Guess Who's Back?

Together again. Gee, it's good to be together again! - The Muppets

Many of Days in the Park's long time followers know that we have more than one writer, so you may been wondering, "Why hasn't Mark posted anything in a long time?". Because of personal reasons I had to step away for awhile. I have missed blogging for you all, and I am glad to say that as of today I return!

It feels great to be back! But sadly due to me not possessing an Annual Pass at the moment, I won't be able to continue my Nerd D posts for some time. Don't worry though, I promise that Nerd D will be back in the near future, and thankfully that's the only sad news I have to give.

However, seeing that I no longer have a Pass to The Park, I've been forced to find something new to write about. So, I am glad to announce a whole new segment I will be calling "Mouse Movie Mayhem", in which my love for Disney meets my love for films. Not only will I be talking about Disney Films in theaters (new releases), but Disney films in general (the classics as well!). With thousands to choose from each post will be a surprise, and you'll never knowing what is coming your way. My goal is inspire you to remember the great, the good, and yes, even the plain out strange films of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Let me say again that I am excited to be back! I'm looking forward to these posts, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoy writing them.

Indiana Jones - Nerd "D"

Welcome my NerDs!  For today's segment, we'll be talking about the man, the legend, the archaeologist who goes by the name (and apparently was named after a dog), Indiana Jones!

True nerDs scoff at such as they are walking by  

Quick History: If you don't know who Indiana Jones is, get in your car, find your local movie merchant (are any of those even still around?!), and rent Raiders of the Lost Ark (it will always be just "Raiders" to us), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  You may also choose to watch the latest installment, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, should you so desire and so that you have a complete set, but consider yourself warned ahead of time.  Let's move on!  Indiana Jones (Indy to his friends, or Junior to his dad) was played by Han Solo in all four films; I mean Harrison Ford, of course!  However, in the intro to the third film, which gave a little background information on the character of Indiana Jones (we see him using his famous bullwhip and receiving the fedora which is arguably his most signature piece of apparel for the first time), the late River Phoenix (probably Chad's favorite) played Indy as a teenager.  Not content to be imprisoned in the movies, Indy at one point even made the jump to television!  In The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, actor Sean Patrick Flanery had the pleasure of playing the role of this young legend, meeting up and interacting on his adventures with many historical figures such as Pancho Villa.

Most importantly, Indiana Jones was such a huge success with us NerDs that Disney thought it best to bring the great professor over to Disneyland Park, and we've been thanking them ever since.

How Chester Copperpot made it all the way from Astoria, Oregon to Anaheim, California we have no idea  

Raiders of the Lost Park: Located in Adventureland, Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye (I know it has been changed to Indiana Jones Adventure, but I've always liked the original name better and refuse to change for no man!) is an extremely well-placed attraction; in my opinion the atmosphere is absolutely flawless.  If there was an award for best design of an attraction, Indy would win the prize!  It may surprise many of you to know that this is actually an attraction that I love to stand in line for (shocking, isn't it?!).  The primary reason for this insanity is that there is just so much to look at!  From the many statues peppering the queue to the Mercedes truck at the entrance (reminiscent of almost every truck every used in the films), your eyes will keep locking on to objects non-stop during the entire shuffle.

Yup! It's a Mercedes alright! Used in the film, too, from what we hear!

As for the ride itself, it's simply amazing.  With awesome action special effects and very life-like animatronics (always the case with a Disney attraction), so much is happening that it will take more than a few rides to soak it all in.  And who doesn't love a giant snake nicknamed "Fluffy" (where's the sword of Gryffindor when you need it?)?

Do not look into the eyes of the idol! Or so we've heard...  

The Temple of Zoom: Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye (hereafter referred to as "TOTFE") is known to be fast, and shaky!  All the more reason for teens and adults to love this ride!  When some people think Disneyland, they tend to think of it as a place full of children's rides with nothing for the adults to do.  That's why I love this ride!  It surprises many people when they hear that its in The Park. TOTFE is one ride you'll have your teens (if you're crazy enough to have teens) begging to ride.  Why you might ask?  I'm glad you did, and it's really quite simple.  When they find out it's a fast car (a jeep in this instance) driving through a cursed temple, and they have the chance to drive (sort of, since the wheel doesn't actually spin, and this drives Chad absolutely crazy; seriously, how hard would it be to make that wheel spin?!), they'll thank you and make sure it's one attraction that they don't want to miss.

Someone told us that AT&T may know what this says...  

The Walking Crusade: Like in every Indiana Jones film, I think it's appropriate to give fair warning when it comes to riding TOTFE: "Only those bold (and crazy) enough to walk a thousand steps may enter."  We have no proof of this, but we believe this may well be the longest attraction queue in the entire world, and you must be willing to walk a great distance to even get onto the ride.  Make sure to wear comfortable shoes, drink lots of fluids, and have someone willing to carry you on your back if you in shifts.

Sing with us now! "The long, and winding, road..."  

Indiana Jones for Kids: When it comes to the films, I believe its up to the parents to choose when it's okay to watch.  Although "Raiders of the Lost Ark" was originally a PG film, nowadays it would most assuredly procure a PG-13 rating, as did every other film in the series.  As for the attraction itself, make sure they are at least 46" tall and have a penchant for thrill rides to begin with.  Note that there are dark scenes in the attraction, it can be very loud, is fast and shaky, with more than its fair share of scenes of peril (killer snakes and giant boulders, anyone?).  As always, you know your children best and what they can and cannot take in terms of riding attractions. 

And as always, I would love to hear from the readers!  If you've ridden Indiana Jones Adventure before, what were your thoughts of this attraction?  Do you love it, like it, or just stay away?  Let us know and we'll be sure to respond!

Thanks for reading, my nerDs!  Keep tuning in for more nerDom from all around The Magic Kingdom!  Until next time!

Sign reads: "Caution Do not pull rope!" - anyone care to guess what our response was?  

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror - Nerd "D" Halloween Special

"You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension: a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into the Twilight Zone." 

-Rod Serling

The sign says it all

Anyone that really knows me can tell you the "The Twilight Zone" is my absolute favorite television favorite show.  As such, it seemed only fitting to make it my topic for Nerd "D"'s first Halloween Special!

Quick History: The Twilight Zone was a half-hour, black and white show written by one Mr. Rod Serling, which aired on CBS from 1959 to 1964.  It usually dealt with human psychoses, showing how the human mind can freak out, and with good reason(!), at the simplest things. Things such as your daughter's Talking Tina (in "The Living Doll" episode), or believing that a mirror could show you your enemies ("The Mirror" episode), and sometimes even the occasional slot machine calling your name out over and over again ("The Fever" episode).  However, not everything was about the mind, as sometimes Mr. Serling used the supernatural to great effect.  From death to the devil himself, The Twilight Zone was well-known for its dark overtones.  There were, however, plenty of amusing episodes, including one featuring funny gal Carol Burnett.  In fact, watching the Twilight Zone is kind of like watching a "Who's Who?" of people who were very famous in early television!  My personal favorite episode, however, would have to be "The Obsolete Man" with Burgess Meredith.  I'm not gonna give anything away, but if you can get your hands on the episode I highly recommend it; the ending was amazing!

Rod Serling: It's sad to know that many people don't even know who Rod Serling is, at least by name. That's why I was excited to see how Disney California Adventure Park chose to represent him a lot on the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction.  From having one of the original openings to the show, and hiring one of the best Serling impersonators there is to monologue the rest of the attraction, it's good to know that Disney worked so hard on getting the feel of an actual "Twilight Zone" episode into their attraction.  Rod Serling truly was a talented man with a passion for frightening the mind, and Disneyland did a terrific job in bringing that into the attraction.

Intimidating, ain't it?

Tower of Terror: The attraction first opened over at Walt Disney World in 1994, and ten years later one it was brought over to Disney California Adventure Park.  Since the one at DCA is the only one I've ridden, it seems only fair (and necessary) to talk about that one.  Let's start with the decor.  I love all the references to the televison show itself!  The thimble (from "The After Hours") in the lobby, the fortune teller machine (from "Nick of Time") in both libraries, and even Talking Tina herself (from "The Living Doll") sitting on the couch, and I know that there are so many references that I still haven't found!  The structure itself is pretty intimidating, as well.  Anytime you walk up to an attraction standing at 183 feet, and it looks like its been hit by lightning several times, well you get the idea.  This thing is meant to send chills down your spine, and it does its job well.  I've ridden it countless times, and Chad can tell you I still get nervous each and every time, but it's all worth it though, just to be part of the "The Twilight Zone" lore.

Some of that wonderful hotel interior we were talking about

Is "The Twilight Zone" Kid-friendly?: We think parental advisory is in effect on this one.  Depedning on the episode, it may not be a good idea to let your child watch this show, mostly because it takes a mature mind to understand it, especially when some of the episodes deal with fear and the supernatural.  That said, we've been watching it for years and nothing bad has come of it... *twitch-twitch*

Is the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction for Kids?: I've seen this go both ways.  My niece has been wanting to ride it since she was three years old.  She's six now and a few months ago her dad, two other uncles, and myself took her on it, which turned out to be a huge mistake.  She was so terrified that when the ride was over the crying caught up to her, and didn't leave for a while.  I blame her dad completely on this fiasco.  On the other hand I've also ridden with it first timers, like Chad' son Michael, and they absolutely loved it and couldn't wait to hop back on for another ride.  A good gauge might be to look at how your child acts on other attractions around The Resort.  I think it's best to try out one the Mountains over at Disneyland Park first and see how they react.  I've heard of parents who wanna ride it so bad they don't tell their kid exactly what it is; a move we certainly don't condone.  Even we're not that cruel!  They just say,"It's Disney so it can't be scary."  Foolish mortals!  Like I said before it's a 183 foot building that looks like it's been struck by lightning multiple times, the interior is creepy, and your dealing with ghosts and some pretty good drops (not to mention entire cars of screaming patrons).  It's meant to be creepy, and it actually is creepy, so take that into consideration if you're trying to get your kids aboard.

This as you'll see behind you is a maintenance service elevator, still in operation, waiting for you and your crying children...

So now that I've shared my Twilight Zone interest with you, it's time that you share some with me!  Have you ever seen the show, and if so do you have a favorite episode?  I'd love to hear what it is!

And if you've ever ridden the ride, what did you think of it?  Well done?  Do you have a favorite picture pose to do at the end?

Send me your opinions of both!  I'd love to read and respond to what you have to say!  Thanks for stopping by today, and we hope that everyone has a very safe, and profitable (at least candy-wise) Halloween.  Happy Halloween everyone!

Flynn's Arcade - Nerd "D"

Well it's that time of the week again; time to get your "Nerd" senses rolling!  I figure what better way than to talk about a video game arcade!  And I'm not talking about just any kind of arcade either, but an arcade that epitomizes and could easily define the atmosphere of everyone's favorite decade, The 80's!  That's right, since this is a Nerd "D" article, I'm talking about Flynn's!

Summary: Flynn's Arcade was founded by video game designer Kevin Flynn and made its first appearance (how cool is that?  An arcade making an appearance!) in the 1982 Disney classic film, TRON.  It was shown early in the film as a raging hot spot, with some fantastic tunes, for anyone who loved video games.  Flynn's resurfaces and reappears later, in TRON: Legacy of course.  Kevin's son, Sam, following up on a beeper page from the arcade, wanders in and powers everything up again one last time, complete with Journey's "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" blaring in the background.  Oh, and we also learn that it was home to a super-secret lab that Kevin Flynn used to enter and exit the high-tech world of the Grid.  Super-secret lab?  Sold!

Yeah, we know it's 80s cheese, but it's Journey and Steve Perry. Color us nerDs!

Why Flynn's was a GREAT addition at Disneyland: Recently, it's hard to find a good video arcade around.  Because of the home video game market and its soaring over the past couple of decades, and the way video games have evolved, no-one even needs to leave their house anymore to get their video game fix.  But for hardcore nerDs like us, there will always be that key factor we'll forever miss about going into arcades; the atmosphere.  And Disney did a great job bringing that into Flynn's.  What could be better than a group of people coming together, milling about, and playing old-school video games?  Think it can't get any better?  Well it can!  They've also done a fantastic job of matching up Flynn's with it's big-screen counterpart by giving it a kickin' playlist of great music.  We've heard Journey, Boston, Foreigner, Michael Jackson, and many more while hanging around inside Flynn's.  Heck, even a-ha's "Take On Me" sounds awesome while you're eating power pellets and chomping on ghosts!  The awesome tunes just make me want to hang around and stay inside as long as I can, whether I'm playing video games or not!

What games do they have?: Tons, and they're all classics!  Punch-Out and Galaga.  Donkey Kong and Centipede.  Dig Dug and Red Baron.  Pac Man and the Missus... need more?  Okay.  How about the big bad game itself, TRON?  Not enough?  They even have a copy of Kevin Flynn's Space Paranoids from the flipping movie!  NerDing out is not even an option at this point.  And that's barely scratching the surface; not even half way done!  In fact, how about I keep the rest a secret so you can go check it out for yourself?

If you're a nerD like us, and love video games and The 80's, there's simply no way you can say "no" to Flynn's.  It has everything that made The 80's awesome inside it's walls, and it's bar-none one of our favorite hangout spots at The Disneyland Resort.  It comes with our highest Nerd "D" recommendation.  Be sure and check it out on your next trip if you haven't already.  And if you have already been, it's about time to head on back, don't you think?

Mark Meets Boba Fett! - Nerd "D"

For those who may not know it about, me I'm a huge Nerd (yes, capital "N").  I love me some "Star Wars", "Indiana Jones", "TRON", and the list just goes on and on.  So when I was trying to think of a new segment to take on, I asked myself what would be a great way to put my nerdiness into the site; then it hit me!  Why not share things around the Disneyland Resort that would grab the attention of any Nerd?  From attractions to merchandise, my plan is to share with you what we Nerds are all about at Disneyland.  So without further ado, I present to you the first of hopefully many segments I like to call 'Nerd "D"' (see what I did there?!).

It was really hard for me to choose what was going to be the first thing I mentioned as a Nerd; there have been so many things to choose from recently, and then it hit me like a thermal detonator.  What could be better than meeting the most notorious bounty hunter of all time at the Happiest Place on Earth?  I present to you, Boba Fett!

Summary: For those who don't know who Boba Fett is, I'm going have to educate you.  Boba Fett, bounty hunter extraordinaire, made his film debut in Episode V of the Star Wars saga, "The Empire Strikes Back". Although Chad is quick to point out he first appeared in the notorious, "The Star Wars Holiday Special", but we've pretty much never agreed to mention that outside of the context of "education".  He was hired by the (evil Galactic) Empire to hunt down the Millennium Falcon in an extremely wily plot by Darth Vader to ensnare Luke Skywalker.  He sports Mandalorian armor, a jet pack, blaster, and is a man of very few words.  Then again, who needs words when you're sporting Mandalorian armor, a jet pack, and a blaster? The best part about him is that he always gets his target; it doesn't matter who the target is as long as he gets paid.  Good or bad, if you hear that Boba has been called in it's probably already too late for you...

Where in the Park can you find Mr. Fett?: Why, Tomorrowland of course.  There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to his outings (he just randomly appears from time to time), so keep your eyes peeled whenever you're in the area, but he can be found wandering outside of Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, probably still looking for rival Han Solo.  And if you ride Star Tours, and happen to arrive at Geonosis as one of your destinations, you might just get a glimpse of Boba chasing you around the Death Star in his Slave I model ship.

Interaction: When I first saw Boba Fett, I was like a kid at Disneyland!  Oh wait... moving on!  I ran to the line that had just formed, got my camera ready and smiled for the camera.  Boba, like most characters, doesn't say a word.  Why?  Once again, because he doesn't need to.  Just the sight of him gave me the willies.  I mean, the greatest bounty hunter in the galaxy is posing for a picture with me; isn't that good enough?  Of interesting note was that there was no Cast Member in sight manning the line!  But if you see him strolling around, or posing, jump in as quick as you can.  You never know when he'll be called off on a mission mid-photo!

Boba Fett and Kids: For the parents, we all know that some characters frighten kids.  I've seen my share of scared kids running from Mickey, and he's just a harmless mouse who carries neither Mandalorian armor, blaster, or jetpack.  One thing to consider is to make sure that your child is comfortable with characters; heck, we know some teenagers who have "character phobias".  If you have passed that stage with your child then the next time you see Boba Fett walking around grab a picture!  He's really great with kids because, after all, he was once a kid himself.

So there you have it, the first of what I hope to be many Nerd D segments.  What did you think?  If you have any questions or comments I'm more than happy to answer them in the comments below.  Until next time, let your inner-Nerd shine through!