This Week's It Came From Disney!

This week, I am trying to help all of you photographers get your artwork off the computer and onto the wall! Check out the great cherry wood frame that my family uses in our living room in this week's article. Don't forget to check out all of the other AWESOME article feature on the Disney Dispatch!

Weekly DDL Post

This week on the Disney Driven Life, I take a look at the new website that Disney has made that will prepare you for your journey on Star Tours 2!  Get ready for your travels today by reading my article here!

Celebrate Earth Day with DisneyNature

Just as they have done for the last 2 years, DisneyNature has put out yet another fantastic and fun nature documentary.  This year's film is entitled African Cats and showcases the Lions and Cheetahs featured on the African Savanna. The movie itself seems incredible, so I wanted to share a couple pieces of it with you, shared with me by the wonderful people at Walt Disney Studios.  By sharing this with you, I hope to encourage you to see the film, especially in the first week because for everyone who sees the movie in the first week, DisneyNature will donate money to help save the savanna for the animals! Find out more about this in the following video:

Learn about your world and go see DisneyNature's African Cats today! See the Movie and Save the Savanna!

Look Closely.....

I am sharing this video, not because it is just downright bad, but because I want to teach you guys to look closer!  See if you can find what is hidden within this awesome creation by....well, let's see if you figure it out...

Oh, and there are a couple hints under the video, try not to look at them until you have viewed the video at least once yourself!



Hint 1: This Videowas Downloaded by Pixar

Hint 2: Watch the static closely...

This Week's It Came From Disney!

This week, the Disney Device I reviewed is eco-friendly in honor of Earth Day! Plus, its quite trendy! Find out what it is and how you can get one by reading my article on The Disney Dispatch.

unKNOWN Actors: Pat Buttram

This time on unKNOWN Actors, we are going to look at a guy who’s voice is one that I have always found unique and always stands out to me when I hear it in a movie; the distinctive southern drawl of Pat Buttram.  Born June 19, 1915 in Alabama and died Jan 8, 1994 in LA, California, there are several movies that you can find him in.

The first would be in 1970’s The AristoCats, where Pat provides the voice for the self-appointed hound leader, Napoleon.

In Robin Hood (1973) his voice is used to bring the cruel and greedy Sheriff of Nottingham to life.

Luke the Swamp mouse, a somewhat lazy character in The Rescuers (1977) is Pat’s next voice.

The next movie brings Pat back to doing the voice of another somewhat mean character, giving a voice to the, at times, mean spirited Chief in The Fox and the Hound (1981)

Pat had a short voice job in 1988’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit, voicing one of the toon bullets that fires out of the cartoon gun that Eddie tries to use in Toontown.

The last Disney movie that Pat voiced for, in fact, the last movie he ever voiced for, was A Goofy Movie in 1995.  He was the voice for Possum Park Emcee.

And now, you can put a name to that unique voice that you hear next time you watch any of these movies! See if you can pick out Pat Buttram’s voice easier!

If you have a fact about this actor or the name of someone you would like me to research, send me an email to lady_aurora_yensid@hotmail.com or leave me a comment below.

Weekly DDL Post

This week's article on the Disney Driven Life is all about sailing away! Disney has announced lots of new ports and cruises for 2012 and I have the info on all of it in My Article on the Disney Driven Life!

Health Update

Note for New Readers: I know this is not Disney related, but when I started this blog, I said it would not be all Disney related.  This blog is also to talk about my life and health situations and getting to know who I am.  Here is a little bit about me so you can get to know me better outside of the Disney realm.

I realized that I hadn't written one of these in a while. Mainly because my health situation has been pretty steady and relatively boring....aka, just the way I like it! This has changed recently, some for the good and some, well, we really don't know if it's bad or not yet.

The good was a change in the style of injection that I take.  I take Enbrel and was on the "SureClick" for a long time. For those who do not know, the SureClick is a kind of injection where you just press a button and hold the tube to your skin and it injects the medication for you.  This was working fine, but the SureClick has a preservative in it that, for some reason, causes a larger amount of pain than with the other versions of the medication.  I hadn't minded this for a long time, but recently I have been so frustrated with the weekly soreness I would get from the injection that I decided to look into other options.  I settled on the prefilled syringe, which is just like a normal syringe for vaccines or shots but comes shipped with the medication already measured out.  I tried my first one today and WOW what a difference! No pain or irritation, it was so nice! I am so glad I decided to switch and if there is anyone else out there using the SureClick and having issues with pain, I highly suggest you switch.  Some people are worried about actually sticking themselves with a needle, but this one is so painless, its very easy to do and the needles itself is not that big at all.

My other bit of news is about playing yet another game of "What the heck is this?".  Odd, pin-point like marks have began spotting the top of my feet and, not knowing what they were, I called my Rheumatologist thinking it was a medication reaction. For those who may be wondering, they do not hurt or itch, I really cannot feel them at all, and when you press on them, they do not go away, which caught my attention.  My RA doc looked at them today and said she did not know what they were. So, I am off for a second opinion to my primary.  If he doesn't know, we will try to bombard the marks with a short term steroid treatment to get rid of them.  And if that doesn't work, it's off to yet another doctor, a dermatologist, to see if they can diagnose it.  There is a small possibility this could be the very early stages of something serious, but we are not jumping to conclusions and quite honestly, I'm not even gonna mention it right now because it is irrelevant until we try all of this other stuff.  So the end of next week I have an appointment with my primary and hopefully we can get this sorted out then and I will have more good news for ya!

This Week's It Came From Disney!

This week's product is a little different, it is not something for you as much as it is for the little critters in your life.  I review a small animal treat that I got for our pet rabbit! Check it out!

Weekly DDL Post

We are outta this country this week on The Disney Driven Life, talking about the groundbreaking of the new Disney Shanghai park last Friday.  Learn some about this new park and see some concept art by clicking here and reading the article!

Disney Legend to Speak at D23 Event

The following Press Release is from Intrepid Traveler about the Disney Legend and author Charlie Ridgway speaking at D23's Destination D event in Walt Disney World along with information on the event itself:

Disney Legend To Speak At 'WDW 40th' Celebration

Official Disney fan club will host gala weekend event

Lake Buena Vista, Fla. – Disney legend Charles Ridgway will take part in D23’s Destination D: Walt Disney World 40th event scheduled for May 14 and 15 at Disney’s Contemporary Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Charlie was a part of WDW from its inception, serving as press agent for the “Mouse Houses” for 40 years. He worked at Disneyland for seven years before moving on to Walt Disney World and was also involved with the Disney properties in Paris and Hong Kong. He details his experiences in Spinning Disney’s World: Memories of a Magic Kingdom Press Agent, published by The Intrepid Traveler. 

According to its sponsors, Destination D is the only public celebration of Walt Disney World’s milestone celebration. D23 members will be taken on a journey that begins with the purchase of the first parcels of land in Central Florida in 1964 through the opening of Epcot Center in 1982.
Charlie will be joined by other Disney notables including Marty Sklar, Bob Gurr (who shared the stage with Ridgway on the Podcast 2.0 Disney cruise last December), Jack Lindquist, Tom Nabbe, Bob Mathieson, Orlando Ferrante and Ron Logan, along with Debra Browne, the 1971 Walt Disney World Ambassador to the World. 

They will all take part in two days of special entertainment, retrospectives, screenings of rare and newly discovered film and TV footage, archival displays and presentations. There will also be a special exhibit from the Walt Disney Archives featuring items and artifacts that document the creation and evolution of Walt Disney World Resort.

Charlie will sit on a panel titled “Making the Magic Happen.” He and other Disney legends will talk about life during the opening of the Magic Kingdom through the debut of Epcot Center, describing the challenges, misadventures, creativity and excitement from those who carried out Walt Disney’s dream in Florida. Charlie will also be available to autograph copies of Spinning Disney’s World.

The highlight of the weekend will be a concert, “Magical Journeys: A Flight of Fancy Through 40 Years of Walt Disney World Musical Memories,” featuring Richard M. Sherman, Academy Award winner and another Disney legend.

D23 is the official Disney Fan Club offering unique experiences, special events, collectibles, a quarterly publication, Web site and opportunities to meet others who share a love of Disney. D23 offers fans an insider look at everything Disney: the parks, animation and stage shows, television and film, and the treasures of the Walt Disney archives. “D,” of course, stands for Disney and 23 marks 1923, the year Walt Disney arrived in California and founded his company.

To order Spinning Disney’s World by Charles Ridgway, click here.
 
Spinning Disney’s World:
Memories of A Magic Kingdom Press Agent
by Charles Ridgway
ISBN: 978-1-887140-67-6
256 pages • 6 in. x 9 in. • 11 photographs
Index • Hard cover original
USA: $24.95


Look for a review of Charlie's book, Spinning Disney's World: Memories of a Magic Kingdom Press Agent coming soon on my new site, www.WaltsWriters.com

This Week's It Came From Disney!

This week on the Disney Dispatch, my inner child comes out while looking at two different Tangled Tower Play Sets! Just looking at these makes me want to sit down and play! See which one is your favorite and let me know if you have one of these towers on my article page!

A Look Into the Past

I was excited to see this story on AOL's main page, so I had to share it with all of you!  As most, if not all, of the major Disney fans know, there are youtube videos for almost every attraction in Walt Disney World and the other parks.  What you may not know is that there are videos of extinct attractions as well! AOL's Travel Blog wrote an article about some of the Walt Disney World Lost Attractions that have been captured and shared with all on youtube.  Some of these attractions include 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, Mission to Mars, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and even a video taken at River Country!  Read the full AOL Article to find out more about these attractions and why they no longer exist in the parks and to view the videos.  Don't forget to check out some of the suggested videos that come up as well, there is a ride-through of the Tomorrowland Skyway among others!

Weekly DDL Post

This week on the Disney Driven Life, we find out where and when this summer's hot jams will be! The schedule for the Sounds Like Summer Concert Series in Epcot has been released and you can check it out right here!

Zooey Deschanel performing for Winnie the Pooh!

Being the HUGE Winnie The Pooh fan that I am, I am very excited about this new movie coming out in July!  He is just so cute and cuddly! This is what the singer Zooey Deschanel thinks too.  She is performing some of the songs for the new movie and seems very excited to do so!  Check out the press release and video given to us from our dear friends at Walt Disney Pictures:

Actress/Musician/Singer/Songwriter Zooey Deschanel Performs Three Songs for the Philosophical Bear’s New Big-Screen Endeavor

BURBANK, Calif. (March 31, 2011) – He’s a bear of very little brain. She’s half of the acclaimed band She & Him. This year, they come together on the big screen in “Winnie the Pooh,” which hits theaters in select international markets in Spring 2011, and in the U.S. on July 15, 2011. Actress/Musician/Singer/Songwriter Zooey Deschanel (“Almost Famous,” “(500) Days of Summer”) joins Winnie the Pooh and all of his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood, performing three songs for the film, including her own take on the classic “Winnie the Pooh” theme song, “A Very Important Thing to Do” and the original end-credit song “So Long,” which was written by Deschanel and performed with She & Him bandmate M. Ward.

“This has been one of the most fun experiences I’ve ever had,” says Deschanel. “And I’ve just been thanking my lucky stars that I was able to work on this movie, because it’s delightful.”

Filmmakers were drawn to Deschanel’s signature style. “She was the perfect choice to do the ‘Winnie the Pooh’ song—a classic theme from the Sherman Brothers,” says director Don Hall. “Her music actually embodies the underlying spirit of the movie. We’re taking something that has vintage roots in the sixties, but spinning it in our own way and updating it. If you listen to Zooey’s music with She & Him—that’s their sound to a tee.”

Adds director Stephen Anderson, “It’s a perfect way to start the movie, letting the audience know right off the bat that this is Winnie the Pooh like you know him, but it’s something for today. We wanted to keep the same charm as the original, but give it a fresh spin, a contemporary feel, and she opens the movie with so much freshness, so much energy.”

“It’s always fun to have a contemporary artist rediscover a classic and that’s exactly what Zooey did,” says producer Peter Del Vecho. “She brought her own personality to the song—when she sings about introducing the individual characters, it’s as though she’s known them her whole life—and she has.”

“I’m a big fan of Winnie the Pooh and all his friends,” says Deschanel, who also plays the ukulele in the song. “It’s really hard to pick a favorite: Winnie the Pooh is so special, he loves honey and he’s just cool. Eeyore is amazing, I love Eeyore. And Piglet is so small. It’s really a four-way tie between Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger.”

Among the songs Deschanel performed for the film is “A Very Important Thing to Do”—a song that helps illustrate the contest the friends from the Hundred Acre Wood take on to find Eeyore a new tail. She also lent her voice to “Everything is Honey” and “Pooh’s Finale,” joining Jim Cummings (the voice of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger), Tony Award®-winning songwriter Robert Lopez (“Avenue Q”) and other cast members. 

For the end-credit song, Deschanel teamed up with Ward to perform “So Long,” a song Deschanel wrote.  “When I was writing ‘So Long,’ I just held the images for the end credits in my mind,” she says. “I spent a number of days tinkering with ideas, melodies and chord progressions that I thought would fit the images, the new music being written and the original Sherman Brothers stuff-- but still be my own thing. The song definitely has its own feel, but also pays respect to the original.”

Deschanel plays piano for “So Long” and turned to the instrument when it came time to write the song. “I usually write on piano because that's the first instrument that I learned when I was a little kid,” she says. “All of my musical theory knowledge is in linear piano form.”

Her heart, however, is in the vocals. “I’m always thinking in terms of vocals, and arranging a fabric of vocals is the most exciting part. I love to sing backup parts—I always try to squeeze in as many as possible,” she says. “It’s fun; it’s my style.”

Deschanel’s songs, plus the Sherman Brothers classic and a host of original songs by Robert Lopez and wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez (“The Wonder Pets”), as well as original score from composer Henry Jackman (“The Da Vinci Code,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”), will be included on the “Winnie the Pooh” soundtrack (available Spring 2011 in select international markets, and in the U.S. on July 12, 2011) from Walt Disney Records.

Interactive Queue Ideas: Animal Kingdom

The last post for this mini-series is about the interactive queues that could work in Animal Kingdom.

Kilimanjaro Safari – This line can be sooooooo long and hot and there is only that one area with a few televisions with Wilson on it.  Those videos are good and I enjoy watching them, but it should be mixed in with Animal and Conservation trivia.  There also needs to be more televisions in different parts of the queue, not just that one shaded area. Use the queues to both teach and occupy the time.

Finding Nemo- The Musical – Now, I know interactive for this queue may not be an option because of the way it is built, but I would at least love to see some kind of street performers in the area to help pass the time.  Whether it be musicians or cast members who go around asking animal/fish related questions and pass out prizes to people who guess it correctly, it would be a positive change.  Interactive does not always have to mean computers and digital magic.

That is actually all that I have for Animal Kingdom.  Some people may say Expedition Everest or It’s Tough To Be A Bug, but to them, I say “Are You Kidding?!” There are so many details in those queues, I wish the queues were an attraction of their own!!

This completes my list of queues in the four parks that could use some interactive magic.  As always, if you have any suggestions or comments, please let me know!