We're Going to Disneyland!

Feel good "Going to Disneyland" commercials! Classic stuff. I remember this commercial and theme song from my childhood!



This one is a take-off, it made me laugh. Here's Kane from WWE "going to Disneyland"!



I also saw this commercial as a kid... San Francisco hero Joe Montana, doing his post-Superbowl commercial.



So now we're going to Disneyland!!!

1 Day to Go... to Disneyland!

A nice overview of the parks shot in tilt-shift, the trend of a few years ago. I kid! It's a cute video.

2 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

More DCA! Two videos today, one about Cars Land... One about DCA trivia. I can't help it, there's too many videos for me to pick just one!

3 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

Breaking my own rules here... I was planning on avoiding any ride through videos, however, my guy is almost certainly going to refuse to go on Grizzly River Run at DCA. He doesn't like the idea of getting wet when you aren't supposed to. He loves water parks, and he loves roller coasters, he just loves them separately. Splash Mountain is one of my favorite attractions, I usually force him once a trip...

I also want to pay a little more attention to DCA. Disneyland proper turns up in more of the videos. I mean, there is more to tell there, it's a much older park with more history, more rides, more details. Anyway, there are lots of ride through videos from Grizzly River Run, This one had less wind noise and more water noise. I was tempted by another one taken at sunset so you can see some of the show lighting, but here's my pick of the ones I saw:

4 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

I can't believe I haven't had a post about "it's a small world" yet! I know to a lot of people, this attraction is mind-numbing, but I still kinda like it. There's just so much to see in there, so many details. It's got a long and interesting history.

5 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

I will look past the fact that the end of this video is an ad... More psyching up for the Haunted Mansion Holiday, with Danny Elfman!

6 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

These BuzzFeed videos are actually pretty cute. While I knew the thing about going to Peter Pan as early as possible since there's no Fast Pass, a lot of these other ones are totally new to me. Makes me wish I was a Disneyland regular.

7 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

These are important tips! Radiator Springs Racers is a great ride, I loved it on my last trip to the Disneyland resort. But of course, I was alone for a lot of that trip, so I just did single rider! The crowds were low on top of that, so I never waited more than ten minutes. Well, we will have to figure out what our strategy will be for the ride. Hopefully on the weekdays, the demand will be low enough that we can get FastPasses later or even just wait in the standby line...

8 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

Dining is a big part of any Disney vacation. Many of these are already on my radar, like the Matterhorn Macaroon and the Monte Cristo, some are park "classics" like churros and popcorn, and some I didn't know about but want to try now, like the veggie gumbo. This is just Disneyland, DCA has a lot of treats too!

9 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

Another video featuring "The Little Mermaid"! This one's from CollegeHumor, so it is, of course, a parody, and it includes two things I love, films from the Disney Renaissance and deep sea marine biology.

10 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

New Pogo video! Another dreamy trippy remix of vocals from "Peter Pan", "Alice in Wonderland", 'The Little Mermaid", "Dumbo", "Mary Poppins", and "Aladdin". (Of course, all of these movies have corresponding attractions in Anaheim. Some, more than one... Alright, Mary Poppins just has a restaurant, can I count that?)

11 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

More psyching up for the Haunted Mansion Holiday! This video shows some creative team favorites in the overlay. It gives us new mansion details to look for on our trip!

12 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

Scientifically Accurate! (OK, this is not about Disneyland, per se, but the Disney Afternoon was a big part of our childhoods!)

13 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

More Mickey Mouse shorts! Again, the whole play-list is linked if you want to see more shorts! These are all set in different places; Venice, San Francisco, Tokyo, a cute Alpine town, Paris. They seem to be picking cities that have some connection to Disney, but then again, there's a lot of cities that can be related to Disney...

14 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

Another shot at 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea! This is some attraction opening footage from the ride, and it includes live mermaids at the opening party and in the lagoon!

15 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

Another official Disney Parks Blog video! Just a cute short about one of the colorful carnival machines in Disneyland. Disneyland, more than the other Disney parks, has a lot of theming, probably due to both its age and the attention lavished on it by Walt Disney and the Disney creative team. They didn't skimp on the details that make up the tapestry of the ambiance.

16 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

This video from Oh My Disney is pretty cool. I hope they do a follow up with a few more close up shots. Enjoy!

17 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

Another dip into the "Every Role a Starring Role" pool. I have seen most of these videos and I've enjoyed all of them so far. Today's installment has candy makers, a canoe guide, and keeping up with the Pirates of the Caribbean. We might revisit this series again, since it is perfect for this blog and there are so many good ones!

18 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

Disney's been doing new Mickey Mouse/Fab Five shorts in the last couple years. I like the style of the animation, it's very frenetic and vibrant and has some vintage style elements. This short is "Sleepwalkin'", I chose it because it's one of the ones I hadn't seen yet. The whole playlist of these shorts is linked here, so if you want to jump around and see some more, they're all there!

19 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

This is kind of a creepy one...



Some of these are definitely true. The cast-member death at Disneyland is pretty much accepted as fact, and the "ashes" story was in the news. The other ones, unclear. The one about brain parasites closing some of the small attractions in the Florida resort is pretty much an urban legend. The FBI and the lemmings? I have no idea...

20 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a classic attraction that doesn't exist anymore... I remember it from my visits as a kid. For a while, the submarine lagoon was non-operational, but now it's the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage! I am surprised that I can't find an official video for the ride... I might keep looking. This one has just okay video quality, but they've dubbed in the on-ride audio track, so it's my favorite I've found so far.

21 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

One of the things I am most excited about seeing at Disneyland is the Haunted Mansion Holiday. The Haunted Mansion isn't very different between Disneyland and WDW. Sure, at the Magic Kingdom, there's been some new enhancements in the cue and a little work on the inside in the last few years, but on the whole it's close. But the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay is a big difference! I've never seen it, and of course Ross hasn't either. I don't want to ruin it for either of us by posting the ride-through, but I think listening to the soundtrack is a good balance between getting excited and getting spoiled!



(Now, that said, the "Haunted Mansion" at other Disney parks can be quite different. I understand that the Tokyo version is most like the Florida version, and does do a similar Nightmare Before Christmas holiday overlay. Mystic Manor in Hong Kong sounds a little more lighthearted, with an "adventurer" theme, and has much more modern technology. The only one I have visited is Phantom Manor in Paris, which is Western themed and quite cool, but uses a lot of the same show scenes. The story of the bride is a little more pronounced, she is the spirit holding the haunted candelabra! The scenes like the ballroom scene are themed to the Western wedding, and a Western ghost town takes the place of the graveyard, but includes the classic singing busts! This was probably our most-ridden ride at Disneyland Paris... Here's the Manor itself.)



(And here's a scene from the ghost town!)

22 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

OK, there are other things on the Disney Parks Blog that I have liked. The Matterhorn and the corresponding Abominable Snowmen have always been a favorite for me. The Matterhorn is one of the unique attractions of Disneyland. I know people say that Expedition Everest is supposed to be its WDW equivalent, but I think the two rides evoke very different feelings. It's sort of like they're telling a similar story, but the Matterhorn is telling it in claymation, and Expedition Everest is computer generated in the year 2000. Anyway, watch for Abominable Snowmen!



The excitement for the Matterhorn bleeds over to real life, too. I took these photos on a flight over the Alps. I was very excited when I saw the Matterhorn on the in-flight map. Usually they have cities on those maps, but in the Alps there's not a lot of cities to put up on there, I guess. I spent a good 15 minutes distracted by the idea that I might get to see the Matterhorn. I lucked out and the Matterhorn was on my side of the plane!

23 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

"Every Role a Starring Role" is one of the best things to come out of the official Disney Parks Blog. Apparently they are up to 50 episodes! Here's a few of my favorites. Of course, I am a big Monorail fan:



That's a job I'd like to have! Next up, Finding Nemo divers!!! They're taking care of the maintenance of the ride, I understand that it's one of those rides that needs constant upkeep... (I'm certified! Take me!)



And last but not least for today, the Tower of Terror Bellhops! (I know this job is probably kinda a pain, but I love the ride, and the bellhops.)

24 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

More from the Disney Hipsters! Their list of what they were looking forward to on their Disneyland trip two years ago. Adam's #1 is so true... (I don't remember the last time I went on that attraction, really.)

25 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

It's been making the rounds on the internet, and here it is again for your viewing pleasure: Ducktales, with actual ducks!



(Note: This is a re-written post due to video status changes.)

26 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

One of the unique rides at Disneyland is the "Alice in Wonderland" dark ride. The ride has undergone some safety retrofits in the last few years, and thankfully that's all done so the ride should be up during our trip. I'm glad about that, as it's a charming ride! This Alice remix by Pogo is one of his earliest Youtube hits. Enjoy!

27 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

Y'arr mateys, it be time for Pirates! Pirates of the Caribbean is a ride I love, and the version at Disneyland is great. Yes, even better than the one in Paris. (Though I might prefer the Paris version of the Blue Bayou...) And I do love the theme music. This is a ride we will certainly go on multiple times. Bets on if we average more than once a day? More background music to enjoy while we are about the house.

28 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

Trader Sam's, one of the coolest unique things at Disneyland, that probably wouldn't work at WDW. It would have to be a lot bigger and it would alternate between too full and depressingly empty... There's a big community out there that provides Disney background music loops, which is pretty awesome! This guy MrThemeParkAudios has a great set on his channel. I figured some nice background music would be a nice weekend jam!



The Trader Sam's loop is a vocal-free mix of retro exotica, Hawaiian music, surf rock, and the like. I want to have a Tiki bar at my house and play music like this constantly. Maybe I will use this loop!

29 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

Hat tip to Disney Hipsters!



I saved this longer one for a "weekend treat" though after seeing it I am not 100 percent sure it's a treat. Roger Rabbit, that guy is kinda irritating. I am not sure if even the Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah number will talk my guy into Splash Mountain, he hates water rides. Loves water parks, and loves roller coasters, you'd think he'd like the intersection, but no. He's also the kind of guy who likes to eat each food on his dinner plate separately, in order, one at a time, so I guess that provides some kind of clue to his personality.

Anyway, the Haunted Mansion number is MY favorite...

30 Days to Go... to Disneyland!

The World of Color Remix. I remember searching around to find this track when it came out!



This number was used in the intro to World of Color during the premiere, so I figured it would be a good one to kick off the countdown. I watched at least part of the premiere online, day after, and it definitely got my attention as something I wanted to see. I've seen the World of Color show exactly twice, and it really is pretty magical. I used to not be a big believer in the fireworks, spectaculars, shows, and the like at Disney parks, I thought the time was better spent going on headliner attractions while other people were occupied. I've had some great moments doing just that, such as seeing the fireworks in the Magic Kingdom from Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Well, I've changed my tune. Going to the parks when they were less crowded gave us the chance to slow things down. Watching the fireworks gets a lot more feasible when you know you won't have to fight a crowd of tens of thousands down Main Street to get on a bus. Being out of commando touring mode let me enjoy the fireworks. Give me a big fireworks show with a great soundtrack anytime, I will feel all the feels. World of Color falls into that category as well. (I am still in the middle on the Disney stage shows. I have seen many of them at WDW and Disneyland once, and liked them enough but wouldn't prioritize them.)

Getting Psyched Up for Disneyland!

I'm taking my love to Disneyland for his first visit! And what better way to get him psyched up for it than a countdown! (This is also getting me psyched up for it.) This countdown will commence on September 4, 2014. Everyday I am posting a video clip from something Disneyland related and making him watch it. I am avoiding direct attraction and ride videos, I don't want to spoil too much! Yep, I am officially excited. Follow this blog to join in!


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