The Journal of a Disneyland Annual Passholder

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...