Disney with High Expectations

The things that The Disney Parks do for us to make our visit enjoyable, sometimes lead us to expect too much, too fast.

We tend to expect a much higher standard from Disney and their cast members than we do anywhere else we ever go. It also leads us to expect every ride that the Imaginears come up with to be completely mind blowing and most of them are with rare exceptions.

We all know changes are inevitable and I do love the new parades and fireworks that Disney puts in place of the older ones.  I must, however, say that I miss all of the parades that I have seen over the years and, believe me, there have been many. My wife and I have been to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, more than 60 times, Disneyland in Anaheim, California four times and Disneyland Paris twice.  We still dream of going to all of the other Disney Parks as well.  There are some things that Disney aficionados, better known as Disney nerds, just can’t tolerate. We don’t mind change but just try and take away our Haunted Mansion or our Pirates of the Caribbean and I’m afraid that the Disney nerds will make the Pirates, who sail the Caribbean in days of yore, look like girl scouts. 

The changes that the Walt Disney Company has made in the last few years have been taxing on our nerves but there have been a few good changes. Not all of them have been to my liking for one reason or another, but there have been Disney changes.  Take, for instance, the closing of the Snow White’s Scary Adventure ride to make the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Ride, I hated the fact that they closed the original ride, but I don’t think that the new ride is bad at all, it’s just different and I do like it, I just wish we had both.  Adding an animatronic Captain Jack (aka Johnny Depp) to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride made much more of a connection to a newer generation of Disney fans. I understand that and I like it very much that they do now feature Captain Jack in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.  The Hatbox Ghost was something that I had heard the rumors about ever since the opening of the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland and I had never seen any evidence until recently when his introduction to the ride made a phenomenally good addition. They not only added the Hatbox Ghost but they also enhanced the queue where we wait in line with magnificent curiosities for us to play with while we wait to get on the ride. Who doesn’t like all of the updating that they have done to the Haunted Mansion? I, for one, love it and the Haunted Mansion is my absolute favorite ride at the Disney Parks. 

Motion at Epcot Center was a magnificent dark ride that had touches from almost every Imaginear that had ever worked on designing the park rides.  Motion was, for some reason, eventually replaced by Test Track. I was never a fan of Test Track because, to me, it had ruined a perfectly good ride.  With the more recent updates to Test Track, I am a little more pleased with its latest transformation than I was originally, even though I personally think they should have gone a little bit further and made it look much more like Tron and even rename the ride. My personal taste for both Imagination, which still exists with changes since the original, and Horizons which no longer exists, were my favorite Epcot rides at that time. I am extremely disappointed at how they were changed. Imagination originally had an animatronic Dream Finder and Figment which were much more interesting than the flat boards painted with pictures that I still saw on my last visit. I hope they are using their imagination to redo this ride. Replacing the lovely Bonnie Appetite at the Kitchen Kabaret in The Land Pavilion was a great loss.  She was replaced along with some of the audio animatronics with Food Rocks which was basically cardboard cutouts that were very disappointing. When they added Soarin’ in its place, I must admit I was overjoyed.

I have come to the point now that I realize that Disney has a vision in mind, even if I’m not happy with that vision, it eventually turns out to be pretty good.  I think some things change in stages and they can figure out when they missed the boat and make even more changes to make the park better for us.  I hate to see the entire park become roller coasters and if I look at it from a distance of the age that I am now I see all of the favorite things that I loved to do at Disneyland and Walt Disney World being replaced or having the editions of roller coasters takeover and people my age and the age of my young grandchildren are unable to ride those rides.  I seem to remember a very wise man once saying that the Parks were meant to be enjoyed by children of all ages. ^th birthday; that’s right it began on a Sunday July 17, 1955

and Walt Disney did say that Disneyland would be in a constant state of change, even the flowers and trees would get better as time went on.  I have heard people ask the question would Walt be pleased with what his Parks have become, and I must say that he, being a perfectionist, and the inspiration for his Imaginears would be extremely pleased with what he sees but he would say why didn’t or why couldn’t we have done it this way.  Walt Disney was a visionary so I don’t think he would be shocked at the increase of technology or the magnificent special effects that have revolutionized how good his Parks have become.  He would have never wanted his Imaginears to stop moving forward and progressing and taking entertainment to new heights and levels of technology.

He also would have been the type of man that would have said step back from the computers, shut the laptops, turn off the cell phones and just walks through the tunnels at Disneyland and relive the past as well as the future.  Keep in mind that they always make the Parks beautiful with flowers and trees and topiaries for us to stop and enjoy a drink or lunch and enjoy the gardens. They put so much hard work into the Parks for us to enjoy. 

So far I am not displeased with what I see, especially Cars Land in Disney’s California. It looks magnificent and I can’t wait to experience it in person. I guess I should learn to have more patience but also remember that wise Man also saying that Disneyland is your land and I guess I just took it to two deep into my heart. Disneyland now celebrates its 60

I also hear many people saying bad things about amusement park food and I agree with them, but I do not believe that I have ever had a meal that was not edible at Disneyland in Anaheim, Walt Disney World in Florida or Disneyland Paris. As a matter of fact, I have been extremely pleased with every meal I’ve ever had in the Parks at Disneyland, Walt Disney World are Disneyland Paris.  One of the best meals I ever had was at a restaurant in the Magic Kingdom that I have heard so many people say such terrible things about.  It was at Tony’s in Town Square and it was as good a meal as I had ever had.  My wife and I have traveled extensively and we haven’t eaten at some of the top restaurants in the world and I am telling you that the food at Disney’s Parks are comparable in quality and taste. As far as the service is concerned, I honestly think that sometimes people are overwhelmed with the quality of the service at the Disney Parks restaurants.

Most restaurants anywhere in the world would be overwhelmed with the amount of people that can be served in a day at Disneyland, Walt Disney World and Disneyland Paris. We forget how many people are being served at any given restaurant at any given day at the Parks.  No, I am not saying that we should forgive bad service are the lack thereof when it happens, but you must take into consideration that no one trained by Disney or its licensees would ever on purpose try to make you experience at their Parks anything but first class and we are all just human beings trying to do our best to juggle as many things as we possibly can to make everyone feel satisfied. 

I for one would like to take this opportunity to thank those of you that work at the Parks and read these posts and try to make my stay there the best it can be. For me, the Disney Parks are not only the happiest places on earth, they are the greatest places on earth. They are my eternal laughing place.                                                

Mr. Holmes by Mr. House

                                       Mr. Holmes by Mr. House

Even as a small child I gravitated to watching mystery movies or who done its. My favorites, of course, were the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

I always liked the fact that Sherlock Holmes was capable of putting facts together to make conclusions that would lead to the solving of the crime. He did this with what I don’t call a superior intellect but by using his intelligence to understand why things happened and what details are left behind at a crime scene to show what had transpired. Sherlock Holmes always seemed a bit of an oddball when it came to emotions and interacting with people and he seemed to be uncomfortable in those situations, as I know most of us feel uncomfortable around strangers. I always wanted to have the analytical mind of Sherlock Holmes, but my mind worked more like a mechanic or artist, I could see things through my hands and do things through my hands in almost the same manner that Sherlock Holmes did them through thought and logic by thinking them out and then acting on them.

I, on the other hand, could take something apart till I found the piece that was either worn out or broken and change them out and make that object work again.

To me, it was almost as if I was the Sherlock Holmes that solved the crime, when I fixed the brakes on my parents car I was solving the crime of inadequate braking power. I know that seemed a little far-fetched, but honestly I did compare it to solving situations that were quite normal. My love of Sherlock Holmes as young man started by watching the Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in Sherlock Holmes movies and Ronald Howard in the television show from the 1950’s and all of the movies that portrayed Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson's adventures. The latest adaptation of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson for the BBC, known as Sherlock, has me completely enthralled and enjoying the adventures that are portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, two of the best actors to portray the crime-fighting duo, and all Sherlock Holmes.

I have come to believe though that the stories are not as much about the mysteries as it is about the companionship of two men how they become lifelong friends and their companionship. Some people say that this type of friendship isn't quite possible and I totally disagree. So many of the movies out there are not truly about the story the characters are in but it is the characters themselves that are the story. The detective Sherlock Holmes and his companion Dr. John Watson are definitely the story that people continually go back for. Yes, I am saying is not the Hound of the Baskerville and it's not the the Woman in Green, or even the Speckled Band that people go back to watch or read, it is the continuing story of two friends having the adventures of a lifetime that people go back to read and watch.

I absolutely am and always have been a fan of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, whether it is the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle or the movies of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, or the TV show from the 50’s or the more modern BBC's Sherlock. I cannot get enough of Sherlock Holmes. It doesn't seem to matter to me who inhabits 221B Baker Street as long as they are portraying Sherlock Holmes in the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle style.

The wife and I went to see a new adaptation of Sherlock Holmes, this time starring Ian McKellen as the retired and elderly Sherlock Holmes who instead of having Watson by his side to keep Sherlock on track, this time it is a young boy who has Sherlock put through his paces. I was somewhat skeptical of Ian McKellen playing Sherlock Holmes, because I have been somewhat of an estranged fan of his for years and, yes, I do mean that I am a fan of his but I have never been able to understand from one moment to the next what he Ian McKellen was up to. His acting style keeps me guessing at what his next move will be and I did not and understand whether that would be adaptable to Sherlock Holmes, however, I did not know exactly what the storyline would be for the movie called Mr. Holmes. After seeing it, I do indeed get exactly why Ian McKellen was absolutely the best choice for this particular Sherlock Holmes. I want to tell you that if you are a Sherlock Holmes geek like I am, the rest of this story needs to be a spoiler alert until you have watched the new movie called Mr. Holmes. Yes, this is a spoiler alert!

You see, in this particular adaptation of Sherlock Holmes, he is in his last years and he is losing his memory just as we all do in our final days. I never understood Sherlock Holmes retiring to a bee farm in Essex until watching this movie. It was casually mentioned in the stories and the movies but it never made sense to me. This new perspective that Mr. Holmes gives to me of Sherlock is quite interesting.

You see, there absolutely was, in earlier days, a belief that the Royal jelly that bees made for their queen had some type of medical curative powers and I believe that Sherlock had decided to retire to a bee farm so that he could use the Royal jelly to keep his cognitive powers and mental capacities in check. I'm not going to give away the entire story away, but I will tell you this story is not about anything other than the relationship between Sherlock and the mother and son that take care of him.

Unfortunately, this movie is in a limited release or at least it was in the Smoky Mountain area and only one theater in Knoxville was showing Mr. Holmes so you may even have to wait to see Mr. Holmes on Blu-ray and DVD, but whatever you do, if you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes of any kind, in my opinion this is a must-see. I know that it will not get any critical acclaim and it will not win Oscars but it is one of the best Sherlock Holmes movies I have ever seen. I believe it has given a fresh perspective on how things ended for our favorite British sleuth.

It's not a Southern Thing !

It's a Southern Thing
I have kept my silence long enough, because of the atrocity that has been pulled on us for years. I am sick of the horrible Southern accents that Hollywood has imposed upon us. One of the worst offenders from the very beginning has been Col. Sanders.

Yes I'm talking about Col. Harland David Sanders the original creator of Kentucky fried chicken. He wasn't even a Southerner. He was born in Indiana. But I have to say his southern accent was much better than this re-creation that Kentucky fried chicken has thrust upon us. It makes me furious about all the horrible southern accents that have been thrust upon the South and were disposed to think that it's nice and funny. If it wasn't for the fact that the Beverly hillbillies were just so funny, all of the southern accents except for Donna Douglas's just wanted to make you throw up. This latest assault on the Southern accent is just too much to take. If you are going to pay homage to a southern colonel at least get one with a true southern accent. I don't know how you feel about it but I am so angry when I hear that commercial with this new so-called southern colonel that I see you read every single time. There are so many people out there that have true southern accents, but yet they get this bozo who sounds like he's from Ohio.

Don't get me wrong , a Ohio accent would be fantastic for someone that needed to have an Ohio accent. I need to hear a southern accent instead of what ever kind of accident it is that he is trying to portray. Too long northerners have made fun of our accent and told us that we sounds stupid because of it and they don't even know the difference between a common southern accent and a high southern accent. It just makes me want to ask them do you think the people from the Jersey shore sound like they're geniuses