Chropistopy
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2002
- Messages
- 916
Adventures by Disney: Backstage Magic 7/25/10 – 7/31/10
Day 3
***I’m going to try to stay away from too many spoilers but be forewarned that there may be a few…stop reading if you want it to be a complete surprise.***
We started the morning early…7:00 at Twist for breakfast. The buffet at Twist is really good. The best meal that we had in Hollywood, by far. The bus was ready by 8:00 and we were off to Imagineering. On the way, we passed a few different studios. I tried to grab a shot of the Warner Bros. (work connection) but was too late. We passed the Walt Disney Studios but knew that we would be back there later in the day. As we were approaching Imagineering, we noticed how all of the buildings were pretty nondescript. Nothing screamed “Disney”. We were asked to leave our cameras on the bus. As we waited for our temporary passes, we met our guide for the morning, an Imagineer from the storytelling group. As we were led to our first stop, we passed so many pictures on the wall…great ride posters, movie posters, etc. Our group was lagging behind just to soak in all the magic. We arrived at a room set up theater style to see a presentation. The Imagineer walked us through some history as well as upcoming events/items. The presentation was filled with video, stills, etc.
Our next stop was a visit with another Imagineer that focused on sound elements. He gave us a great demonstration of binomial (sp?) sound. This Imagineer stands out in my mind because you could tell that he loved his job…and was still passionate about it over 20 years later. Next stop, the sculpture room. This room was my first jaw dropping moment of the day. I won’t spoil it but let’s just say there were a couple of surprises in this room. Next, we headed to the model room. Imagineers were hard at work on models of upcoming projects including the Fantasyland expansion for WDW. We spent quite a bit of time in this area. After the visit, I’m now even more excited to see the new Fantasyland. Again, we walked down hallways that were covered with pictures…including walls where Imagineers are able to paint/draw their art directly. Amazing stuff on those walls! Finally, we ended our visit at Mickey’s of Glendale. The group rushed around the store picking up unique merchandise. My dollar amount was definitely not as high as others but I had a nice large bag when walking back to the bus. After “comfort” breaks, we were loaded back on the bus for our short trip to the studios.
As we arrived at the Walt Disney Studios, we immediately noticed that something was being filmed. We were curious, to say the least, but continued on our way. Our first stop was for lunch in the commissary. The selection was varied for lunch. I think we were all satisfied…although it felt like we had just eaten breakfast. Before the tour began, we had a few minutes to shop at the Disney Store and Employee Center. While shopping, we had a great view of the filming that was happening right outside the building. They were filming an episode of Brothers & Sisters…and there was Sally Field!! We also saw the gentleman who plays Uncle Saul. I don’t remember his real name. Enough celebrity watching, it was time to start the tour. We quickly found ourselves at the corner of Mickey Avenue and Dopey Drive. Picture time!!
As we walked between the buildings, Michael and Dean discussed the history of the studios. We walked through the Animation building and were treated to another hallway of pictures. At the very end of the hallway, there were pictures from the new movie, Tangled.
On our way to the Frank Wells building, we were caught a glimpse of the courtyard.
We wandered around the lobby of the FW building for a while. Multiple display cases were available to view. Around this time, Pete wanted to head into Starbucks (in the building) for coffee. Michael said that we didn’t have time…if Pete got coffee, then everyone would want coffee, etc. (more later). We then headed into the Archives. Dave Smith (who will be retiring in October) was available to meet with us. He walked us through a lot of the memorabilia that is now stored and displayed in the archives. We saw the first ticket sold at Disneyland, ticket booklets (A, B, C), etc. We had the opportunity to hold and take pictures with the Oscar won for White Wilderness (1958?). Dave is very engaging and was a highlight of our time at the studios.
Dave and 1st ticket sold at Disneyland
Bedknob from Bedknobs and Broomsticks
While we were in the archives, Pete and Walter disappeared. Yes, they were in Starbucks against Michael’s wishes. Pete dubbed his coffee the “Coffee of Spite” and proudly displayed it in the next group picture we took.
The group displaying jazz hands and Pete with the Coffee of Spite
We all headed back to the bus…next stop, the Grand Californian. Quite a few people napped on the way to Disneyland…me included. Upon arrival, we were already checked in and only had to pick up our keys from the front desk. I went up to my room to rest since we only had an hour before meeting for dinner. My bags arrived about five minutes after I entered my room. I unpacked and freshened up for dinner. We gathered in the lobby for our short walk over to the Disneyland Hotel.
We had a reception in the bar area of Steakhouse 55 and then headed into the restaurant for dinner. Considering our thrilling day, we had much to discuss. I think this was the point that everyone had gotten to know each other and we just had a fabulous time chatting at dinner. After dinner, we headed to the Magic Kingdom. Michael informed us that he was handing out our tickets but would need them back in the morning. He stated that he was going to get World of Color fast passes for all of us. Yay! We headed straight for the Haunted Mansion. We bypassed the line and were ushered into the foyer alone. Being in the foyer and the stretching room as such a small group was interesting. I don’t think I’ve been in there with so few people before.
After the ride, we headed to the Rivers of America for Fantasmic. We were given a special viewing area all to ourselves. Since our group was so small, we had plenty of room to stretch out. This viewing was the first time that I have seen Fantasmic at Disneyland. I agree with all of the reviews…it is so much better in California. We stayed in our viewing area to watch the fireworks. Not the best view but not bad. After fireworks, the group split up to enjoy the park. Michael and Dean gave everyone a fast pass to use that night. Jeff, Stacy, Wayne, Nichole, Kristen, and I went straight for Big Thunder. We used our fast pass for Indiana Jones (catching a glimpse of the Eeyore sign in the queue). Our last ride of the night was It’s a Small World. I love the addition of the Disney characters. Thus ended our first night of closing down the parks.
Day 3
***I’m going to try to stay away from too many spoilers but be forewarned that there may be a few…stop reading if you want it to be a complete surprise.***
We started the morning early…7:00 at Twist for breakfast. The buffet at Twist is really good. The best meal that we had in Hollywood, by far. The bus was ready by 8:00 and we were off to Imagineering. On the way, we passed a few different studios. I tried to grab a shot of the Warner Bros. (work connection) but was too late. We passed the Walt Disney Studios but knew that we would be back there later in the day. As we were approaching Imagineering, we noticed how all of the buildings were pretty nondescript. Nothing screamed “Disney”. We were asked to leave our cameras on the bus. As we waited for our temporary passes, we met our guide for the morning, an Imagineer from the storytelling group. As we were led to our first stop, we passed so many pictures on the wall…great ride posters, movie posters, etc. Our group was lagging behind just to soak in all the magic. We arrived at a room set up theater style to see a presentation. The Imagineer walked us through some history as well as upcoming events/items. The presentation was filled with video, stills, etc.
Our next stop was a visit with another Imagineer that focused on sound elements. He gave us a great demonstration of binomial (sp?) sound. This Imagineer stands out in my mind because you could tell that he loved his job…and was still passionate about it over 20 years later. Next stop, the sculpture room. This room was my first jaw dropping moment of the day. I won’t spoil it but let’s just say there were a couple of surprises in this room. Next, we headed to the model room. Imagineers were hard at work on models of upcoming projects including the Fantasyland expansion for WDW. We spent quite a bit of time in this area. After the visit, I’m now even more excited to see the new Fantasyland. Again, we walked down hallways that were covered with pictures…including walls where Imagineers are able to paint/draw their art directly. Amazing stuff on those walls! Finally, we ended our visit at Mickey’s of Glendale. The group rushed around the store picking up unique merchandise. My dollar amount was definitely not as high as others but I had a nice large bag when walking back to the bus. After “comfort” breaks, we were loaded back on the bus for our short trip to the studios.
As we arrived at the Walt Disney Studios, we immediately noticed that something was being filmed. We were curious, to say the least, but continued on our way. Our first stop was for lunch in the commissary. The selection was varied for lunch. I think we were all satisfied…although it felt like we had just eaten breakfast. Before the tour began, we had a few minutes to shop at the Disney Store and Employee Center. While shopping, we had a great view of the filming that was happening right outside the building. They were filming an episode of Brothers & Sisters…and there was Sally Field!! We also saw the gentleman who plays Uncle Saul. I don’t remember his real name. Enough celebrity watching, it was time to start the tour. We quickly found ourselves at the corner of Mickey Avenue and Dopey Drive. Picture time!!
As we walked between the buildings, Michael and Dean discussed the history of the studios. We walked through the Animation building and were treated to another hallway of pictures. At the very end of the hallway, there were pictures from the new movie, Tangled.
On our way to the Frank Wells building, we were caught a glimpse of the courtyard.
We wandered around the lobby of the FW building for a while. Multiple display cases were available to view. Around this time, Pete wanted to head into Starbucks (in the building) for coffee. Michael said that we didn’t have time…if Pete got coffee, then everyone would want coffee, etc. (more later). We then headed into the Archives. Dave Smith (who will be retiring in October) was available to meet with us. He walked us through a lot of the memorabilia that is now stored and displayed in the archives. We saw the first ticket sold at Disneyland, ticket booklets (A, B, C), etc. We had the opportunity to hold and take pictures with the Oscar won for White Wilderness (1958?). Dave is very engaging and was a highlight of our time at the studios.
Dave and 1st ticket sold at Disneyland
Bedknob from Bedknobs and Broomsticks
While we were in the archives, Pete and Walter disappeared. Yes, they were in Starbucks against Michael’s wishes. Pete dubbed his coffee the “Coffee of Spite” and proudly displayed it in the next group picture we took.
The group displaying jazz hands and Pete with the Coffee of Spite
We all headed back to the bus…next stop, the Grand Californian. Quite a few people napped on the way to Disneyland…me included. Upon arrival, we were already checked in and only had to pick up our keys from the front desk. I went up to my room to rest since we only had an hour before meeting for dinner. My bags arrived about five minutes after I entered my room. I unpacked and freshened up for dinner. We gathered in the lobby for our short walk over to the Disneyland Hotel.
We had a reception in the bar area of Steakhouse 55 and then headed into the restaurant for dinner. Considering our thrilling day, we had much to discuss. I think this was the point that everyone had gotten to know each other and we just had a fabulous time chatting at dinner. After dinner, we headed to the Magic Kingdom. Michael informed us that he was handing out our tickets but would need them back in the morning. He stated that he was going to get World of Color fast passes for all of us. Yay! We headed straight for the Haunted Mansion. We bypassed the line and were ushered into the foyer alone. Being in the foyer and the stretching room as such a small group was interesting. I don’t think I’ve been in there with so few people before.
After the ride, we headed to the Rivers of America for Fantasmic. We were given a special viewing area all to ourselves. Since our group was so small, we had plenty of room to stretch out. This viewing was the first time that I have seen Fantasmic at Disneyland. I agree with all of the reviews…it is so much better in California. We stayed in our viewing area to watch the fireworks. Not the best view but not bad. After fireworks, the group split up to enjoy the park. Michael and Dean gave everyone a fast pass to use that night. Jeff, Stacy, Wayne, Nichole, Kristen, and I went straight for Big Thunder. We used our fast pass for Indiana Jones (catching a glimpse of the Eeyore sign in the queue). Our last ride of the night was It’s a Small World. I love the addition of the Disney characters. Thus ended our first night of closing down the parks.
Looking forward to more.
