Toying with Crayons and the Disneyland Goats - Days In The Parkcast #8

The latest episode of our blog's Disneyland podcast has just been released!
 
In the latest episode of our “Days in the Parkcast”, we’re introducing some new segments!  Our writer Amy is finally on board with one of our favorite segments from our blog, ‘Amy’s Favorite Things’.  We’re also bringing back our informational trip recaps, the aptly named ‘A Recent Day in the Park’, with highlights and information from our recent trips into the Disneyland Resort that hopefully you can use for your own trips.   We’ll also be dropping our regular “Hidden Mickey” segment on our listeners, as well as a new segment, the “Best of the Blogosphere”, where we’re highlighting some of our favorite “Disney reads” from around the web.

You can listen to, or download, our show on our "Parkcast" website: http://www.daysintheparkcast.com.   
Or, you can subscribe to our show and listen to us in iTunes.

Stop on by and give a listen.  We’ll be happy you did!

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Show Notes:
Intro
- A big “thank you” to all of our listeners and a big “sorry” for the delay!
- We have our first voicemail from our friend Bruce at ‘The Unknown Magic Within Walt Disney World'
Amy’s Favorite Things
- The Disneyland Resort Tulips
A Recent “Day in the Park”
Highlights, anecdotes, and information you can use from one of our recent “Days in the Park” including:
- Big Thunder Ranch and the Disneyland Petting Zoo “Running of the Goats”
- A new quick-service eatery we’ve discovered – Troubador Tavern
- We’re Level 7 Galactic Heroes! (Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters)
- We get to meet our favorite Bounty Hunter outside of Star Tours!
- Turtle Talk with Crush – Are we the only ones on the planet who haven’t seen Dory and the Whale before?!
- Celebrity sighting! We love our ‘Suite Life on Deck’ characters, especially when they’re living “The High Life”!
- A trip under the sea and an “Incredible” guest star on The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure
The FindingMickey.com “Hidden Mickey” Highlight
- Space Mountain speakery
Our “Best of the Blogosphere”
- This month’s feature: Magical Days With the Mouse
Outro
- Wrap up
- Contact us!
- Review our show for us in iTunes!

Music Credits

Email: parkcast@daysinthepark.com
Voicemail: 520-DAYS-CST (329-7278)

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!

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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.

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