred method. Let's take a look at a list of the most famous Disney death scenes:

Snow White's Evil Queen - Plummets to her death.
Cinderella's Lucifer the Cat - Plummets to his death.
Sleeping Beauty's Maleficent - Stabbed through heart.
Great Mouse Detective's Ratigan - Plummets to his death.
Oliver and Co's Bill Sykes - Struck by train.
Little Mermaid's Ursula - Stabbed through heart...by a ship!
Rescuers Down Under's McLeech - Plummets to his death.
Beauty and the Beast's Gaston - Plummets to his death.
The Lion King's Scar - Plummets, survives, eaten by henchmen.
Hunchback's Frolo - Plummets to his death.
Tarzan's Clayton - Plummets to his (hanging) death.
Mulan's Shan Yu - Blown Up

Yes, Disney's favorite way of killing a bad guy is the "Death Plummet."

I don't know about you, but it seems to me that Scar got the most grisly villain demise: EATEN ALIVE BY HIS OWN HENCHMEN!



Sure, he deserved it, but...yikes!

Don't you love folks who think Disney's too sugary?

Toy Story Mania Comes Home

At Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World, the manic, wildly entertaining Toy Story Mania ride opened in 2008 to rave reviews, long lines and a lot of ecstatic, happy customers. When Disney announced production of a home version for the Nintendo Wii, fans rejoiced, but with a touch of skepticism: Could a home version possibly do justice to the amazing ride? Turns out, the answer is....yessss.....mostly....

Toy Story Mania (the Wii game) is a polished, beautifully crafted game that captures the ride's most important element--the pace and feel of the target games--perfectly. The plate-smashing, balloon-popping, hoop-tossing fun arrives intact. What's missing, of course are the giddy spinning of the ride vehicles, state-of-the-art 3D, water spray and air blasts. And the half hour waiting lines.

Writing as an adult fan of the ride, let me answer the question other theme park fans want to know: Is the home version worth a purchase?

Yes. Just keep your expectations realistic. This is, at its heart, a mini-game collection based around the themes and characters of Toy Story. All the games from the ride are represented (including the pie toss practice round), but not as they appear at the parks: That would be impossible to replicate. Instead, each of the ride's five main games are each represented by three separate, smaller shooting galleries, each filled with goals and secrets. The home version is padded out with additional carnival-style games that range from fun (skeeball and basketball hoops) to average (simon-says waggle fests). In addition to a front-and-center story mode that roughly follows the ride's progression, there are 5 additional story modes--one for each theme (Space, Western, Army, Barnyard and Bo Beep). By playing through each themed story mode, you encounter each theme's 3 shooting galleries and 2 to 3 additional games. Once you unlock each game (through goal achievements or prize tickets), you can head to the game creator area and make your own version of the game to play through. I imagine most players will immediately line up all the shooting galleries and never look at the other mini games again.

Because the shooting galleries are pure gold. No question, they are the reason to consider buying this game. Aiming and firing with the Wii remote feels great--I recommend turning off the cursor for a truer-to-the-ride experience.

The presentation starts off beautifully, with a fully animated intro in which the toys set up the game you're about to play. This is the backstory of the ride, and it's great fun to see it finally brought to life with dazzling Pixar animation. It's right about here, however that you'll also notice one big disppointing aspect of this game: The compete lack of actual music from the films. The game's music score is pleasant (and actually very effective in the army and space sequences), but it's a bit disheartening to find that, with all the care and attention to detail that went into this game, the powers that be couldn't fork over a bit of extra cash to license "You've Got a Friend In Me." Cue the old hag from Princess Bride: "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" One other beef: Most shooting galleries end by asking you to shake the remote for extra points. Note to all game producers: Shaking the Wii's remote over and over is not fun. It's never been fun. It never will be fun. No more shaking!

Back to the positives: The character animation throughout is superb. The visual style of the shooting galleries is perfect. The voice work (by almost the entire original cast) is great, though there should be more (you'll hear the same gags repeated before the round in progress ends). R. Lee Ermy is his usual awesome self in the army sequences.

The game includes six 3D renditions of select shooting galleries which must be unlocked and played using the included 3D glasses. Do not expect the same 3D you get on the ride. This is the red/blue style that drains away the color. It does provide an effective, fun sensation that you're actually firing into your television screen. After a few 3D rounds, however, I came away with a headache. Still, it's a nice bonus feature. Ride-theme Wiimote faceplates are also included.

All in all, it's a fun, good-humored, visually dazzling home version of the ride. With the do-it-yourself game sequencer, you can eliminate the extra mini games and simply play the awesome shooting galleries.

Not bad at all.

Alice in Wonderland

Few would deny that Disney’s Alice in Wonderland fails on a lot of levels: It lacks emotion, it’s episodic, the story has no goal…

And yet…

It’s my favorite Disney film. It haunted my dreams way back in my sixties childhood when Disney animation was a rare treat (I think small children can relate to Alice’s fear of being lost in Tulgey Wood, and that—if you experience this film at a young age—the movie retains a deep-rooted sense of peril that’s lost on those who initially view it as an adult.) Time has been kind to this movie: Watching it today, all the narrative problems still exist, but the film amazes, dazzles and completely succeeds at conjuring a cohesive, unforgettable world unlike anything else in the history of cinema.

Visually, it’s a masterpiece that looks fresher and more daring with each passing decade. It playfully weaves nearly two dozen songs—many of them mere fragments—into its colorful soundtrack. It’s not sappy or preachy. It actually sticks fairly close to the book’s storyline. It substitutes visual puns for Lewis Carroll’s wordplay, and mostly succeeds. And, after all the criticism fired at the movie when it debuted in the fifties, no other studio has created a more successful adaptation. I rather liked the TV movie a few years back featuring Martin Short, Christopher Lloyd, Gene Wilder and Peter Ustinov (it’s on iTunes), but it had its own share of pacing problems and took just as many liberties with the book. We’ll see how Tim Burton fares next year—I’m looking forward to it.

Let’s look at the negatives of Disney’s version: The ever-annoyed Alice often seems bratty and arrogant, and she learns nothing from the adventure. The journey has no compelling goal. The fragmented plot is episodic to a ridiculous extreme: Whole sequences can be removed without making any noticeable difference. The music, while generally terrific, frequently becomes brash and intrusive, particularly when it’s used to emphasize gags.

So, what does the movie offer to make it worthwhile? Sheer, incredible visual wonderment. Fantastic backgrounds and amazing use of light and color from the minds of Mary Blair and Claude Coats. Memorable character designs. Terrific animation.

Plus, it contains The Awesome Sequence: One long, perfect chain of scenes—The Cheshire Cat, The Tea Party and Tulgey Wood—that I’d rate as one of the most brilliant twenty minutes of film in Disney’s history: Genius designs, great dialogue and pacing, big laughs, craziest moments and—for once—Alice displays some genuine concern about being lost in Weirdsville. During the song Very Good Advice, I love the fact that the forest animals don’t help Alice; They simply sob themselves into non-existence. Unexpected and unique. If only the whole film clicked on the level of these scenes…

The Cheshire Cat, of course, is this movie’s big gift to pop culture. Creepy, funny, mysterious and odd, he turns out to be a hilarious S.O.B. who sets Alice up for disaster for his own amusement—thus joining Wendy-hating Tinkerbell as a beloved Disney character who tries to arrange the heroine’s execution!

And, on a completely different note, this movie inspired one of the best dark rides in any Disney park. But that’s another post.

So here’s a toast to Alice in Wonderland, the problem movie that continues to delight. Flaws and all, it deserves to be called a classic.