Mouse Extra

This is likely old news for most, but it annoyed me to such a degree that I have to get it off my chest.  So, let’s just chalk this posting up to therapy…

Last weekend, while at the Disney-MGM Studios, I was in the middle of looking for a birthday present for a relative who is a fellow Disney fanatic.  I had a few ideas, and one of them was to check out a store that I had not been in for quite some time, the Villains in Vogue shop at the corner of Sunset and Hollywood Boulevard.  A good villain collectible or shirt would have been perfect.

You can imagine how stunned I was to find that this shop is no longer dedicated to Disney’s great villains.  Instead, it has a section of Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise, and an even larger section devoted to the same Pirates of the Caribbean stuff they sell all over each park.  Dead Man’s Chest action figures and whatever those small treasure chests are, is what makes up Villains in Vogue now.

To be fair, I am not one who normally lets this bother me.  Many people, purists especially, complain constantly about the lack of variety in Disney World’s merchandising.  Main Street USA is the most popular target of these.  But I understand that this is a business and these guys have sales information on which they base decisions on what to sell.  But I’m not talking about third-party trinkets or dime-store magic tricks.  I’m talking about Disney movie merchandise at the Disney movie theme park?  Is there no other place on property to sell Pirates stuff?

Kevin Yee, author of the must-read “101 Things You Never Knew About Walt Disney World” and MiceAge.com contributor, has a glowing and in-depth review of the debut Pirate and Princess Party at the Magic Kingdom.  Mr. Yee’s review is surprisingly positive, and not just because he likes to chronicle poorly themed trash cans and yet-to-be-cleaned bird droppings on his posting.

One of the things that warmed my heart the most was the complete lack of any corner-cutting, at least not in any visible way. I was more than halfway expecting candy stations to close down when visitors became sparse, or rides to shut their doors because so few people were interested in the standard rides. But I noted gleefully that everything stayed open, despite the ever-thinning crowds. This was almost a throwback to the Walt days!

All kidding aside, Kevin Yee is a tough critic and one who is not afraid to say what he doesn’t like, to the point where you sometimes wonder what he does like.  He’s honest and straightforward, and lacks an axe to grind.  The fact that he glows about this event speaks volumes of the quality product it must be. 

I am surprised that the reviews, and there are more out there, seem overwhelmingly positive.  Many of us doubted the potential in this idea.  The similar Christmas and Halloween parties are both good, but this lacked a cohesive theme to stand behind.  It seemed at the conceptual stage to be nothing more than an interactive infomercial for the two most popular current Disney franchises.  The potential for this to be cheap and phony was certainly there.  But thankfully that is not the case. 

As I have been saying for some time now, things seem to be turning around at Imagineering for the better.  In the last calendar year we have seen Expedition Everest, the Nemo ride and musical, and now the Pirate and Princess Party.  All the major additions have been high quality Disney fun, filling us addicts with optimism for the future.

Last week while at the Disney-MGM Studios, I wanted to show my wife one of the little gems in the park she was unaware of, the “Singin in the Rain” umbrella.  For those of you who may not have heard of this hidden detail, it was in the back of the park directly across the square from the Lights, Motors, Action entrance.  It was an umbrella and a light post, like the one Gene Kelly danced with in the film.  You could stand in position and make it rain on you, a perfectly Disney addition.

One topic that often comes up when planning a Disney vacation: character meals. Disney offers up plenty of options, many of which are the popular character breakfasts. There are many to choose from so its important to choose wisely. I like Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary best of all. Read the rest of this entry »

In pure Disney fashion, they have once again put the carrot in front of us horses.  Have you seen the artist renderings from the Annual Report?   Click here for these little gems.  It includes actual concept paintings for a new theme park, rides and shows.  And of course, there are no specifics to go with them and all it does is make us squirm in our seats and scour the internet for more info. Read the rest of this entry »

Sorry for the last week of inactivity, but we were all away on vacation.  I spent the past two weekends at the Mouse and have plenty of pictures to show and stories to tell.  Check back for a trip report and some observations.  Thanks for your patience.

 ME