The Journal of a Disneyland Annual Passholder

Its no secret that World of Color was designed to be flexible. With such a flexible system, scenes can be either modified or switched out for newer scenes. Steve Davison envisioned the show to be like a living "Fantasia" in which each change would bring in something new to the show. No show in Disney Parks history had the ability. Even Davison himself didn't think of changing the show material in the other shows he did in the past. Back in 2009, Steve Davison presented twice, one at California Adventure and one at the inaugural D23 Expo in Anaheim, the intended lineup for the first version of World of Color. But when the show opened in 2010, much of the material had been switched around. Many fans thought that Bob Iger, the CEO of the company was responsible for the changes but thats only half true. Steve Davison and his team also had a hand in changing the show in places they deemed to not have worked as they hoped. For example, Chernabog was originally supposed...

Both of these SoCal Destinations operate in the same county and in 2 different cities. Both are just 10 minutes apart. What most people outside of SoCal don't know is that these 2 have a history that stems from both of their creators who both are named Walt and the two had a friendship. Walter Marvin Knott was a Californian born farmer that struggled in his early years of farming until his attempts at nursing several berries from an abandoned farm changed his fortunes for him and his wife. The Boysenberry plant would later be cultivated and sold on its own or as jelly. The berry proved to be a success and soon his wife would begin selling chicken dinners in order to combat the Great Depression in the 30s.  As more and more people flocked to the Chicken Dinner Restaurant, Knott decided to create a western "Ghost Town" on his property in order to entertain the hundreds waiting for a table at their restaurant. This would be the basis for Knotts Berr...

NOTE: The following review was done as spoiler free as possible. There may be some unintentional spoilers. If you have not seen the movie, beware. On a scale of 1 thru 10, how would I rate BH6? A perfect 10! Building off their success from "Frozen" last year, Disney releases "Big Hero 6" based on the Marvel comics of the same name. This is the first time that Disney has adapted Marvel Characters into a Disney animated movie which is a nice change of pace from having to shift through classic fairytales that they may have not used yet or had to have an original story pitch. Set in a fictional city called San Fransokyo (a hybrid of San Fransisco and Tokyo), Hiro sets out to save the city from a mysterious villain with the help of his friends and his brother's robot "Baymax" which was created as a Healthcare robot. Its been a long time since I cried in a movie theater and this movie managed to make that happen to me 3 times. A lot of their anima...

Knotts Scary Farm Paradise pier (Note: Stock photo from July 20th) Most tourists usually use Disneyland as a hub and center of their vacation in SoCal as they travel to other SoCal destinations from there (unless they have a hotel in Los Angeles). As a local however, I did things a lot different this past October 4th. Since 2009, I've made the trip to Knotts for their Halloween Haunt event and usually has me going there close to 5pm for my pre scare dinner. This year, I did something that I wanted to do: Go to Knotts FROM Disneyland. http://www.rideart.org Anaheim has a transportation line for its "Resort area" called the Anaheim Resort Transportation (known as ART) and it serves as a connection to the local destinations around Anaheim and some of the neighboring cities in the county. 2 years ago, they extended a line to Buena Park which connects Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm (Line 18). Because of the nature of the line's route, it doesn't operat...

2005: The Year of New Beginnings I began my adventures as an Annual Passholder for Disneyland back on March 2005, 2 months before the 50th Anniversary celebrations at Disneyland was to start. Back then, the Premium was less than $500 and you had to take your photo for your AP card at the Annual Pass center in Disneyland after you got the pass. There was no such thing as monthly payments when I got mine, it was either you had the money or you don't buy the pass at all. I was young for my age. Being only 13 years old when my mom bought my pass, I was somewhat restricted to leaving early but being able to arrive either at park opening or an hour after it opened.In addition, I was dropped off at Downtown Disney in order to use the monorail to get in. I began having the urge to go every week, evident that I either ask if I can go or simply just get ready to go to Disneyland without asking the night before and they would allow it if the latter happened. Once it got to the 2nd half ...

Today was a huge uproar in the Disney Community as Disney announced that Malestrom, one of the 2 attractions in the World Showcase area of EPCOT will shut down next month to allow construction on a brand new ride based on Frozen. I've watched on Twitter as fans voiced their displeasure ranging from "I'm sick of Frozen" to "Doesn't belong in EPCOT." The anger was just too much that I had to make my opinion of it known on my blog so that I can think freely. To better understand how the hate is very real is to see where the new ride will be at. Firstly, its at EPCOT, a theme park based on the celebration of human achievement and innovation and something of a "Permanent Worlds Fair" with The World Showcase, an area of the park that represents Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, US, Japan, Morocco, France, UK and Canada. Each area of the showcase displayed various forms of entertainment and serves food from that particular country. The Norway...

Its been an interesting 2014 at Disneyland. Not only does it include my usual routine of Indiana Jones, World of Color and the occasional chats with my Cast Member friends, it also included an unexpected new thing to do: Watch Magical Map more than once per visit. In its first year last year, I watched the show every now and then. It wasn't until January that I began watching the show everytime I visited. When my January term started, the off-season at the Resort began and I got off early enough in the 3 days that I went to school that I went to Disneyland to have some fun till my mom got off work. Since I couldn't stay late for World of Color, Magical Map became the ideal substitute during weekday visits to the parks. The show is fun and the performers make the show alive. When I started uploading pics I took of the show on Instagram, thats when my obsession with Magical Map grew. Any performer at Map that has an Instagram found me through the hashtags I use on my picture...

No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world. Robin Williams This week, we lost one of the most brilliant and entertaining actors that Hollywood has seen in Robin Williams. His death has shocked everyone that enjoyed seeing him on the big screen whether it was granting Aladdin 3 wishes or winning a game of Jumanji. But it wasn't just the movies that people knew him from. Those that knew him from the beginning of his career knew that he had started small like most famous actors had by starring in television shows (He starred as Mork in Happy Days) and then progressing to star in several films that never did became successful but his acting got the attention of the movie industry. People born in the 90s knew him best from his many roles in family movies like the animated Disney movie "Aladdin" in which he voiced the Genie and the Steven Spielberg movie "Hook" in which he played as an adult Peter Pan. A comedian at heart, Robin would...

Sleeping Beauty Castle Today is the 59th anniversary of Disneyland Park in Anaheim, CA. It really is the legacy of one mans dream to build a place where the parents and their children can have fun together. True to his word, the park has continued to evolve and change as Walt once said: "As long as there is imagination left in the world, Disneyland will never be complete.". Early History In the 1950s, Walt would begin making plans for Disneyland which he originally intended to be in a small space across the street from his studio in Burbank, CA. But when he began to have more ideas, he knew that small piece of land would not be able to hold them. He looked at other areas that could have bigger land. He then found that big land in an Orange Grove in Anaheim. The city was in the neighboring Orange County and was an hour away from LA. Walt looked around the groves and ultimately decided to purchase the land and construction soon began in 1954 and completed in ...

Today is the birthday of one of Disneyland Resorts greatest nighttime spectaculars World of Color. This massive show combines water, fire and other amazing special effects like no other. A project so big, it took 5 years to plan, design, build and program the show. When the show was announced back in 2007, I was instantly amazed and all in for this new show. The show is nothing that Disney ever did before. Sure the shows in the past had water fountains, but nothing at the scale of World of Color. California Adventure always suffered from the lack of nighttime entertainment save for the aged Electrical Parade. The park needed a brand new show. Paradise Pier, which is the place to put on these large scale shows always had issues with fireworks. Luminaria, the first nighttime show at California Adventure was a firework based show and only lasted one season due to complaints of the smoke from the show going to the hotel guests and the nearby neighborhoods. World of Color would not have ...

On May 23rd, I spent 22 hours at both Disneyland and California Adventure. Both parks as well as the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, FL were open once again from 6am to 6am the next day. Both parks started out empty in the morning and then got more busier as the night went on. This is what I did that day that was the most exciting:  The Frozen fan inside me wanted me to do the Frozen Sing-a-long that was taking place throughout the day at the MuppetVision Theater in Hollywoodland. It was one thing to be excited to see it on the big screen again, but to actually sing along to the songs which i wasn't able to do in theaters (I didn't do the Sing a long in theaters because I wasn't sure if my theater was doing it) was very fun! Some people left over the course of the movie I'd let it slide since people thought it was just a fun show with the songs from the movie and not the full movie itself. When I parkhopped back to California Adventure in the evening, I ran into a l...

NOTE: May contain spoilers. Read at your own risk Maleficent is a live action film starring Angelina Jolie as Maleficent in a re-imagining story of Sleeping Beauty but this time focuses on Maleficent herself. There are some points in the movie that makes it stand out from the original Sleeping Beauty tale (both source and the 1959 Walt Disney Animated Classic). As its explained in the official synopsis of the movie, Maleficent suffers a horrible betrayal that causes her to lose her wings in the beginning of the movie that causes her to get revenge on the current ruler of the human kingdom King Stephan. Setting: Unlike the 1959 animated film, there lies another kingdom simply called the "Moors" which is the home of many mythical creatures and doesn't have an established ruler and this is where Maleficent lives. This replaces Maleficents lair in this movie. The "Moors" is beautiful and looks great in IMAX 3D which is what I watched the movie in. Character...

Its not just the Cast Members that make the magic, another park guest can make magic as well! This was a couple of weeks ago on a Thursday afternoon at Paradise Pier at the Games of the Boardwalk. On rare occasions, I'll play a game or 2 at the Games of the Boardwalk just for fun with no intent on winning anything. I was playing the game that involved shooting water at a target to get a fireman clown to the top and whoever gets up first either wins a Dumbo or Timothy depending on how many players. It was on this Thursday afternoon that I, by luck won the game and I got a Dumbo out of it. One of the players was a little girl who went back to her family afterwards. She wasn't crying or anything and seem to not have minded losing. The group was about to leave when I made a decision. There was 2 factors in making the decision that I made: 1.) I played the game 3 years ago and won a Dumbo already 2.) I figured I'd make someones day if they get a random surprise from someon...

February 29th, 2012 was known as Leap Day. Leap Year is the time when February gets 29 days not 28 days. 2 years ago, Disney decided to have Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom in FL open from 6am on Feb 29th to 6am the next day (March 1st). I decided to attend the 24 hour day but I was able to spend 14 hours because I spent the first 10 hours preparing and having lunch with my parents. Getting there, it felt like a normal day but as the night arrived, the masses arrived and Disneyland was hit to capacity before midnight. I attended a "Midnight Snack" event arranged by the Disney Parks Blog people though there was a conflict as I was in the "Original" line for it while a second line formed. Disneyland Managers took care of it by making sure that those that were in the original line for the small event went in while those that tried to form a 2nd line was held back by Disneyland security. The small event was fun and some characters came out. To cap off the event, we wer...

"All of Our Dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them."-Walt Disney Whenever I remember this quote, I realize that in order to pursue my dreams, whatever that dream may be, I have to be able achieve it by going after it actively. Its never an easy road to achieve dreams. You have to climb leaps, bounds and mountains to get there. But every small step leads to a big achievement. You've got to be willing to "Go the Distance" to get to where you want to be.

The Mark Twain has been a Disneyland classic since 1955 and I ride it every now and then whenever I need some peace from the hectic Disneyland crowds. Sailing aboard the riverboat has also made me reflect on my past Disneyland adventures and I really do feel that I am in the late 1800s. The best part about the Mark Twain and its companion, the Columbia is that on Fantasmic nights, the riverboat and ship you sailed on becomes set pieces for a thrilling nighttime spectacular Sometimes, its the classic rides at Disneyland that really do put you in the Disney magic and it can put you at peace. Disneyland isn't just about thrills, its about having an adventure.

For the first time in forever, Disney has made a successful animated tale that carries the Disney spirit. Based on the tale of "The Snow Queen" Frozen continues the well known Disney storytelling that the studio is known for. When I first heard of Frozen, I wasn't too sure of it since the first few trailers made it look like a Dreamworks flick. But then its other trailers finally convinced me as well as Demi's cover of "Let it Go" that this was a film that I will surely love. I saw Frozen on opening night and I instantly fell in love with the movie! In the weeks following its release into theaters, the movie soared to the #1 spot in the box office and went on to shatter records and become one of the best animated films in history. It didn't just end with the movie, its success went on to merchandising. Even 2 months after the release of the film on home video, the toys, books and clothing have all sold out a lot in every store, causing Disney to...

Every now and then, Disney will shut down your favorite ride for refurbishment. For some, it dampers the visit because they won't have their favorite ride open during their visit. To me, it changes up how I do things. Indiana Jones has been closed in Adventureland for 2 months already so it was spared of the Spring Break crowds while it does some show enhancements and the usual fixes on everything. I'm a huge fan of this ride, going as far as keeping count how many times I ride it. While its a bummer, I know that its for the best as Indy usually needs refurbs a lot. The past 2 months i've been going to Disneyland Mon-Fri after my classes on those days as a way to kill time and it was spent mostly chatting with my Cast Member friends and Mickey and the Magical Map (until recently when it went dark for 3 weeks starting this week). I can't wait to explore the Temple of the Forbidden Eye once again and Journey to Imagination in Mickey and the Magical Map soon. If I didn...

In the 9 years I've been an annual passholder for Disneyland, I've made friends with the people that work at the Disneyland Resort, mainly attraction CMs. All are great people and its fun to see them everytime. Most Cast members usually don't like Annual Passholders and with good reason which I completely understand given that most Passholders tend to be very snobbish at times. Hence the various nicknames given to APers by CMs. Most of the Cast Members I made friends with work at attractions in the West Side of Disneyland (mainly Adventureland, Frontierland and Main Street) while others in other parts of both parks. How I met them varies, but most of the time, the Cast Member would be the one to start the first Convo with me. Most of the ones I knew have moved on, either left the job or went on to another department in the resort. Some I keep in contact with on Facebook. In a year, i'll become new friends with some cast members and the friendships would usually st...

So lets talk about fan theories. They're fun to think about but at the same time, there has to be proof behind it. The ones thinking these theories posted below have no shred of proof that Frozen is connected to films like Tangled and Little Mermaid. Lets look at each theory in detail. Theories 1 and 2. Anna and Elsa being Rapunzels Cousins and the King and Queen of Arendelle heading to Rapunzels Wedding. We know that Disney made a Tangled short called "Tangled Ever After" that showed Rapunzel and Eugene getting married. The 2nd theory posted above indicates that the King and Queen were on their way to Rapunzels wedding. Where they were going when they died at sea remains a mystery and there is nothing that indicates that they got an invitation to that wedding. The assumption by fans is that Elsa's Coronation took place 3 years after her parents were lost which is the same year length with Tangled and Frozen (Tangled was released in 2010, Frozen in 2013). It s...