The Pirates and the Frog (7/17 Welcome to the Next Adventure!)

[thecapells]

This week's been so hectic that I neglected to discuss our Disney Movie Weekend!
Shame on me.
Well, with Columbus Day, we had a 3-Day Weekend.
And to me that means DOUBLE FEATURE!!

So I went to Blockbuster for a old favorite and decided to get the modern version as well.
Now remember that X is a fanatic of anything on wheels and Cars is his favorite movie.
He would watch it every day if he could (separated by all of Mater's Tall Tales of course).
So, I figured what better surprise than to show him the original Disney Racecar - good ol' HERBIE!!!

So Friday night we sat back and watched the The Love Bug Special Edition.
The Special Edition featured some fun deleted scenes as well as some really cool extras.
There was coverage of the original Love Bug Day at Disneyland where everyone decorated VW bugs and brought them to the park.
One was selected and the owner was given their very own Herbie!!
The other special features included a documentary of the 4 original Love Bug movies as well as some specials and the TV show.
It was a nice recap for the kids and a great bonus to get more Herbie.
And we got to learn some great little trivia.
For example, did you know that The Love Bug was almost titled Thunderbug?

The 2nd half of our double feature jumped ahead many, many years.
We capped off the weekend with Herbie: Fully Loaded
Now you might not like Lindsay Lohan but the star of the movie is Herbie, not Lindsay.
And the kids loved it.
I think X really wants Herbie to meet Lightning McQueen.
And now I wish I had a Herbie die-cast vehicle since X would LOVE it.
Too bad they don't sell them anymore.

DS8 spent the whole movie trying to find the CG scenes vs. the actual car scenes.
DD5 just liked that the girl was the racecar driver in the end.

Anyway, both movies were lots of fun.
And it's crazy how a movie from 1968 can stand up so well today.
There really was something special about that little car.
And now I can't wait for the kids to see him LIVE when we try out Lights! Motor! Action! for the 1st time in January!!

 

[dawnbu40]

The Herbie tribute sounds like fun! I loved those movies as a kid

 

[TwiddleDeeTwiddleDum]

I love the part in the Herbie rides again where Nascars Jeff Gordon bewildered says something like that car just winked at me! (or something like that, it's been a while since I've watched it, now I'm going to have to pull the DVD out & see it again )

Loved the pic's in the queue waiting to see BUZZ, I don't think I realized all that was back there - inc'ing the umbrella. DS being a teen, we're usually racing through the parks like maniacs to ride the big headliners, I need to go back & "smell the roses"

 

[thecapells]

The Herbie tribute sounds like fun! I loved those movies as a kid

Herbie is definitely a new favorite for Little X.

I love the part in the Herbie rides again where Nascars Jeff Gordon bewildered says something like that car just winked at me! (or something like that, it's been a while since I've watched it, now I'm going to have to pull the DVD out & see it again )

Loved the pic's in the queue waiting to see BUZZ, I don't think I realized all that was back there - inc'ing the umbrella. DS being a teen, we're usually racing through the parks like maniacs to ride the big headliners, I need to go back & "smell the roses"

Yeah, the scene where Herbie winked at Jeff Gordon was rather funny.
We had to explain that one to the kids.

As for the details in the parks, to me that's Disney.
Noone else takes the time to be that meticulous.
And since I'm not a coaster guy, it's these details that keep me coming back.

 

[thecapells]

Speaking of racers owned by the mouse, when last we met, me crew and me were heading towards some engine noises.
It seems that we had entered a new section of this park and it be called Radiator Springs.

Nestled in this little town was a shop of sorts.
It seemed to be owned by those Spanish Pirate Lords – and one in particular named Luigi.
He welcomed us to his Casa Della Tires and a special SALE – apparently he was willing to deal his wares today for cheaper prices – we were in luck.

However, Luigi’s booty was not why we were here.
With travellin’ music blaring from hidden speakers, we could still hear the roar of engines.
The first mate was the first on the scene.
As the sun glared through the windows of Luigi’s store, our brave explorer held his own with two metallic monstrosities!

A closer look showed that he was making friends with the red painted one.
Apparently this creation was called Lightning McQueen.

The First Mate signaled his okay and the rest of the crew descended on the trading post.
X was intrigued by the red beast as he’s heard many tales of this roaring hero.
In fact, in the entire World of the Rodent, this was his favorite character.
Hence, the uniforms the Fair Maiden picked for us this fine day.
We had hoped they would allow us to pay homage to these constructions and fit in.
However, X could not keep his hands off of his metallic hero.

Still “petting” the crimson car, X was in heaven.
And those khaki clad sorcerers did not miss a beat as they began taking portraits as well.

And even got X to look away from his hero for a mere second.

Finally it was time to move on.
As we inched away from the vehicles though, a strange thing happened.
Brave Little X could not handle a departure from these legends whom he has spent so much time watching and dreaming about.
He broke into uncontrollable tears screaming “Again!” “Again!”
We could not bear our littlest mate in such anguish.
The Fair Maiden clutched little X in her arms to ease his mind and we decided to belay the order for shoving off.
We entered the queue once again and the two elder crewmen headed for the sign.

When it was our turn to pay homage once again, the Fair Maiden held tight and X attempted to launch from her arms and onto the hood of Lightning.

The Fair Maiden won that battle and it was then that X turned and noticed Lightning’s sidekick.
A rusting old contraption called Tow Mater.

Also revving his engine, X was one happy camper.

Once again, the waterworks ensued as we departed Luigi’s.
Luckily, we had some more fun in store for the crew with our next destination.
It was exploring time once again me hearties.
This time, we were off to a land where the misses and I could blend in better with our carefully crafted costumes.
Show Your Colors Mateys and get ready to pillage a fine establishment for some souvenirs of ye own!

 

[dawnbu40]

It must have been so exciting for X to meet his hero and then so hard to have to say goodbye!

Great pictures!

 

[TwiddleDeeTwiddleDum]

Awww, X loved Lightening McQueen soooo much he didn't even notice TOW-Mator the first time around

How great your crew was willing to go through the line again for another meet & greet for little X

I hope whatever comes next made up for those buckets of tears as you had to peal him away

Maybe a little time over at Honey I shrunk the kids playset to work off some energy?

 

[All7OfUs]

Tow Mater is one of my very favorite Pixar characters! I wish I had had time to pay him some homage myself.

 

[dtr_angel]

oh man, your kids are going to love the Lights Motor Action show in January!

 

[thecapells]

It must have been so exciting for X to meet his hero and then so hard to have to say goodbye!

Great pictures!

Yeah, it was tough walking away - even the 2nd time.
X can watch Cars nonstop for 24 hours if you let him...

Awww, X loved Lightening McQueen soooo much he didn't even notice TOW-Mator the first time around

How great your crew was willing to go through the line again for another meet & greet for little X

I hope whatever comes next made up for those buckets of tears as you had to peal him away

Maybe a little time over at Honey I shrunk the kids playset to work off some energy?

Nice guess, but we had a stop to make first!

Tow Mater is one of my very favorite Pixar characters! I wish I had had time to pay him some homage myself.

X has grown more attached to him after getting addicted to the Mater Tall Tales shorts on the Disney Channel.

oh man, your kids are going to love the Lights Motor Action show in January!

So I've heard.
I've never actually seen it myself yet but I imagine it'll be right up X's alley!

 

[thecapells]

This past weekend's Disney Movie Countdown was a big hit.
We chose Mom's favorite Disney movie and one the kids have never seen all the way through.
And we chose it because, all of a sudden, the kids need to become familiar with the main characters.

With the return of the Main Street Electrical Parade, the kids will get to experience something they've never seen.
But to make it worthwhile, it would help to know all the characters.
And when this enormous, smoke-breathing, electrical dragon arrives with a little boy riding it,
I think they might want to do what this has to do with Disney!
So, this week, we popped in the classic Pete's Dragon.

It's a little slow to hold the attention of the kids today but they made it through.
The songs were a bit reminiscent of Broadway and the kids didn't get too into them.
However, they liked some of the dance numbers including the bar sequence where everyone danced on barrels.

But the shining star was the lovable, invisible-most-of-the-time dragon.
Our Imagineer (DS8) spent the movie trying to figure out how a fat dragon can fly with such little wings.
That, and how a kid could interact with a cartoon and how whenever Pete threw something to Elliot,
it magically turned into a cartoon when it got there.
Our Little One (DS3) just was happy to see a dragon dancing around.
And Our Princess (DD6) was all about counting the amount of kisses that occurred in the movie.
(I think her tally was 4 including dragon kisses).

All in all, a good flick and very entertaining.
And now we're ready for the kids first experience with the Main Street Electrical Parade!
Can't you just hear the Baroque Hoedown?!?!

 

[thecapells]

That's right me hearties!!

Today marks the 6th Birthday of me Pirate Princess!!

All Hands on Deck!
Show Your Colors, Hoist the Sails, and Sing Her a Sea Shanty!
(and don't forget to throw in some pieces of eight!!)







​

 

[dawnbu40]

Happy Birthday Princess Rayna!!

 

[boxmaster]

I was remiss in not paying tribute on the appropriate day.

Happy Birthday, Ray!



--"Unca" J

 

[thecapells]

Resisting the siren song of the red beast, we dragged X away from Luigi’s.
But as we moved on we noticed a giant swine staring down at us as we entered the next area of the park.

This is what our Fair Maiden had planned for as she took center stage next to the green skinned captain of the motley crew that dwelled here.

She was obviously paying tribute to the emerald leader with her attire.
Being royalty, the Pirate Princess found it necessary to join our maiden in tribute.

Nearby, we found an homage to the jade amphibian along with splattered paint from what appears to be a giant misfortune involving paint cans.

The Pirate Princess, however, wanted nothing to do with such a mess.
Instead she made her way to a glorious gazebo nearby and posed.

In true Disney fashion, the pose and song of the princess enchanted the nearby animals and we received a visit from this gentle creature.

But we found this area strange indeed.
It was littered with random bits of scenery.
Twas almost like they were staging a play of sorts with many different backgrounds.
From a gazebo to an odd contraption that actually flashed lights…

Me and me crew were indeed confused so we entered the establishment.
Twas more like an Inn than a shoppe but I heard tell that the locals called this the Happiness Hotel.

The proclamations on the walls were even more strange.
For it seems only poultry could enter certain areas of this trading post.

However, we paid no heed and pressed on.
We are scallywags after all.
And then, all of a sudden, we reached World’s End.
This must be the place we heard Cap’n Jack Sparrow tell tale of…

We quickly departed not wanted to fall off the edge of the Earth.
Heading around a corner we entered a peculiar courtyard.
On one side was a new galley geared towards an Italian delicacy but adorned with that Ranger from earlier in the day.

In the center was a majestic fountain.
This would prove the ultimate portrait location for me and me maiden’s wardrobe for the day:

Looking closer though, me crew was eagle-eyed.
They noted 3 separate tributes to the Mouse hidden within the tides of the fountain…

On the far side of the courtyard was another building that seemed filled with offices of the amphibious Captain Kermit.
His crew seemed vicious indeed

A sign was posted describing the warehouse and its contents.
I fear there is more than meets the eye here and the crew could be waiting in the wings for us.
Alas, we headed into their lair with swords unsheathed prepared to do battle.

We crept down a narrow hallway into a large warehouse of supplies.
This crew of Muppets (that’s what they call themselves) was amassing an enormous armory.
After a message from those same Muppets we were ushered into a large theatre and handed special eyeware.
We cautiously placed the glasses on and prepared for some sort of sneak attack.

X stayed close to his captain but was also on the lookout

Then the orchestra began.
Surprisingly it consisted entirely of enchanted penguins.
A weird place we had stumbled upon indeed.
The Jade General of this hodgepodge crew appeared on the screen and invited us into his inner sanctum...
That was the locale wherein his chief alchemists were hard at work developing new weapons.
And shiver me timbers – what a weapon they created.
A small creature exploded forth from the screen named Waldo.
It was he that would be the demise of us all!
He ravaged the mortals on the screen and even convinced a tiny bunny to run away into oblivion.
However, the Muppet Crew did not take to that too kindly as they unleashed a large scout among us.
“Sweet-Ums”, they called him, and it wasn’t long until we found the AWOL bunny together.
He had made his last stand in the balcony across from two old gentlemen screaming insults.
Alas, the bunny would be saved and invited back onto the screen.
But Waldo would not. He instigated a huge war to break out in the theatre itself.
Fireworks exploded and caught the attention of the projectionist – the galley chef of this mayhem.
He in turn launched an attack on the screen which the penguins took as an act of war.
They responded with a canon blowing holes in the hull of the theatre.
The Chef upgraded his weaponry and returned fire.
Before long, the destruction was complete and the Frog bid us adieu.
And I thought me crew was a bunch of hot heads!

Outside the facility, we found another homage to the green leader.
After what we just survived, we thought it be fitting to sit for a portrait.
So one by one we paid tribute to Kermit and his last stand.

By now my crew’s blood was boiling.
They had seen enough and they wanted some adventure of their own!
If adventure be what they crave, adventure is what they shall receive!
Aye, I had just the port in mind – it even had Adventure in its name!
Stay tuned me hearties, it’s time to let me crew loose!

 

[thecapells]

Happy Birthday Princess Rayna!!

I was remiss in not paying tribute on the appropriate day.

Happy Birthday, Ray!



--"Unca" J

Thanks guys!
I'll have to have Ray read this bit of the TR for her kudos!!

 

[EeyoreEma]

Finally all caught up - more great pictures and tales!

Happy Belated Birthday to Ray!

 

[dawnbu40]

Great update!

Your love of the Muppets attraction definitely shines through

The picture of little X in those glasses is adorable! What a cutie!

 

[thecapells]

Finally all caught up - more great pictures and tales!

Happy Belated Birthday to Ray!

Glad you're caught up!
Now I need to get going on some more tales!!

Great update!

Your love of the Muppets attraction definitely shines through

The picture of little X in those glasses is adorable! What a cutie!

How can you not love the Muppets?
This one is definitely a must do every trip and we all look forward to it.
I was pretty happy that we even found matching wardrobe for the occasion!

 

[TheCapellsMom]

WOW- this "Birthday Week" has been FULL of special things for our Princess!!!

We ate birthday dinner (twice), opened birthday presents (too many), read birthday cards, baked & decorated birthday cupcakes (24 large & 72 minis),
read birthday books, and tonight we will be watching her birthday movie!!!

Any guesses what's on the big screen at our house tonight?

Today was Rayna's PARTY DAY and we all had a blast!
All 5 of us jumped in the bounce house and climbed in the obstacle course because we pirates sure know how to have fun!

Hopefully now I will be able to get back to the DisBoards and join the conversation more often...
at least until the Thanksgiving, Chanukkah & Christmas planning begins.