Your Disneyland Daily - Monday, July 14, 2014

If you haven't already noticed, one of the first things to assault your eyeballs when you get to the Disneyland Resort is information; namely, what time both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park remain open, what Annual Passes are valid that day (okay, that one isn't really there but man, would it be helpful?), and what attractions are currently under refurbishment. 

But what if you don't want to wait until you get to The Park for said information? Consider me a quick, one-stop shop if you're coming here anyways. 

Today's posted Park information:

Park Times:

Disneyland Park - 8:00am to 12:00am

Disney California Adventure Park - 8:00am to 10:00pm

Annual Passholder Information:

So Cal Select - BLOCKED

So Cal - BLOCKED

Deluxe - VALID

Featured Events/Shows:
Disneyland Park:
Fantasmic! - 9:00, 10:30pm
"Magical" (Disneyland Nighttime Fireworks) - 9:25pm
Mickey's Soundsational Parade - 4:00, 6:30pm

Disney California Adventure Park:
World of Color - 9:45pm
Pixar Play Parade - 5:15pm
Disney's Aladdin (A Musical Spectacular) - 12:40, 2:20, 4:45, 6:20pm
Mad T Party - 6:00, 7:00, 8:00, 9:00pm

Attractions Under Refurbishment:

Disneyland Park - Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage

Disney California Adventure Park -Blue Sky Cellar  

For more complete information on all of the shows and attractions on any given day, please check out the official site at Disneyland.com, or pick up one of the handy-dandy show schedules along with your maps as you enter The Parks!

Have a magical day!

Your Disneyland Daily - Saturday, July 12, 2014

If you haven't already noticed, one of the first things to assault your eyeballs when you get to the Disneyland Resort is information; namely, what time both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park remain open, what Annual Passes are valid that day (okay, that one isn't really there but man, would it be helpful?), and what attractions are currently under refurbishment. 

But what if you don't want to wait until you get to The Park for said information? Consider me a quick, one-stop shop if you're coming here anyways. 

Today's posted Park information:

Park Times:

Disneyland Park - 8:00am to 12:00am

Disney California Adventure Park - 8:00am to 10:00pm

Annual Passholder Information:

So Cal Select - BLOCKED

So Cal - BLOCKED

Deluxe - BLOCKED

Attractions Under Refurbishment:

Disneyland Park - Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage

Disney California Adventure Park -Blue Sky Cellar  

For more complete information on all of the shows and attractions on any given day, please check out the official site at Disneyland.com, or pick up one of the handy-dandy show schedules along with your maps as you enter The Parks!

Have a magical day!

The Saturday Slow-Down: Character Close-Up

The last time we took a Saturday Slow-Down...

...we were approaching the ends of the Disney Animation Building and the Animation Academy.  Today, we're going to wrap up our tour of the building and spend some time checking out the awesome spectacle of the Character Close-Up room.

What makes the Character Close-Up work so well is the Zoetrope.  Awesome to watch, awesomely difficult for us to pronounce.

The closest that we can come to describing it is that it is old, classic animation technique brought into the new century; if that's even correct.  We've probably all seen animators display "moving" characters using the flip technique; drawing characters on the corner of pieces of paper in different stages of movement and then "flipping" the corners of the paper to bring about the illusion of the drawings "moving".

The Zoetrope is the same principle in theory.  This might help explain it a little better:

So, that's how it works.  You can see in the top picture all the little Toy Story characters in different "motions".  Then the box begins spinning around at blazing speeds, begins a fast seizure-inducing strobe effect, and it looks like all the Toy Story character begin hopping, see-sawing, ball-rolling, lassoing and riding like the wind on Bullseye all over the place.  It's really neat to watch, not so easy to photograph (all you get is a white light like in Poltergeist which we should all stay away from at all costs).

Whee!

If you've ever been interested in animation at all, or how it works, then this is the room for you.  Even for people like us who have no real ties to drawing (and as shown in our Animation Academy article a few weeks back, we're not terribly good at it), it's a pretty cool place just to stand and watch, and the kids love it!  There's always someone hanging around watching it all go off.  Definitely worth seeing.

We usually spend about 10 minutes or so watching the Zoetrope do its thing, and if you're still with us at this point, you've almost hit the two hour mark in the building so far; all fun, mostly interactive, shaded and air-conditioned, and some of the best animation in the world.  How great was that?

We hope you've enjoyed our little soiree in the Animation Building.  As we said way back in the beginning, it's one of our favorite places to hang out in The Park.  They are currently reworking the clips and music shown in the lobby (so right now if you go in you're going to be treated to multi-colored panels and not much else, save a message saying they're being worked on), but that aside it's still one of our favorite places to be.  We hope that by showing you a little bit of each, if you have the chance, you'll give it a look and it will become one of your favorite places, too.

---

The "Other" Park: A Retrospective And Fortune-Telling

Welcome to those of you joining me from "Pursuing The Magic".  I am the 5th stop on our Magical Blogorail.

---

This week, what many of us have often lovingly referred to as "the other Park" at the Disneyland Resort celebrated its 10th anniversary on February 8.

Also this week, because of its anniversary, much has been written about The Park and its history, much of which has painted it in a rather ambivalent light.  Personal feelings aside, there's no escaping the fact that to a large degree, DCA for a very long time failed to live up to its potential or its Disneyana.  If I'm honest with myself, there was a time when I went into "the other Park" when I was ready to get away from the hustle and bustle of Disneyland Park, because I knew there would be less people and crowds in DCA.  History has shown that The Park showed slumping numbers (humanly and monetarily) for quite some time.  There's simply no getting around that.  

But a couple of years ago something very noticeable began happening.  The crowds began pouring in again.  People began talking with excitement about the "new" things that The Park was going to be having.  Rumors abounded, construction began to crop up in place to place and some of the "old" non-Disney attractions began slyly disappearing.  I really started noticing and feeling the influx when Whoopi Goldberg's Golden Dreams was suddenly closed and signs began appearing for a new show in Paradise Pier called World of Color.  I'm sure it began well before that in reality, but it's one of the first times I remember actually saying to myself, "The Park sure is crowded today!", as I was walking through the Pier.

Fast forward a couple of years to this point in time, and the transformation of Disney California Adventure is well beyond the "in full swing" point.  There is construction, closures, walls and any manner of other work going on all around The Park, and has been for some time.  People are waiting with bated breath to see just what the next couple of years will bring.  People are truly anxious for the changes, and seem genuinely excited about them all.  One need look no further than the Blue Sky Cellar building inside The Park, one of the most popular places inside The Park (where concept art and designs for the changes abound), to see that.

The Disney Parks Blog posted this video in early 2010 highlighting many of the changes coming to The Park, and let's be honest, have done it in a much better way than I ever could.  So take a few minutes, sit back and enjoy many of the sights and sounds which will be coming to DCA, and we'll meet back here after for a few final thoughts:  

So now that you've seen some of the changes that have come, and are coming, to "the other Park", what are some of the ones we're most looking forward to?  We're glad you asked!

#5 - Food!
We have, in very recent times, become huge fans of the food service venues while at The Parks.  We'd be lying, however, if we said we felt that the restaurants at DCA were even in the same ballpark as our favorites at Disneyland Park.  Don't get us wrong, the food's not bad, but when we eat, we at at Walt's Original.  We're very excited to see what new dining options DCA will have available, and we're hoping that they'll push us into eating here more and more as time goes on.



#4 - The Entrance/Buena Vista Street
Yes, we'll miss the iconic huge letters which spelled out CALIFORNIA in front of The Park, the murals, and the Golden Gate Bridge and all, but between a new entrance (very reminiscent of The World's Hollywood Studios entrance), the Red Car Trolley, Carthay Circle Theater, and a vision of Hollywood as Walt must have seen it, we're super excited to get a crack at the new area.  If done right, we think it will be absolutely amazing!

#3 - The Little Mermaid:  Ariel's Undersea Adventure
Classic Disney Animation.  New Dark Attraction Ride.  Fantastic Disney music.  Mermaids, Flounders, and Sebastians, oh my!  We're really looking forward to this one.  Continue to pray for us that we'll get invited to a Cast Member preview.



#2 - World of Color
Okay, so we know this one is technically already a part of the expansion, but that makes it no less noteworthy.  When we first found out about World of Color, our own personal anticipation was sky high.  And since its opening, make no mistake about it, the show has been a huge success and increased numbers into The Park.  When I first saw the show, I walked away saying, and I quote:  "That took every other Park show I've ever seen, threw it on the ground, and stomped on its neck."  A little violent, perhaps, but I assume my point is well taken.  The combination of water, lights, laser, film and projection are an absolutely amazing experience.  It just may be a reason to make a trip to Disney California Adventure all by itself.

#1 - Cars Land
At this point very few people don't know about Cars Land.  Much like it was said in the video, the jewel of the entire expansion project lands solidly in Radiator Springs.  No-one that we talk to with about the expansion isn't looking forward to this one.  We're most excited about Luigi's Flying Tires (based off of Disneyland Park's old Flying Saucer attraction), and of course, Radiator Springs Racers, a fast-paced car ride through Radiator Springs based on Walt Disney World's popular Test Track attraction.  If this section of DCA is able to match the amount of enthusiasm people currently have for it, we're really set to experience something special here.

The stakes are high.  People's expectations are high.  But if the early returns are any indication, Disney California Adventure may in fact become a "Disney" Park after all. 

---

Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is "Crystal and Bryan's Disney Blog".

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:

1^st Stop ~ Cooking with Mickey

2^nd Stop ~ Meet the Magic

3^rd Stop ~ Growing Up Disney

4^th Stop ~ Pursuing the Magic

5^th Stop ~ Days in the Park

6^th Stop ~ Crystal and Bryan’'s Disney Blog

Final Stop ~ Disney Babies Blog

  

---

Days In The Park And The Wheel o' Death

The white zone is for the loading and unloading of scaredy-cats only...

Anyone who's followed our site at all over the past few days will no doubt know that Chad has been waging a one-man battle (with the support of three others) against Mickey's Fun Wheel at Disney California Adventure.  

Without re-posting the entire article (you can check it out here), Chad has been scared of The Wheel for years (dating back to when it was the Sun Wheel).  A perpetual fear of heights combined with a swinging gondola his first time up led to a roughly five year drought where, when The Wheel would come into view, he would hurry by as quickly as possible.

Is very, very tall...

But as we went through last week, due to a certain confluence of events (namely being teased repeatedly over the past months), he decided to once again give it whirl (pun completely intended); which bring us to the present day (which was in fact Sunday).

We won't bore you with all of the details in written form, but we took lots of pictures (and video!) to detail the entire miraculous and heroic adventure, which we hope you'll enjoy.  We'll end the written portion of the post by saying The Wheel is now a staple ride of Days In The Park, and we are already looking forward to the next time we ride.  Ain't no thang...

Amy pretending to be okay

Any happy little thought...

Mark's ALWAYS ready

No idea whatsoever...

The Cast Member DID say to make a goofy face...

Holding on for dear life before we've even left the dock

Squee!

Past the point of barf...

---

The Saturday Slow-Down: Animation Academy

Last time on the Saturday Slow-Down...

...we continued our wanderings in the Disney Animation Building in the Hollywood Backlot and spent some time in the Sorcerer's Workshop.  Today, we're going to continue our tour through the building and spend some time in another seriously cool room, the Animation Academy.

At the core of Disney is its animation.  For those who have even the tiniest bit of knowledge about the company's history, Disney began with animation, and there's no reason to believe it will ever play anything but a major role in everything that happens at The Parks, hand-drawn cells or computer-generated.

As such, the Animation Academy offers an excellent opportunity for you, the Park guest, to try your own hand at drawing some of The Park's most famous characters.  

After waiting outside the Academy in a little foyer (which provides an excellent location for watching more of those fantastic lobby movie clips we talked about a few weeks ago) you're ushered into a fairly large room (tons of cushioned seating available) where you pick up your artist's tablet, pencil and paper (waiting in your seat for you), and await your Cast Member's instructions.  

A Cast Member explains the process of the Animation Academy

It really is a simple process.  Your Cast Member (they rotate in and out every "show") "teaches" you how to draw whatever character is in rotation at that point.  The characters typically vary show by show.  We ourselves have done Chip, Tigger, Dopey, Pluto and Goofy just to name a few.  We've heard that they also from time to time do Jack Skellington and Roger Rabbit which we've just not been lucky enough to get yet.  And of course, they do all of the regulars such as Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy et al.

It, of course, works much like you would expect it to.  Your duly appointed Cast Member draws your character up on stage, step by step (it is projected up on a great big screen) and your goal is to follow them as closely as you can, hoping to garner something that even remotely resembles the work of stunning perfection that they've just drawn.  Needless to say, it doesn't always work out that way.

If you can tell who your drawing is supposed to be, then you've been successful

But, the show is all about fun.  If you're willing to go into it with a light-hearted attitude and just have fun with it, we can almost guarantee that you'll have a great time!  And it's pretty darn awesome that you get your own free piece of Disney artwork, all of your own making, that you get to take home with you.

Like the Sorcerer's Workshop, the Animation Academy is something that we typically ignored.  But since we started going in, it's something that we've typically tried to do on a regular basis, if for no other reason than to see what character we might wind up with this time. 

It usually takes about a half hour to do the Animation Academy (between waiting and the actual "show).  So at this point, if you're still following us around and haven't dropped off, you've spent about an hour and 40 minutes in the building so far.  Are we having fun yet?

Next week, we'll move into the last room in the building, the Character Close-Up.  Only one week to go, and we hope you'll be here to wrap up our little tour with us!

Hidden Mickey(s)!

---

A Quick Gauntlet Update

Because you were no doubt glued to your computer screens last night in the hopes of watching me meet my death on Mickey's Fun Wheel, I feel I owe you an apology for letting you down.

The truth went a little something like this, though:  I'm still not used to the off-season hours.  Because Disney California Adventure has been closing earlier (even on the weekends) that means that World of Color has been taking place at an earlier time every night, and I didn't take that into account.  Which means, of course, that to compensate for both WoC shows The Wheel is closing earlier every night, and not opening again until just before The Park closes.  I simply didn't make it into The Park in time enough to meet the cut-off (they had closed the line about five minutes before).

Truth is, I met up with some friends at Disneyland Park beforehand and was spending time with them.  I felt that was more important than any old Wheel, so I wasn't in a hurry to get over there to ride.  Unfortunately, in this regard, friendship was a detriment.  

But fear not, my friends, it doesn't mean the war is over.  I plan on being back at The Parks tomorrow afternoon, and I'll pick up the gauntlet again then.  I still plan on blogging from the line, and having video of myself screaming, and we might even have a guest or two along with us if things going according to plan.

I'm honestly looking forward to it.  I'm tired of having this looming over my head.  It's taken on a life of its own, this monster, and I must slay it.

---

The Gauntlet Will Have To Wait...

Yes, indeed. I do think that God is trying to tell me what a foolish thing it is to do to suspend oneself high over the ground in a swinging basket.

I'm at the Fun Wheel, it's only 7:30, and it's closed until 9:45. Darn you, World of Color!

Oh Fun Wheel and Park attraction closures, why do you taunt me so?!!

---

The Gauntlet Has Been Thrown: Mickey's Fun Wheel

by: Chad

There comes a time in every man's life when he has to stand up for himself.  It can be in the form of a physical altercation protecting the ones he loves.  Or, it can be a verbal altercation where he stands up for himself and what he knows is right; to a boss at work, perhaps.  For me, one such moment is here.  Only it's not a physical altercation to protect my family or a verbal one to protect my job.  It's time to stand up to it; Mickey's Fun Wheel, or as I like to call it, "Mickey's Wheel o' Death".

I should probably set this up before I go any farther.  I'm not a fan of heights.  In point of fact, I'm terrified of them.  I am, however, able to ride almost any roller coaster I've ever come in contact with.  The only way I've been able to reconcile the two in my own mind and to others is that when I'm on a coaster, I know it's going to be over quickly.  Hurtling along at 70mph in a car is a rush and it's over fairly quickly.  With the "Fun Wheel" I have two very hard to overcome things going against me:  it's really high, and it's really slow.  There's no in and out quickly.  My life is hanging (literally) in the balance for large chunks of time.

I first made the mistake of riding The Wheel several years ago while I was at The Park with my wife for an anniversary weekend.  She somehow managed to talk me into riding The Wheel under the guise of it "being romantic", and with promises of smooches, no doubt.  Okay, so fine, I was willing to give it a whirl.  However, if it wasn't bad enough that she talked me into riding it to begin with, she then took it a step farther and somehow managed to talk me into riding a swinging car.  For those uneducated, there are two different types of cars on The Wheel, swinging and non, and they do exactly what they say they do.  In the non-swinging car, your car stays perfectly stationary other than it going around in a ginormous circle, suspending you over a plummetous death.  The swinging cars swing back and forth, forth and back, the entire time The Wheel is carrying you around.  There are literally times in its rotation where, if you were sitting in your seat (I'll get back to this in a minute), you're facing the sky and your back is facing the ground/water below.  My only consolation during the entire ride was that my wife hated it quite as much as I did.  I swore that day never to set foot on it again, swinging car or non.  I've hurried by it whenever I see it ever since. 

But I've been called out not once, not twice, but three times in recent memory about my fear of The Wheel.  First, over the summer a group of friends went to The Park and took Mark with them.  Mark, of course, wasted no time at all in telling me that he not only rode the forsaken thing, but rode a swinging car and spent most of the time "surfing" inside it.  Apparently they all had a good laugh at my expense about the whole thing.  I could've slapped him senseless.  Then, about a month ago, Al & Joyce from Tales From The Mouse House called me out on their podcast(!) about my fear of The Wheel.  Don't believe me?  Check out this podcast and start listening around the 1 hour 11 minute mark.  For the record, though, I didn't cry.  The part about me hunkering down in the floor is quite true, however.  The straw that broke the camel's back though, came last week and it came from a place I least expected it; my own flesh and blood.  I've spent the last few years doing everything in my power to teach my children about the evils of The Wheel and how riding it meant certain annihilation, and I thought I had them convinced.  But last week my oldest, Michael, went to The Parks for a birthday weekend with a friend and loe and behold, what do I get in my text inbox?  A picture of the little brute in The Wheel with all of his friends.

Well, that just tears it.  I can't take this abuse anymore.  I'm coming for you.  You hear me Wheel?!  I'm coming for you, and I'm coming for you tonight!*  I hope you're ready, because I'm sure not.  Hold me...

The Wheel looms in the distance... taunting me...

*Should you wish to stay tuned, we plan on doing a series of posts (heck, we might even do video!) from The Park tonight as I take on this wretched contraption. If I don't make it home, I love you baby. Just know, if I go, I went doing something I utterly loathed, and that should provide you with some comfort. To all those who drove me to this, I hope you're happy with yourselves.

---

The Saturday Slow-Down: The Sorcerer's Workshop

Last time on the Saturday Slow-Down...

... we continued our meanderings in the Disney Animation Building in the Hollywood Backlot and spent some time talking to a sea turtle in The E.A.C.  Today, we're going to continue our tour through the building and spend some time in one of our favorite areas in the building, the Sorcerer's Workshop.

The Sorcerer's Workshop is actually broken up into three separate rooms, each with its own speciality:  The Magic Mirror Realm, Beast's Library, and Ursula's Grotto.

Inside the "Magic Mirror Realm", guests are treated to a whole host of animated type gadgetry on display.  Drawing tables are set aside for people to explore their own drawing and animating doodles, and the room is full of all sorts of devices made for exploring frame by frame animation from many of the most popular Disney animated classics.

Should you grow weary of all that doodling, a trip into "Beast's Library" might be in order; a room designed just like, you guessed it, Beast's library from Beauty and the Beast.

This is probably our favorite room in all of the workshop.  The room is filled with electronic "books" (you can see people "reading" them all around) designed to tell you which Disney character you are most like.  By answering a simple selection of questions about your personality, your book will magically tell you which character (male or female) you are most like.  The fun doesn't stop there, however.  If you've answered the questions honestly to begin with, you've likely found out which "good" character you are like.  We urge you pay attention to the last question, however, and answer it a little bit differently on subsequent readings.  You just might find out what "bad" character you are most like.  Then of course, answering differently as to whether you are a boy or girl opens up a whole new realm of possibilities.  We've spent many an hour just playing around with different combinations.  Plus, there is a camera attached to your little reading table that takes your picture as part of the whole process, which the kids seem to love almost as much as finding out what character they are for some reason.  

Oh, and every so often a storm rolls through, the room gets dark, and the picture of the prince is torn to shreds like we see it in the movie.  It's pretty cool stuff.

Lastly, once done with the library, a quick stroll through a dark hall will bring you into "Ursula's Grotto", a sound recording studio of sorts.

"Ursula's Grotto" is peppered all around with little alcoves people can go into, have their voices "stolen" from them (much like Ursula does to Ariel in The Little Mermaid), and used in different scenes from a few select Disney classics.  Ever wanted to be Scar or Simba from The Lion King?  Now's your chance.  Dreamed of singing along with the Seven Dwarfs?  Ursula will be only too happy to grant that wish for you.  There are a few others, but we don't want to spoil the whole thing.  It's easy to spend quite a bit of time in here just acting out all of the different options.  There are about three different singing ones, and three different talking ones if memory serves right.  And again, the kids love this one.  Just don't take it too seriously and let it ruin the fun.  We've learned since we began going in the Grotto that we sound nothing like Jeremy Irons or Jonathan Taylor Thomas, but we've accepted it and moved on.

The Sorcerer's Workshop is something that we actually missed out on for the longest time.  We knew it was there, but whenever we'd wander into the Animation Building we would kind of just ignore it.  But since the first time we went in, it's been a mainstay ever since.  We never go into the Animation Building without going in anymore, and we always have a lot of fun when we do, no matter how many times we've seen it all.  It comes highly recommended if you haven't already done it.

We usually spend a good half hour or so in the Workshop, so if you've followed our pattern up to this point, you've spent about an hour and 10 minutes in the building so far.  Not bad!  And the best part?  You've been in a nice, shady, cool building and gotten to see and interact with a lot of really cool stuff!  

Next week, we'll move on into the Animation Academy and do some artwork of our own.  We can't promise it'll be any good, but we'll do our best.

---

The Saturday Slow-Down: Turtle Talk With Crush

The entrance to "Turtle Talk Theater"

Last time on the Saturday Slow-Down...

...we strolled into the Disney Animation Building in the Hollywood Backlot for some down-time in The Parks.  Today we're going to look at one of the many interactive options within one of our favorite buildings; Turtle Talk With Crush.

Turtle Talk With Crush is one of the very first rooms we went into the first time we went into the Animation Building with our kids many years ago, and so holds some pretty special memories for us (more on that in a future post, so stay tuned). 

The premise behind Turtle Talk is pretty simple.  Audiences gather in a "theater" where they interact, real-time, with Crush from "Finding Nemo".  A Cast Member is on hand to help move the show, which usually lasts between 10 and 15 minutes, along.  The children in the audience typically sit down front with a parent to get a better view of our favorite sea turtle, and so they can be in prime "turtle talking" distance.

Crush makes his appearance much to the delight of children and big children (a.k.a. "adults")

After explaining the process to the guests a computer generated Crush comes on screen to talk to the audience, as well as taking and answering questions from the kiddies.  We won't spoil the entire show by explaining exactly how it's done (you can probably guess much of it for yourself), but it's always great fun sitting in the audience and listening to the different types of questions both the kids and the adults in the audience throw in Crush's direction.  One of my personal favorites was hearing a little boy in front asking Crush if he enjoyed eating fish.  The look on Crush's face was priceless.  And one of our own kid's best was asking Crush where Nemo was to which he replied, "Is that little dude lost again?!"  The kids absolutely love their giant turtle friend, and a lot of times we'll go in for the show even when we don't have our own children with us.

Crush seems to be pondering the meaning of life. Either that, or he's rolling his eyes at some adult's inane question.

So, the next time you're in Disney California Adventure, give Turtle Talk With Crush a look-see.  Just be prepared with a question to ask the big guy should you be called upon.  You don't want to be one of "those people" who stumble, and generally cause a lot of laughter (and not the good kind), when given the opportunity to shine. 

Looking back we've probably spent about 40 minutes in the Animation Building at this point (if not more), but we'll say we've spent 20 minutes in the lobby watching movie clips and listening to music, and 20 minutes in Turtle Talk. 

Next week, we'll move on into the Sorcerer's Workshop and see what that interactive room has in store for us.  Can't wait!

---

The Saturday Slow-Down: Disney Animation Building

If you spend time in The Parks on any kind of a regular basis you will undoubtedly find a "groove" at some point.  You begin to have your own favorite spots to eat (and favorite items to order there), your favorite attractions, favorite restrooms, and even a bunch of favorite "secrets" that you like to keep to yourself.  Along with that "groove" I spoke of earlier will also come favorite spots to hang out.   

That said, we thought it would be fun to take a few Saturdays in the future and slow it down a notch (hence the article's title) and look at some of our favorite spots in The Parks where we just like to take it easy and hang out.  One such spot for us is the "Disney Animation Building" in the Hollywood Backlot in Disney California Adventure.

Artwork and Disney quotes adorn many of the walls leading into the lobby

It's a place that we can go when we need a breather and just want to relax, and it is absolutely awesome!  And as you can well imagine, it's all about its namesake, Disney Animation.

There are actually five different areas in the building (six if you count "Off The Page", a store where you can shop for your own animation merchandise), all of them dedicated to the wonderful art of Disney that we all know and love so much.

The four "interactive" areas of the Animation Building:  
Sorcerer's Workshop, Character Close-Up, Animation Academy and Turtle Talk With Crush

Over the next few Saturdays, we'll take a more in-depth look at each one individually, but today's post will take aim at the first room you see when you enter the building, the Lobby; or, as our friend Ashley from Twitter likes to call it, "The Lobby of Awesome Disney Clips".  

'Fantasia' flits by

The lobby itself is much as it sounds like it would be; it's a lobby, after all.  There's lots of space for sitting and milling around, and it's huge!  But what makes this one so unique, and so darn cool, is the never-ending cycle of Disney artwork, concept drawings, and music from many of your favorite Disney flicks which continue to pour forth from every screen and speaker.

It's not exaggeration in the slightest to say that we could spend hours in here, with our backs pressed up against the wall, just listening and watching.  And, in point of fact, at any given moment in the lobby if you stop and look around, you'll see many other people doing just that.  It is, without a doubt, one of our favorite places to hang out.  It's a fantastic place to watch the world and the animation go by, and hum (or sing if we get especially brave) along with our favorite soundtracks.

We're pretty sure she's singing about playing in the sun right now

Next week, we'll take a look at Turtle Talk With Crush.  In the meantime, are there any favorite places to hang out while you're in The Parks?  Give us a comment!  We'd love to post on some of yours in the future.

---