Discovering A Whole New World of Disney-An October 2013 Photo Safari **Updated 2/20

[DisneyKid4Life]

Yeah, I'm actually quite excited to see the new theatre and since I have no trip planned during the hiatus, I'm ok with it, lol

And yes, this show is easily the best show in Disney (that doesn't include fireworks) to me.

Haha, nice sweet talking of the CM there Dave. Seriously, what is it with giant heads? There really needs to be a giant head section somewhere in the back

One of the most important things about this show is that we all learn the sound a giraffe makes. This is critical info.

Goodness, just wonderful Dave. I can't wait to see more of your 800 photos of this show.

 

[Valgoof]

Amazing pictures of FOTLK. Such a great show!! I am sad it will be closed when we go in Feb, but glad it is getting a better theatre.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Yeah, I'm actually quite excited to see the new theatre and since I have no trip planned during the hiatus, I'm ok with it, lol

And yes, this show is easily the best show in Disney (that doesn't include fireworks) to me.

Haha, nice sweet talking of the CM there Dave. Seriously, what is it with giant heads? There really needs to be a giant head section somewhere in the back

One of the most important things about this show is that we all learn the sound a giraffe makes. This is critical info.

Goodness, just wonderful Dave. I can't wait to see more of your 800 photos of this show.

I did do my best to put on the charm when talking to that CM

I'm very curious to find out if they will change any of the content of the show when they move into the new theater. They better not mess with my favorite parts of the show!

Amazing pictures of FOTLK. Such a great show!! I am sad it will be closed when we go in Feb, but glad it is getting a better theatre.

Thank you! Hoping that our kids won't ask about the show while we're visiting in less than 3 weeks. There's so much to distract them with AK I think it should be okay.

 

[afwdwfan]

What's your favorite show, again?

Great pictures, Dave. I really need to see that show one of these days... after they finally get the new theater and re-open it.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

What's your favorite show, again?

 

[princess_momma]

Glad you took so many pics this trip of FotLK since I missed it and now I get to watch it vicariously! Your pics are breathtaking!

 

[MEK]

An entire memory card of FOTLK. Now that's dedication! So far, the results are amazing. Thank you for posting such beautiful pictures of such a fast moving show. I can't wait until you get to the fire pictures!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Glad you took so many pics this trip of FotLK since I missed it and now I get to watch it vicariously! Your pics are breathtaking!

Thank you! It's going to be a while before I can see the show again thanks to the relocation of the show so I took as many pictures as I could.

An entire memory card of FOTLK. Now that's dedication! So far, the results are amazing. Thank you for posting such beautiful pictures of such a fast moving show. I can't wait until you get to the fire pictures!

Thanks! Yes, the fire guy and the dancing birds are coming up next!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Continuing from my previous update on the awesome spectacle that is Festival of the Lion King......

When I left off the monkeys had just finished their......monkeying around act. Timon was doing his shtick to stall the show a little while the set changes were happening. Enter Kiume accompanied by a sudden lighting scheme which meant only one thing. It was time for the FIRE GUY!

Not sure if the character has a name in the show but that's what I call him. And don't know how many of you were fans of the TV show The Office but Andrew Bernard's reaction to the "Fire Guy" in this video clip (http://youtu.be/Ba2cviOVhI8) pretty much sums up my own excitement to this part of the Festival.

Awww look. The monkeys are pretending to put up a fight. So cute but I don't think they would stand a chance even if they were serious.

IMG_8824 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Best. Brooding. Ever.

IMG_8825 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

"Be Prepared!"

IMG_8832 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

So you know that male bird character that gets all lubby dubby in the upcoming segment of the show? He's actually one of the few characters on the stage during this darker "Be Prepared" segment and boy does he look completely different.


IMG_8839 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Not much is happening with a lot of the animal characters during these segments. So more pics of them will come near the end of the show. Here's one of them holding the perimeter.


IMG_8844 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Here he is. The Fire Guy!


IMG_8847 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

By the way, Fire Guy is probably the best poster child on what NOT to do with fire. Like trying to see if your skin can hold up against fire by lighting it in the above picture. Don't try these at home kids!

I didn't have the best angle for him. Most of the segment he was partially obstructed by a cast member on stage or something and when there wasn't he would have his back towards me.

IMG_8860 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

But for a split moment there was a parting of the seas. I saw a clear unobstructed view through my viewfinder and he was facing our section as he spun his fire baton furiously. So I zoomed in to grab his facial expressions and snapped a few shots off and got this.


IMG_8874 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

We go from fire to love in themes. Cue Elton John's ballad. And bring in the, ahem, love birds.


IMG_8894 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_8899 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

The segment goes up a notch once the aerial portion begins.


IMG_8906 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_8908 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_8918 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_8920 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Does anyone else gets goosebumps when the redbird starts spinning the blue bird as he launches her in the air and the blue bird takes flight?


IMG_8924 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_8933 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_8934 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

And the landing.

IMG_8938 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Continued in my next update as the Festival comes to its finale and all of my favorite animal character rejoice!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

"FIRE GUY" is one of my hi-lights of this show (which is obviously filled with hi-lights).

YES I LOVE THE OFFICE!!!!

I keep waiting for Schwarzenegger to show up in those first few photos.

These photos are just stunning. I still can't believe you're a relative newbee to high end photography, but you make me want to get an SLR.

I don't know if you're been to SeaWorld, but I think you would love the dolphin show Blue Horizons. It has some similar things and is truly phenomenal.

 

[wiigirl]

Great pics!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

"FIRE GUY" is one of my hi-lights of this show (which is obviously filled with hi-lights).

YES I LOVE THE OFFICE!!!!

I keep waiting for Schwarzenegger to show up in those first few photos.

These photos are just stunning. I still can't believe you're a relative newbee to high end photography, but you make me want to get an SLR.

I don't know if you're been to SeaWorld, but I think you would love the dolphin show Blue Horizons. It has some similar things and is truly phenomenal.

We LOVE Blue Horizons! Although it's been a couple of years since we last saw the show I agree it's the best show Sea World has.

Great pics!

Thanks!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Here's the last part of the FotLK!

Next up was The Gift leading the vocals for the Circle of Life. And this is where the level of energy kicks up another notch as the my animal friends return to the stage and dances their hearts out.


IMG_8943 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_8945 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_8953 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_8958 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_8969 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_8972-2 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Now that the formal segments were done it was time for a high spirited dance party complete with adorable kids parading around with my favorite animal characters from the show as the rest of us in the bleachers help with a joyful rendition of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". I hope one of these visits that our kids will get to join in on the fun.


IMG_8995 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_9000 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_9002 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_9025 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Which leads us to the medley finale! It's like a recap just in case you had forgotten the songs we just heard and when the animal characters really lets loose with their dances with so much energy and joy!


IMG_9029 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_9080 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_9092 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_9104 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_9115 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_9162 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_9130 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_9117 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_9189 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Going through all of these pictures is making me miss the show even more. Going to be pretty bummed out as I walk around Animal Kingdom in a couple of weeks and not able to watch this.

Here is a Youtube video I found of the very FINAL performance of Festival of the Lion King from January 5th in the original theater in Camp Minnie and Mickey. The bleachers were packed and from the energy level of the audience I'm going to guess many family members of the performers and fellow cast members as well as ardent fans were in the audience to commemorate the occasion. They were dancing, singing along, and cheering like I've never heard before. Watching it, it felt like a wrap party and I really wish I could have been sitting there myself. It also felt like a fitting goodbye to Camp Minnie and Mickey.

http://youtu.be/Of6HOEHrw5Q

Farewell, Camp Minnie and Mickey!


IMG_8573 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Wow... just wow. Your photos just really capture the beauty of this show. The costumes are so beautiful and spectacular. Not to mention the facial expressions of the performers. Bravo!

Thanks so much for including the final Minnie-Mickey performance video. The energy from that crowd was off the charts. Just goes to show how popular this show really is and why it was a good decision to move it and not close it. Can you imagine this show not part of AK? Probably the best overall collection of songs of any single Disney movie ever.

 

[teekathepony]

Wow. Easily the best FOTLK photos I've ever seen! I love the close ups. It's absolutely my favourite show in all of disney. I like that they're building a new theatre in Africa, it seems a lot more appropriate! I hope it's an amazing new place for them!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[emilyindisney]

I've become very neglectful in commenting, but I've been diligently following your pictures and they're all absolutely stunning! Your pictures of FOTLK in particular are a beautiful tribute to a show that will be greatly missed on it's hiatus. I almost wish the performers could see what beautiful pictures you took of them- I'm sure they'd be in awe!

You have another trip right around the corner, I believe, right? Your kids must be getting excited!!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Wow... just wow. Your photos just really capture the beauty of this show. The costumes are so beautiful and spectacular. Not to mention the facial expressions of the performers. Bravo!

Thanks so much for including the final Minnie-Mickey performance video. The energy from that crowd was off the charts. Just goes to show how popular this show really is and why it was a good decision to move it and not close it. Can you imagine this show not part of AK? Probably the best overall collection of songs of any single Disney movie ever.

There was a period last year in the midst of swirling rumors involving the closure of Camp Minnie and Mickey that the fate of FotLK was not entirely clear and I have to tell ya that gave me a lot of heart palpitations! You can imagine how ecstatic I was when I heard not only that the show was going to go on but that they were going to get a brand new home! Here's to hoping that they make improvements and updates where is needed (the floats come to mind) while keeping the main elements and spirit of the show intact as the original.

Wow. Easily the best FOTLK photos I've ever seen! I love the close ups. It's absolutely my favourite show in all of disney. I like that they're building a new theatre in Africa, it seems a lot more appropriate! I hope it's an amazing new place for them!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Thanks Wendy! One of the reasons I have fallen in love with shooting stage shows with my 70-200mm is the range it gives me to get really up close shots of the performers and their expressions. It's so much fun to capture those expressions that embody the spirit of the show!

I've become very neglectful in commenting, but I've been diligently following your pictures and they're all absolutely stunning! Your pictures of FOTLK in particular are a beautiful tribute to a show that will be greatly missed on it's hiatus. I almost wish the performers could see what beautiful pictures you took of them- I'm sure they'd be in awe!

You have another trip right around the corner, I believe, right? Your kids must be getting excited!!

Thank you! Yes, we have a trip coming up in a couple of weeks!! It's just starting to feel real now so getting a lot more excited about it this week. I'll post an update on my plans for the upcoming trip later tonight since I'm not doing a PTR this time. Been too preoccupied with this trip report.

As for your comments about sharing the pictures with the performers and CMs, funny you should mention that. A week before Christmas I sent a USB drive to Disney World Guest Relations filled with pictures of the various cast members and performers from my entire October trip. Sent a cover a letter addressed to all of the CMs thanking them for making my October trip and all of our previous trips so memorable. As a gesture of thanks I asked if the pictures could be forwarded to the individual CMs in them. A couple of weeks later I received a letter from a Guest Relations CM thanking me for sending the pictures and that I could be "rest assured" that the pictures will be forwarded to their respective department leadership for distribution!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Our family trip to Disney is a mere 2 weeks away!! Ok, 2 weeks and 1 day but I'm all for rounding down when it comes to my Disney countdown!

I know my Disney trip is just around the corner not just because my countdown app on my iPhone tells me so but also because 1) I've begun checking the weather in Orlando even though forecasts are horribly inaccurate this far our, 2) I've been scrutinizing my touring plans looking for any problematic areas to fix, and 3) I've been desperately searching for ways to secure plans for another trip to Disney! Because as all DISers know the severity of post-Disney depression is equally proportional to the length of time until the next trip.

The 3) activity led to some major developments this evening. By the way, does anything about me look different today? Nope, didn't get a haircut. Nope, I'm not wearing new shirt. If you scroll all the way down to the bottom of this post, perhaps you see something new? YES, there's a brand new ticker added! Let me tell you how this came to be.

So here's what happened over the holidays. On Christmas day while at my in laws we were all watching the Disney parade as the kids were running around trying the best to break the new toys they opened merely two hours earlier when my sister in law (DW's sister) asks when we were heading back to the World. I gleefully told her in about a month and asked her when they were going to visit Disney again after their first trip back in May of 2012. It turns out they are planning for a visit in June of 2015. Now, my sis in law has been wanting to go with us to Disney for awhile now but going in June has not been exactly my first choice. But she's a teacher and has very little to no flexibility for a Disney trip during the school year. Being in the Christmas spirit I said to myself "Why not in June?" If we planned for a week long trip with rope drops and afternoon breaks I could see this working even with the heat and crowds. So I offered that we could go with them in June of 2015 if they would like and both sister and brother-in-laws quickly said YES! DW was very happy too and this will most likely turn into a mini family reunion with my in laws with father-in-law and DW's brother joining us as well. The more the merrier! I'm very excited about this trip!

Only this created a small problem for me. Between our upcoming trip in a couple of weeks and June 2015 is a 17 month gap. I had gotten used to the idea of our shorter annual trips and this long gap was starting to pose a problem to my Disney addiction. So that Christmas morning I asked my wife about taking a short trip during the kids' mini fall break over Halloween. Before I even finished that sentence she said "No!" Yes, that was a shock to my system. As I was recovering from that jolt of a rejection she added "I don't want to just go to Disney World all the time. It would be nice to visit other places too!" Ok, that's a fair argument that I'm sure has echoed through many of DIS households. Except we do go to other places as I reminded her - Korea this past summer, Hawaii for my Dad's 70th birthday next summer. But I kept quiet because I knew I had to formulate a better strategy to convince her of going in Halloween. I had such a great time on my solo trip I've been dying to take the kids to MNSSHP!

I've been scheming for the past couple of weeks. I needed to entice DW with something that would make this trip feel less like a Disney trip and more of a Florida trip. Then it hit me. DW has been wanting to visit her aunt and uncle who retired and moved to Port Charlotte near Fort Myers. Google Maps tells me that's only a 2.5 hour drive from Orlando! The plan began falling into place in my head. As long as we got to do MNSSHP I would be happy. This didn't need to be a full length Disney trip, just something to tidy me over and bridge the long gap. If we took DD out of school just for a couple of days and piggy back those days on to her 4 day school holiday this could work.

So here's what I proposed to DW this evening. We arrive in Orlando on the evening of Wednesday 29th and spend one night at an off site hotel at DTD. Then we check into Contemporary Resort just for two nights since our plans will mostly be concentrated at MK. Thursday night and Friday night we attend MNSSHP! The kids will get to go trick or treating ON HALLOWEEN in Magic Kingdom! Between the parties on Friday we'll take things easy. No parks. A late brunch at Ohana. Pool time. Nap time. Spa time for DW before we go to our second party. Saturday we go to DW's favorite park AK then that night drive to her aunt and uncle's where we will spend Sunday, Monday, and part of Tuesday before driving back to MCO to head home. Yes, I stacked the deck for her.

Her answer? THUMBS UP!!!

So the bottom line of this story is

We're going to Disney World for Halloween!

I'm beyond excited! Our kids will get to see Boo To You, Hallowishes, and all of the goodies that come with Halloween at Disney! We'll also get to go on the Mine Train ride which will be open by then! AND we'll get to see the new FotLK!

 

[MEK]

Yay! for a Halloween trip! We were there last year for Halloween, which happens to be DH's birthday. Next year we will be there for our anniversary which is earlier in the month. Sorry we'll be missing you, but I'm very excited your got your Halloween trip!

Fort Myer's is supposed to be lovely. I am sure you will enjoy that as well!

 

[Valgoof]

Nice work getting your October trip!! That sounds like a nice Disney/non-Disney split. We go in Feb and then probably not again until 2016. My DH thinks there are other places to visit too. Blah, blah, blah.