Mouse Extra

Hidden inside Innoventions, just around the corner from the Epcot Character Spot, is a new and probably short lived gem of Walt Disney World.  It is called the Epcot 25th Anniversary Gallery, and it explores the history of this wonderful theme park.

The gallery has the words “Creating the New World of Tomorrow” above its entrance and it features a visual history of Epcot Center.  It is chock full of artifacts, models and concept drawings.  All of which are serious eye candy for the Epcot lovers and especially heartwarming for the purist.

You’ll find some great artifacts and even a wonderful collection of some of the very first merchandise sold at Epcot Center…

Those of you out there, and I know there are quite a few, who miss the classic Future World attraction Horizons may just shed a tear when they see this display case dedicated to the extinct attraction…

And these photos just scratch the surface.  It is not a big room, and they could probably make it three times as big if they wanted, but it is till a great walk down memory lane.  The next time you are at Epcot, get yourself out of the blistering heat or passing shower and take a look inside Epcot’s 25th Anniversary Gallery.  If you are a lover of Epcot, you will not be disappointed.

Tucked away inside the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge, hidden from view from even most of those who stay at the resort, is one of Walt Disney World’s greatest tributes to the man who inspired the Mouse.  The Iron Spike Room serves basically as the lobby for the Disney Vacation Club annex to the Lodge, but it is much, much more than just a lobby.

Walt Disney had a love for trains, so do I, and that love was a big part of his life.  So it is certainly fitting that when Imagineering wanted to decorate this portion of the Wilderness Lodge with the mode of transportation that brought Americans to the West that they would choose to include Walt Disney in the idea.  After all, no one appreciated the aura and importance of steam trains quite like Walt.

Walt loved trains so much that he built one of the most elaborate backyard train layouts you will ever see.  He called it the Carolwood Pacific Railroad, and it was a one-eighth scale model spanning over 2600 feet of track and one that was large enough so people could actually ride on the cars.  To learn more about Walt’s passion for these trains, check out the website of the Carolwood Pacific Historical Society.

Thankfully, the folks at the Disney Vacation Club have put together a terrific collection of train treasures.  The real centerpiece is two of the original cars that ran around Walt Disney’s backyard, pictured above and below.  I can only imagine the people who sat on the tops of these cars, including Hollywood stars and Disney Legends.

Besides the cars, there are other pieces of memorabilia ranging from those about Disney and general history of train travel.  One I really enjoyed was the map pictured below.  It shows the great trains lines that brought Americans out west, and it’s highlighted with some wonderful classic Disney characters.

Looking around the Iron Spike Room and you seem to keep finding fascinating pieces.  This painting of Walt in his barn where he did all the work on his trains is just terrific.  It’s tucked in a corner and easy to miss. 

And there is so much more here.  So if you ever find yourself at the Wilderness Lodge, get yourself away from the amazing lobby there and walk across the breezeway to the villas building.  The Iron Spike room will greet you to a quiet and fascinating little corner of Walt Disney World.

IllumiNations; Reflections of Earth is an example of the best Walt Disney World has to offer. It is one of Imagineering’s best achievements and truly should be experienced by everyone. The best way to see it is from the water, and the Mouse offers guests the chance to do just that. Read the rest of this entry »

The deep jungle of equatorial Africa is what gave the area the name “The Dark Continent.” It is where Joseph Conrad set his great novel the “Heart of Darkness”. It was the center of the nightmares of the slave trade and colonialism. It is currently a hotbed of civil war and a place troubled by poverty and epidemics. It is also home to one of the most diverse and endangered ecosystems on the planet, the Congo basin rainforest. And it is home to the gorilla. Read the rest of this entry »

Perhaps your love of Disney World goes a bit deeper than Mouse Ears and audio animatronics.  Maybe you’re like me, and when you find something you enjoy you need to find out more about it.  Why is this here?  How does this work?  Who built this?  If you have these questions about the Magic Kingdom, then I would suggest the Keys to the Kingdom tour.

Most tours can be dependant to a certain extent on the tour guide.  If you get a dud, then you’re not going to have as much fun.  That may be true with the Keys, but I can’t see it having a big impact.  This tour and its subject is so immersive and interesting, you could probably do this with a cassette tape and still enjoy it.

Keys to the Kingdom is an in-depth look at the Magic Kingdom.  It offers some history, but it mostly examines the “why is that there?” and “how does that work?” type of questions.  For example, you begin outside the entrance to Main Street USA, and are told that the whole park is set-up like a movie.  Under the train station there are posters on the wall for the park’s attractions that represent the “coming attractions” portion of a film.  The names on the upper story windows are the names of important people in the history of the Magic Kingdom and Walt Disney World.  These are the “opening credits”. 

You also learn all about the design process, such as the “forced perspective” trick used to make the castle and the buildings on Main Street appear larger theyn they actually are.  One of the most fascinating design elements is at Liberty Square and Frontierland.  Beginning at Liberty Square and ending at Big Thunder Mountain that whole area represents a chronological and geographical history of the American frontier.

There are also some nuts and bolts involved.  On my tour, I also got a look at the backstage area used for storing parade floats and such.  We also had a chance to go downstairs into the Ultilidors, the hidden first floor of the Magic Kingdom.  This area is one that has long been cast in great mystery and intrigue.  While the design that produced them is amazing, it is truly nothing more than a large basement. 

The tour also includes a detailed ride on an attraction, we saw Mickey’s Philharmagic, and also lunch, which was at the Columbia Harbour House.  Both offered a chance to see the work we learned about in action and in its context.

Keys to the Kingdom is a perfect way to do something different at Walt Disney World.  It may not be for the little ones, but if you are a Disney addict you will love it and never forget it.

One of the major goals I had when Mouse Extra began was to develop a good resource of information for folks going to Disney World, either for their first trip or the latest of many.  For this reason, we are constantly working on restaurant, resort, and attraction reviews for our readers to use to hopefully help make their trips more enjoyable.

Today we begin a new segment called the Gems of Disney World.  These are the little treasures, some hidden some not so hidden, that make a trip to the Mouse so much more enjoyable then just standing  in line for a gatebuster attraction.  These are things you may miss, or that may not get their own ad campaign to promote them, but they are the stuff that really can enhance a vacation.  For our first entry, I am choosing my favorite gem, Off Kilter…

Disney World is full of great music.  You’ll find live shows and catchy ambient tunes, but nothing surpasses the great ensembles one can find at Epcot’s World Showcase.  Of all the terrific offerings, the first one that usually comes to the mind of the Disney addict is Off Kilter.  They are fun, engaging, and very, very loud.

From all over the World Showcase Lagoon, you can hear the sounds of bagpipes and rock n’ roll coming from the Canadian Pavilion.  It seems a strange mix, but this band makes it happen.  The bagpipes are a traditional instrument to be sure, and many often associate them with parades or funerals, but Off Kilter makes them as much a rock instrument as the Fender Stratocaster.  Piper Jamie Holton has a way of using the pipes to riff much the same as a great guitarist, but never leaving the fabric of Celtic music behind.

Off Kilter’s repertoire includes a sampling of traditional Celtic songs and instrumentals, including Scottish, Irish, and Canadian folk songs.  These pieces are always creative, but never esoteric.  They combine them with more modern rock songs and original compositions for a sound that many have never heard before.  Often times this combination is made during the same tune, and usually in a very light-hearted manner.  But their overwhelming talent makes what may seem a bit goofy onat first an interesting thrill to listen to.

Always smiling, and always appearing to have a great time, Off Kilter is comprised of pipes, guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums.  Even though they perform at the Canada Pavilion, I don’t believe any of them are actually Canadian.  But thankfully management saw through this detail and gave us a great band to listen to.  One mark of something good is that if you go and see them more than once in a day, you’ll notice many faces that were there at a previous show.  You can’t see this band only once.

For those more familiar with Irish folk music, stick around until you hear bassist Mark Weldon sings “The Fields of Athenry”.  It’s a different, yet sincere and beautiful take on a classic tune.