Get Another Disney day!

Alright, today is your get an extra Disney day! Sadly, I cannot attend Disneyland today, so let us know what is going on at the parks! Send in comments, videos, etc, and I will post them up on the blog! Have fun out there!

Matterhorn Refurbishment

Finding out that Disneyland, CA has its Matterhorn attraction down is not only saddening, but also is exciting at the same time! The Matterhorn, is an attraction that focused on the Abominable Snowman that rests in the caverns and the mountain it self. As many Disney enthusiasts know, it is also the point at the top where there is a basketball court at the top. Now, it is said that the Matterhorn hasn't had a huge refurbishment since the 1970's, and it is going to be given fresh pain, new station, and new vehicles as well that will hold up to 6 people. Though closed, it seems that it will be closed until June 15, the same month in which the new Cars Land at California Adventure will be released. I hope to be attending Cars Land opening day, and will hopefully give you all a full display of what goes on at California Adventure that day and will be getting to ride the new Matterhorn and let you all know about that. But until then, keep on reading! Stay tuned!

The video provided is released from Disney about the new coming of the Matterhorn.

WINNER!

The nominee "Man or Muppet" in the Original Song category won! Congrats to those who worked on The Muppets movie and the composer. It is a memorable song!

Oscars 2012

Tonight, the Oscars will take place in Hollywood for the 84th year in Hollywood history. Now, not much of Disney was put in the Oscars this year, but so far, the nominations in the Disney world is that of The Muppets. For the category of Best Original Song "Man or A Muppet" is nominated along with "Real in Rio" from RIO. That is the only Disney nomination this year. Though Disney is no stranger to the Oscars, where Beauty and the Beast was nominated for Best Picture and the Lion King was taken a lot as well in its year. Do you think that song will win tonight? Take a look, and I will be posting the result tonight!

Over 1,000 views!

Thank you all so much to those who check this blog and read my articles. It means alot, and I love writing it. If you have the time, please go ahead and write comments on the blog as I continue to cover Disney movies, parks, and other things Disney. I will continue as much as I can. Please make sure to participate in the polls, and comment on the posts! If you have any other things you would like to see on the blog please let me know!

Wreck It Ralph

The newest of the Disney animated films is "Wreck it Ralph". Set to release in November 2012. According to Wikipedia, the movie's premise is that it takes place in a video game world, were Ralph is a villain in the video games and wants to prove that he is not. Not much else is released about this movie, and not much for us to go on. The movie is set to feature the voice talents of John C. Reilly, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, and Sarah Silverman. Apparently many classic video games are making cameos such as PacMan and many others. What do you guys know about this movie and what do you think of it being the 52nd Disney animated film? My opinion? I am a little disappointed. I am afraid the second half of the Disney animated films will be much more kiddy as opposed to the earlier films that could be child and adult friendly movies. The question is, will Disney make it through to the next 50, or will Disney rely on the movies of the past? Let us know here!

Once Upon A Time

ABC's hit drama came out in September about all of the Disney characters we know and love and put them in our real world. This is just a great show for any Disney lover. For as ABC is a Disney company they could put any of the Disney movies that we have there. The story revolves around the Snow White story, but they have included people such as the Genie, Red Riding Hood, Gaston, beauty, Rumpelstiltskin, Pongo etc. The show has had rave success and have even released the first five episodes on DVD at Target. The question is now, what do you guys think should be involved next? Ariel? Rapunzel?

All of these things are what to look forward to on Once Upon A Time. On every Sunday at 8 p.m. Leave reasons why you like this show below!

New Additions to the Blog!

Alright, so I decided to play around with the blog and all of that stuff. So! With that being said, I added the Dland Insider Twitter feed, I added a share button so if you like a blog post, make sure to share it with your friends! I also changed some of the fonts, and the coloring in the background for the page. Not a big person on the HTML coding, so I am working on it slowly and sure. I also decided to start adding polls, so if you guys want to participate in the polls, go for it! Something fun for you guys to do.

If you guys have any other things you'd like to see in the blog, PLEASE let me know! I'm open to suggestions!

New Brave Trailer

Pixar's newest movie to come out is "Brave" which I first showed you guys the trailer of a couple months ago. And now, a new trailer has emerged on the scene, and gives us a little more insight on the plotline of the story. But I bet many of you who are interested in this movie looked at the plotline before this second trailer.

The trailer tells us that the young Scottish princess doesn't like the idea that she has to be dainty and has to act proper, and she wants to be much like a warrior. That she doesn't want to be married off. So, we see here that her mother is basically her enemy in this case, and that she wants to be free of the social bonds.

Well, I am interested as any to see this movie. I'm excited to see a movie center around Celtic mythology as well, as we saw a similar to that of Stonehenge in the last trailer. So, tell us here at the Dland Insider what you are looking forward to for the new Brave movie!

Disneyland Explorer App

A new app has arisen in the Apple product world, but for us Disney fans, specifically, Disneyland, CA fans, this is a great addition to the many apps that are out there.

The Disneyland Explorer App allows you to feel as if you are in Disneyland and get a quick synopsis of what it to offer at the Disneyland Resort. They cover every attraction at Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure. They also go into Downtown Disney and show you what is there as well which is a popular spot to go to and just have fun with a splash of Disney fun.

This app is great. For each attraction there is either a synopsis of the attraction, an activity or a video. One of the greatest ones you can use is the World of Color, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, and many more! Many of the E-ticket attractions are available with some sort of activity to do. The only one which did not benefit from this is Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye which continues to be a popular attraction today. But other than that, it is a fun app to have. OH! and one more thing...those of you who like the old Silly Symphony cartoons of Mickey Mouse and his friends, in Mickey's house, you can view up to 8 of these old cartoons FOR FREE! So go on and download the app on your iPhone or iPad, though I think that you can get more fun out of it if it was on the iPad for it is larger, but otherwise, have fun!

HAPPY UNBIRTHDAY TO EVERYONE!

Alice in Wonderland

Alright, so going back some of the earliest of Disney films created by Walt himself, I have taken a fascination in the art that is his movies, and the era that Walt Disney created himself. It has become my personal mission to get the films that he looked over as they are some of my favorite films to date. Now, one of these films that I can't seem to stop watching and not getting tired of is Alice in the Wonderland. Released in 1951, Alice in Wonderland was a film that Walt wanted to create as the first film that he created instead of Snow White. Countless times the company had tried to find a way for Alice in Wonderland to work. Being replaced time and time again by Bambi, Cinderella, Dumbo, etc. until the sketches by Mary Blair gave Walt the inspiration he needed and the world that Alice could reside in.

This movie was a large success for the company and it also was a large part of the company itself. The Disney parks have a large emphasis on Alice in Wonderland. It is the only Disney movie to have two attractions, at least in Disneyland CA. Alice speaks to each generation, and the stories keep people entranced by a world that has no sense and would forever make people wonder what curiosity does for people.

What keeps me coming back to this movie is the amazing animation that has such bizarre characters inspired by Mary Blair, and the memorable characters such as the Mad Hatter, Dweedle Dee and Dweedle Dum, the Chesire Cat, etc. The music is unique much like that of the movie.

So, what is it that Alice in Wonderland does for you? Leave a comment below!

Lady and the Tramp

Has become one of my favorite movies right now. It is a classic Disney movie, and the Victorian America is beautiful in each scene of the residential homes. It also shows the classic story of how someone can fall for someone who may be deemed on the wrong side of the tracks, and also gives more of a view of how dogs feel. Much more intuitive than 101 Dalmations in my opinion. Also makes you feel for the dogs when then the baby is born and how we act as people when things change in our lives. So, another great movie, and is worth getting before it goes back into the vault!

Pat Carol

One of the most influential things about the artistry of the Disney franchise is its ability to portray the voices of these characters to bring them to life. Sure, we know that through the countless hours that animators put into their work that no character can truly thrive without the powerful voice to put behind them. This is true in the parks as well. No matter who is on stage, or in the attraction, the voices are just as important and they are art as well. Art transcends sketches and papers, it also has to deal with the emotional presence it puts on you. So for this month, I’ve decided to focus this blog on the still living artist of voice Pat Carol. 

Though I do not remember, since it is far back in my memory, Pat Carol was a neighbor of mine and never got to truly remember her, but we all do because of her powerful performance she puts into Ursula, time and time again. The woman is always put back into the character of Ursula, through attraction, parade, or even just a spot on a television show where Ursula is cast. It is because of this, that Ursula’s presence not only in the film, but in the countless parades and attractions that she is reborn and her voice is used. 

If her voice was not used, the striking fear we see when that float comes by in the parade when Ursula comes by is not just by the extravagant detail the concept artists put into the float, but the voice that erupts from the mechanical mouth that brings us to goose bumps. 

Mary Blair

This post will be dedicated to the Disney Legend Mary Blair. She was one of the most influential concept artist in Disney films, one of which was “Alice in Wonderland”. It was because of her artwork that the Disney Studios was finally able to produce the movie. Walt Disney had wanted to do Alice in Wonderland for a long time. He had even wanted it to be the film to do before Snow White, but because of the concepts and scripts they postponed. It wasn’t until Blair’s breakthrough work through her cartoon and bizarre drawings that allowed them to find the world of Alice to live in. 

She found that she was very successful in her artistry, and many of her work had helped bring about one of the most well known attractions in the world “it’s a small world”. Even her work has inspired animators in her style, such as in the paintings of “Up”. Her contributions to the Disney company are legendary and her art had made our world have a much more interpretive and intriguing way to see the world.

She is also known for her work in “Peter Pan”, “Cinderella”, “Three Caballeros”, and she also worked briefly on “Dumbo”, “Fantasia”, and “Lady and the Tramp”

If you look at her work, she has made each scene to be much more interesting that the next, giving what our characters have seen in the films. For just as important is the animators who create these wonderful characters and the voices that help bring them to life, there is the scenery that help give these characters a world that they could interact in. Especially in “Alice” the reason they had not been able to make the film was they could not figure out how to make the world she lived in. It was not bizarre enough, was not unique enough, and it was Blair’s sketches and designs that made it possible for them to bring the story to life. Without Mary Blair many of our favorite classic films would not have existed. So for my first blog post, I want to honor Disney Legend Mary Blair for her work and dedication to the Disney Company. 

Mary Blair passed in 1978, and became a Disney Legend in 1991.

Disney to Come...

Alright, it's time for me to get full swing into this. The blog has been lagging due to my busy schedule and college work, but never fear! I will be continuing my blog and posting lots of fun facts and information up soon! I will speaking more about Disneyland and some more of the history of the Disney movies and the random facts that you may not know! Make sure to still follow us @DlandInsider on Twitter, and please, make sure to send in comments on what you would like to see on the Dland Insider!

Thanks so much to those who have been following the blog and still checking in, it means alot that the blog has gone off so much since I stated posting. So thanks again!

Extra Disney Day

Well, the time is coming up to February 29th, the day that the Disney parks will be open for 24 hours straight with no interruptions and no reasons to not go! Except for those of us with work, it lands on a work day...The question is now, do you play hookie or do you continue on and wish you had gone to the Disney parks...OR! Are you going to be the risk taker and just go, leave in time for work and possibly go back?

Tell us here and let us know your plans for that extra Disney day!

Villain of the Month

Sorry guys, I have been soooo busy with stuff. BUT I am trying to come back slowly and surely. So! with that being said, I will be posting our villain for this month. I shall see if we can get back to our lovely Villain of the Week, but, at least my favorite, villains, will be appearing back here.

So! This month, for the month of February is...MOTHER GOTHEL!

Now, why is she a good villain may you ask? She is probably the most dangerous of all the villains. Despite her not having any supernatural powers, besides her just living forever, she is deceiving, and she put the idea of being a mother in someone's head. She put the idea of someone and manipulated Rapunzel. That is probably the most dangerous and realistic of all the villains. This is a real life villain, for there are people that do that in our everyday lives. So for some, this could strike home to people. So, know for sure that she is perhaps one of the most powerful villains of all. She played with Rapunzel's fragile mind...