Sunday, January 22, 2012

My Favorite Things at Disney World #2


Since yesterday I mentioned the MAJIC of my top 3, you cannot forget about the magic that creates that.
The Imagineers that put together these attractions, labor over them and love them to the minutest detail. Things that normal ride makers may not think of, or may not have the funds to achieve, get done at Disney Imagineering

Mickey’s Philharmagic is such a simple attraction. It’s a 3-D movie, Pure and simple. However, it’s not that simple. You see not only is it 3-D, its 5-D.

When you see a regular 3-D movie at the theater, or even Disney, you’ve got the illusion that you’re seeing something, but really, you are fully aware that you are watching a movie, and that nothing is going to “touch you."

Last year, the absolutely dreadful Spy Kids 4-D was released and tried to add a new element by adding smell (It’s been done before.) Of course even if you found the Spy Kids movie interesting, do you really want to stop from watching the movie so you can scratch a card to smell some variation on the smell of poop?

Philharmagic goes beyond this by touching your senses while not taking you out of the show. You can see things, you can hear things, and due to innovative imagineering you can even smell and in some cases touch things.

The basic story of the show is that Mickey is putting on a concert. You are in the audience when Donald walks on stage. Donald is being Donald and starts trouble with the instruments. What follows is a trip through Disney classics.

You fly with Aladin, you swim (and get splashed) with Ariel, fly with Peter Pan, dance with Simba and celebrate with Lumiere and the staff of Beast’s castle.

The transitions from scene to scene are phenomenal. The Beauty and the Beast feast falls into the Sorcerer’s Apprentice workshop, the splash of the brooms bucket becomes Ariel’s underwater grotto, the underwater sun shines into a hot African sun from Lion King.

During appropriate times you are blasted with smells of jasmine (the flower) and apple pie.

And, like so many things I’ve mentioned before you get so caught up in the action and the story that you don’t notice the things you’re not supposed to notice.


I remember specifically the first few times I watched the show not even realizing that the “curtain” had disappeared into the screen. I still couldn’t tell you WHEN exactly it happens, and definitely HOW it happened, but one second I’m looking at the stage and the next, it is taken over by the 150-foot screen.

That’s the kind of thing I love.

It is pure old school Disney magic with 21st century innovation.

Disney not only uses archival sound of Donald to great affect (only 5 lines of his dialogue was original) but the original of the original films animators returned to re-render those characters into 3-D so their unique personalities still shine through.

I could probably go to Philharmagic 30 times and still find something new to enjoy there, it is THAT good.

Before we reach my #1 tomorrow there are a few attractions that just barely didn’t make it:

 Pirates of the Caribbean- For the smell alone, plus its one of the great dark rides out there.


 Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor- Konichiwa!

 Space Mountain- it was probably #16

      Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin- Can’t beat my wife at that one either.


Spaceship Earth- Thank You Phoenicians 

Test Track- Who knew going 60 mph could be so much fun

Kilimanjaro Safaris/Pangani Forest Exploration Trails- I could spend all day there.
Expedition Everest- Great theming, great roller coaster.

Festival of the Lion King- Great stage show!

Before I got to my #1 favorite I could probably list 999 runners up that I love…but there’s always room for a thousand…. any volunteers? *Maniacal Laugh*


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