The Silent "I"

Disneyland's New Soundsational Parade

Disneyland's new Mickey's Soundsational Parade down Main Street litterally takes off with a bang...of drums played by a rocking drumline, and then the Mouse himself. Part of our press tour last week involved some excellent viewing of the new spectacle.  Mombloggers Ana from Finding Bonggamom, Charlene and Liling from Trekaroo, Akemi from Chalk & Cheese Chronicle, and  Colleen from Travel Mamas were all on hand with me and hundreds of other members of the media to take in the sights and sounds. We could hear the drums coming long before they reached our vantage point across from the train station. 

When the drums finally made it our way, they were keeping a funky beat to an old classic, the theme from "The Mickey Mouse Club."  For some reason, I thought Mickey would be at the end of the parade, kind of like the arrival of Santa at the end of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Instead, the Mouse in Charge followed the drummers on his own float, and showed his talent as a drummer.  Who knew Mickey could even hold drumsticks? Not me, that's for sure.

Ariel's Undersea Adventure: The Little Mermaid Comes to Life

Attention all "Little Mermaid" Fans: There's a new ride in town with your name on it.  It's called "Ariel's Undersea Adventure" and is a colorful, musical extravaganza located in Disney's California Adventure.  I was one of the lucky members of the media invited to the grand opening last week, and got to experience it first-hand.

The ride opened with a great deal of fanfare, with a live musical performance by some talented Disney Cast Members and special guests, including composer Alan Menken. 

The original voice of Ariel herself, Jodi Benson, was on hand to sing "Part of Your World", and honestly, she doesn't seemed to have aged a bit since the movie opened 22 years ago.  Pat Carroll, the original voice of Ursula the Sea Witch was in the audience.  Broadway Star Sherie Rene Scott was on hand to sing Ursula's famous number, "Poor Unfortunate Souls" and later joined Jodi for a duet. Sherie portrayed Ursula in the Broadway production, and she is a fantastic singer.  It was like a mini-musical highlighting music from both the movie and the ride.

Disneyland's Star Tours: New and Improved

On June 3, Disneyland unveiled the newly refurbished Star Tours attraction. We were fortunate enough to be sponsored to attend the media events surrounding Star Tours, Ariel's Undersea Adventure, and the new Soundsational Summer Parade by the folks at Disney Parks & Resorts.  For my 10 year old son, Alex, getting to ride the 3-D Star Tours attraction until it literally made him nauseous was a dream come true.  It's a wonderful, fun-filled ride that will delight the Star Wars die-hards like Alex and the Star Wars skeptics like myself.

When the ride officially opened on Friday, the line to get in at 9:00 am was like nothing I have never seen before.  At 9:00 am,  it hadn't even opened and the line was four hours or more long.  These were the true Star Wars afficianados, who came to the park just for this ride, many carrying light sabres and in costume. There was also a huge crowd of onlookers gaping at the crowd in line, most of whom had no idea what was going on.  There were no FastPasses available for opening day, but I understand that they will be available later.

 
The ride opened with a bang, with a press-only "Opening Ceremony" done in true Disney/Hollywood fashion. Tour Guide Angela welcomed everyone to the opening, including a few Jedi, Stormtroopers, and the dastardly Darth Vader.  There was only one ticket left, and both the Empire and the Jedi wanted the seat.  A light sabre duel ensued, with the bad guys being dispatched by a hooded figure, who was later revealed to be Disney Parks & Resorts CEO, Tom Skaggs. Fortunately, no lives or limbs were lost in the fight, and good prevailed over evil. With a little razzle-dazzle and some pyrotechnics, Skaggs cut the ribbon and declared the ride open.