Conquer the Heat – The ‘Coolest’ Attractions Around

Guess what? Florida is hot. And that’s not going to change anytime soon. So until it does, here are some places for cooling off + relaxing in the parks.

Ellen’s Energy Adventure
Alright so maybe the jokes are a little corny, and maybe the effects are a tad outdated. But still this is the ultimate place to get refreshed.

Including the pre-show, it lasts an astonishing 45 minutes – giving you plenty of time to rest the weary leg muscles and soak up as much air conditioning as you can.

Spaceship Earth
Another long one here. Lasting about 25 minutes from start to finish, Spaceship Earth is a great relaxer. This ride also stops fairly frequently for handicapped guests, etc. so that might get you even more time to cool off.

If you’re bored one day, do what I do: just change the language and listen to the spiel in French, Spanish, or Portuguese. Very entertaining.

Club Cool
While not necessarily an “attraction”, Club Cool is located near the Fountain of Nations at Epcot.

Not only is it an indoor area where you can cool off for as long as you want, but also they have fountains of soft drinks from around the world – for free and with unlimited refills. It’s really one of the hidden gems at Epcot.

3D/4D Films
That’s right – Mickey’s PhilharMagic, It’s Tough to be a Bug, MuppetVision, & Honey I Shrunk the Audience Captain EO all last fairly long and are very cool. If you get my draft…er drift. Plus the wonderful smell of apple pie doesn’t hurt either!

Where do you go? Of course there are many more attractions and other places that are great for cooling off – what are your favorites?

Photo by janoimagine

In Depth: The Complexity and Technical Genius Behind Theme Park Music

I love Disney theme park music. In fact it’s most definitely the “genre” of music that fills the most space in my iPod. And the sad part is, it plays constantly all day with little to no recognition.

So here’s a little info about the music geniuses behind it all and a quick showcase of the awesome music itself.

Bruce Broughton

Bruce Broughton is one of the creative minds behind the music heard in the theme parks. More specifically, he was the composer for the following:

• O Canada! Film – 2007 Arrangement (World Showcase, Epcot)
• Spaceship Earth (Future World, Epcot)
• One Man’s Dream (Disney’s Hollywood Studios)
• Ellen’s Energy Adventure (Future World, Epcot)
• Honey, I Shrunk the Audience! (Future World, Epcot)
• The Timekeeper (Extinct – Tomorrowland, Magic Kingdom)
• The Making of Me (Extinct – Future World, Epcot)

These are arguably some of the best themes in the parks. Spaceship Earth, Ellen’s Energy Adventure, and Honey, I Shrunk the Audience are some of my all-time favorites.

Sherman Brothers

Another theme park legend (among other things) here, Robert and Richard Sherman are responsible for so many catchy themes of the theme parks. There include:

• “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” (Carousel of Progress, MK)
• “It’s a Small World” (it’s a small world, Magic Kingdom)
• “One Little Spark” (Journey Into Imagination, Epcot)
• “Chim Chim Cher-ee” (Great Movie Ride, DHS)
• “The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room” (Enchanted Tiki Room, Magic Kingdom)
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (All Songs)

As a matter of fact it was “One Little Spark” that made me realize the complexity of the theme park music. I posted this on #ConfessFriday on Twitter one day. I got back a couple of responses, but one that stood out to me was by @ThemeParkDaily who said this:

“Not nerdy at all, lots of Disney Park music is technically brilliant.”

Very true, I think. Now let’s take a look at our final composers.

Xavier Atencio + Buddy Baker

More commonly known as “X” Atencio, he and Baker composed one of my favorite tunes and rides – “Grim, Grinning Ghosts” in The Haunted Mansion. X also wrote the lyrics to “Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life for Me)”, while Baker arranged the music for Impressions de France.

Your thoughts?

It’s sometimes hard to recognize and appreciate the Disney theme park music because it is always so well integrated and themed that we don’t consciously notice it. But that’s what makes it work so well, and that’s why it’s so complex.

What are your thoughts? What is your favorite music in the parks? Share your thoughts on all this in the comments.

Disney’s Awesome Things #12: The Bilingual Ride Safety Spiels

#12 I think it’s fair to say that I’m completely obsessed with the Disney ride safety spiels – it’s always one of the main things I look forward to hearing when I arrive. When I hear it, I know I’m in Disney.

The Spanish parts are always my favorite, mainly because I find Spanish very interesting and actually know what they are saying. Look below for some Spanish spiels – as you might have not known what the words look like written out.

I find it amazing and extremely interesting that Disney somehow finds a way to take a generic safety spiel in English and Spanish and transform it – making it fit the theme of the current attraction. How clever is that?

Here’s some examples:

And now, a carriage approaches – taking you into the boundless realm of the supernatural. Once on board, remain safely seated with your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside. And, watch your children…please.

Un carruaje que se a se. Y ahora: permanezca sentado y mantengo las manos, brazos, pies, y piernas dentro de vehiculo. Y cuida los pequeñitos. ¡Y ahora – preparase!

Or maybe this one:

Ahoy, mateys! For your safety, remain seated with yer hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the boat. And no flash pictures. Prepare to make sail!

Para su seguridad, permanezca sentado con las manos, brazos, pies, y piernas dentro el barco. Y cuida sus niños. ¡Muchas gracias!

Or my personal favorite:

Attention, Expedition Everest team members, once on board, secure all gear in the cargo pouch in front of you – then, pull down on the restraint. For your safety, remain seated and keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the train – and watch your children.

¡Atención los miembros del equipo de Expedición Everest! Una vez a bordo, asegurar todas las artes en la sección de carga frente a usted. Entonces, baje el cinturón de seguridad. Para su seguridad, permanezca sentado con las manos, brazos, pies, y piernas dentro el tren. Y cuida los ninos. Gracias.

Am I weird for liking the safety spiels? Which one is your favorite? Should this even make the Awesome Things list? Let me know!

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Is Disney Headed in the Wrong Direction?

Be sure to read to the end of this post.
Otherwise I look like a jerk who hates Disney.

If Walt were here today, what would he be thinking of Disney World right now?

Walt, you must be a little disappointed.

Disappointed by the fact that no one could plan ahead, and now the Expedition Everest Yeti stands lifeless and defeats the purpose of the attraction. Disappointed by the fact that carelessness at 2AM on July 5th cost one man his life. Disappointed that Disney World has become satisfied with the status quo – something that should never happen.

See that picture? That didn’t need to happen. That shouldn’t have happened. But it did. Why?

I don’t really know – but chances are it has to do with carelessness. This is about the fourth accident in Disney Transportation over the past few months. I’m not going to pretend I know anything about running a company as large and well-known as Disney – but I do know that Walt wouldn’t let this slide. It’s time to take things more seriously, Disney.

Disney is supposed to be a place free from the troubles of the ‘real world’. Free from distractions, free from reality. Yet when something like this happens, or even something as horrific as the monorail incident, it reminds us all that Disney still IS the real world. We’ve just been fooling ourselves.

For every incident, accident, injury, & even death that occurs in their gates that could’ve been prevented, chances are there is one big fan or future guest that looses the magic. All because of carelessness.

DEAR DISNEY – I’m not bashing you. I’m still the biggest fan out their of Walt Disney World. I love your work. You’re all brilliant – really. I just think it’s time to put quality back over quantity. Saftey over efficiency. And magic over money.

So to answer the original question – I don’t think Disney is headed in the wrong direction. I just think they have made a couple of wrong turns, but that is easily fixed. If they catch themselves now, they can get going in the good direction, the direction that was originally intended. The end.

This post is part of the Disney Blog Carnival (round one) on Dismarks.

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