This is for Basil

Based on the children's book series Basil of Baker Street by Eve Titus, it draws heavily on the tradition of Sherlock Holmes with a heroic mouse who consciously emulates the detective; Titus named the main character after actor Basil Rathbone, who is best remembered for playing Holmes in film (and whose voice, sampled from the Red-Headed League, was the voice of Holmes in this film, 19 years after his death). Interestingly, Sherlock Holmes also mentions "Basil" as one of his aliases in the Conan Doyle story "The Adventure of Black Peter".

The main characters are all mice and rats living in Victorian London. The layouts were done on computers, and the use of video cameras made a digital version of pencil testing possible. The movie is also notable for its early use of computer generated imagery (CGI) for a chase scene that takes place in the interior of Big Ben. The movements of the clock's gears were produced as wire-frame graphics on a computer, printed out and traced onto animation cells where colors and the characters were added. The Great Mouse Detective is sometimes cited as the first animated film from Disney to use CGI; in reality, 1985's The Black Cauldron has this distinction. This film did fairly well at the box office and got warm reviews from critics (including a "two thumbs up" rating from critics Siskel and Ebert), a welcome change after the previous Disney flop The Black Cauldron. Its moderate success after its predecessor's failure gave the new management of Disney confidence in the viability of their animation department. This led to creation of The Little Mermaid, released three years later, which signaled a renaissance for Walt Disney Productions even though this film is usually "underrated" and "underappreciated" by Walt Disney, which focuses more on its original and newer films.

Figment Pigment Product Release

Product Release: Walt Disney Classics Collection Premiere, Figment Pigment
Release Date: Saturday, April 26
Release Location: Art of Disney, Epcot®

Figment Pigment:
Color your imagination with Figment!
That impulsive imp figment is up to his imaginative tricks again, spreading the vibrant colors of creativity everywhere. The adorable purple dragon pops up again in this new Walt Disney Classics Collection, appearing as an artist playfully employing all the pigments of the imagination, just as he appeared in the original Epcot® Attraction, Journey into Imagination. Loveable, unpredictable Figment is a classic symbol of Epcot® and is available exclusively in the Disney Theme Parks. A limited number of the Figment Pigment sculpture will be available the day of the release.

Product Information:
Sculpted by Jacqueline Perrault Gonzales, Figment Pigment is a Numbered Limited Edition of 750 pieces that will be available exclusively at Disney Theme Parks. Figment is hand-crafted in fine porcelain and 'plussed' with metallic silver paint..

Pre-Order Opportunity:
A special pre-ordering opportunity will be available to guests who are unable to attend the product release on Saturday, April 26. Guests who would like to purchase the Walt Disney Classics Collection Sculpture, Figment Pigment, are encouraged to call Walt Disney Event Services to pre-order the sculpture before it is released in Epcot® on April 26.
The charge will appear on your credit card bill as "Walt Disney Event Services."
Limit two sculptures per person.
Please note: Applicable shipping fees and tax apply to all orders. Limit two (2) sculptures per person.

Walt Disney Event Services

407-827-7600

Monday – Friday

9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Night Time at WDW

Hey there everyone. I'm glad to see that you all enjoy the post yesterday. I had fun making the tower of terror overlayed in tie dye. Anyways, onto today's topic. Visiting any of the parks in WDW at night is a not miss attraction in itself. The way that they light everything makes it a totally different experience than it is during the day. I would say besides Main Street, Epcot has to be my favorite night time park. On top of World Showcase at night, you have Future World, Spaceship Earth, and the Fountain of Nations that are all lit beautifully. I can't wait to get there and see it all. Also, I wanted to put the call out, does anyone know what Disney's policy is with bringing tripods into the parks? I would like to try and bring a tripod in so I can get some good night shots in the park. If anyone knows or knows where to point in the right direction, please let me know. Later.

Painting the Tower Tie Die

Hey everyone, you heard it right. I'm painting the Tower of Terror Tie Die with my first ride coming up in June. I know, I know, I've never ridden it. But I'm going to keep telling myself that I'm going to do it. I've have some good support on the AATM forums. If there is anyone in the area that would like to come out, that's fine with me. Just let me know. Maybe we can make a mini meet out of it. Later.

Just a Reminder

Hey there everyone. I just wanted to remind everyone that April 29th, the special edition Saludos Amigos/Three Caballeros dvd hits stores. They will be beautifully remastered and I hope there will be some cool bonus features. I will of course review it when it comes out. So now I put this out for everyone. What would everyone like to hear about? Review on movies, music, attractions, parades, you let me know. I want this to be interactive with my visiters and I want to know what you think. Thanks everyone. Later.

It Was All Started By a Mouse

The more that you think about, the more you realize how grand WDW really is. I mean just think of that ever present line throughout Disney history. It was all started by a mouse. A wonderful cartoon character that brought life to entertainment and in turn, brought happiness to millions of people world wide through the theme parks. A character drawn a plane ride turned into an entertainment enterprise that never ceases to amaze me. Just go be at WDW and realize that this is one five disney resort in the world. That's one of the great things that keeps me coming back, is that a little black and white mouse still gets us excited to go out to wdw, spend time with our families and friends, and just have fun with no worries. So I hope that you enjoy this picture of all of our favorite mouse in Steamboat Willie. 70 days and counting! Later.

Monorails

So I think another thing that makes WDW so different from other parks and resorts is the Monorail. I mean, where else in the U.S. do you know that you can ride one of these things. I can't go a trip without riding. I usually make the Magic Kingdom loop, visit the Poly, then walk to the TTC and hitch a ride to Epcot. There is just something about these that we all just associate with WDW. So if think we need to try and construct a meet when I go down. I think it would be fun. Let me know what you think. 74 days and counting! Later.

Something about Sunsets

Hey there everyone. The week is halfway over and that makes me happy. It's been a rough couple of weeks with being busy at work. But I just have to keep planning my trip and everything will be alright. Looking for a picture for today, I came across this one. Is it just me, or do the sunsets when you are in wdw just seem a little bit better? Maybe it's the fact that when you are there you are always in a great mood. That just makes them a bit more special. It's like nature is ending your day at a Disney park perfectly. I can't wait. 75 days and counting. Later.

I Love the Nonsense

"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn’t. And contrariwise, what it is, it wouldn’t be, and what it wouldn’t be, it would. You see?" Alice said that to Dina just before she dropped down the rabbit hole. That kind of got me thinking about WDW. There is so much there that it is on the edge of nonsense. But who doesn't love that! Just the shear scope of how big wdw is blows my mind every time I see it. Take today's wallpaper, it's a map of WDW.  Fort Wilderness is number 2 on this map. That Just goes to show you how small of a part that one resort is to the vastness of wdw. I can't wait! Later.

Expedition Everest

Expedition Everest is often compared to the 1959 Matterhorn Bobsleds roller coaster at Disneyland, which also features a snowy mountain setting and an "abominable snowman" figure throughout the ride.

Although moderate in height and length by contemporary roller coaster standards, Expedition Everest is unique for having its trains travel forward and backward as a result of the yeti's interference with the journey. This is accomplished through two sets of rotating track segments on pivot before and after the backwards segment. In its publicity material, Disney pointedly has described the attraction as a family thrill ride.

Expedition Everest is the tallest of the artificial mountains at Walt Disney World Resort, joining Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Mount Gushmore, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and Mount Mayday on the list of Disney-built peaks. According to Imagineering, it is Disney's 18th mountain-themed attraction. If the Expedition Everest mountain were real, it would be ranked fourth on the list of the highest summits in florida at 320 feet (98 m) above sea level.

The artificial mountain is not a reproduction of Mount Everest; it is the fictional "forbidden mountain" guarded by the yeti in the attraction story created by Walt Disney Imagineering. Everest is represented by the barren background peak on the far right, which is meant to suggest it is far in the distance (an example of forced perspective). The attraction's conceit is that the roller coaster is a passenger train offering a speedy route through the Himalayas to the base of Mount Everest.

According to Disney, the attraction occupies 6.2 acre in the park's Asia section and the mountain itself is just shy of one acre.

Expedition Everest celebrated its grand opening on April 7, 2006 in ceremonies led by Disney CEO Bob Iger and theme parks chairman Jay Rasulo. The attraction first was announced publicly on April 22, 2003, during an event to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Disney's Animal Kingdom.

I am so excited about riding this attraction when I go down to WDW. I haven't gotten to ride it yet since it was still under construction the last time I was there. I will of course have a full review in my trip report following my trip. Later.

Epcot

Hey there everyone. Who's glad that's it's friday because I sure am. I've had a pretty busy week at work and I'm looking forward to a break. Anyways, I was trying to think of a topic for today and then I thought of something, my favorite park. It would definitely have to be Epcot. Just watching the way it's evolved over the years that I've been there is enough for me. I love world showcase, the fact that you can visit different lands that you may not ever visit otherwise. It always impressed me especially when I was younger that everyone who works at each country is actually from that country. I don't think that there is an attraction at Epcot that I don't enjoy. There are some that I would like to bring back of course (Horizons, Journey into Imagination). I can't wait to ride the new Spacehship Earth and The Seas with Nemo and Friends. I believe the two restaurants we are eating at there are the Coral Reef and the San Angel Inn in the Mexico pavilion. Speaking of Mexico, I forgot about the Grand Fiesta Tour attraction. I love the Three Caballeros and I am so excited that they are featured in an attraction. So anyways, today's wallpaper is two of my favorites about Epcot. The loop you take when you get there on the monorail always gets me so excited to get inside the park. And it's riding by one of my favorite places, the fountains at the imagination pavilion. I just can't wait. Only 80 days and counting! Later.

It's the Little Things That Count

Behold! One of WDW's most advanced free-roaming audio animatronics. They make these ducks look so real! But no, seriously, these ducks are always cool to see in WDW. I mean, not only do we all feel safe roaming around the parks, the animals do to. It's always nice to see ducks and other various animals roaming around in WDW. The last time we were down at the world staying in the Fort Wilderness Cabins (2001), we woke up one morning and on our way out to the parks we found a peacock on the roof of our cabin. It's funny that the little things that you always notice when you are in WDW. Even if it's as simple as a duck, it's just another reason I love going to WDW. Hope you enjoy the picture. Later.

More Animal Kingdom and Photos

Hey there everyone. I was going through my pictures from WDW in 2005 and came across some more pictures. This time they are of the tigers in the Pangani Trail. I love their area, you get a nice big view and they have to nice water feature. These are two of my favorite pictures because I got them so close. Again, if anyone has good places that they would like to share for taking pictures of the park, I would love to hear them. I would like to get as many good pictures as I can this trip. Well hope you enjoy these two awesome tigers. Later.

Animal Kingdom

Hey there everyone. Hope everyone enjoyed my review of Dalmatians yesterday. I enjoyed doing to research because I was finding things out I didn't know as well. So anyways, on to today. So where is the hardest place to take good pictures in WDW? Kilimanjaro Safaris at the Animal Kingdom is my pick. I mean, that's not counting dark rides and such. Just because your vehicle is almost constantly moving, bumping around, and almost falling off bridges the whole time. But the times you do stop, all you can do is start snapping pictures of anything that might be around you. Usually every time I've been on it, there are always those favorite pictures that you get while riding. This picture is from when we were down in 2005. We stopped right in front of the rocks and I had the end seat on the left side of the vehicle. What do I see straight ahead and about 50 feet out from me than a male lion. He was sleeping on the rocks in the shade and it was just a perfect picture. It was kind of surreal knowing that if that lion really wanted to that he could probably leap in the vehicle with us. But still, it's Disney and they make you feel safe while your in the parks. But I hope that you all enjoy this picture (also wallpaper size) of male african lion in the Animal Kingdom. If anyone has any good photo spots through out the parks, please let me know. I like taking lots of pictures when I'm down. Later.

One Hundred and One Dalmatians

101 Dalmatians is the 17^th animated feature in the Disney animated movie cannon. It was made and produced by Walt Disney, and it was originally released to theaters on 1/25/1961 by Buena Vista Distribution. It is based on the novel The One Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith.

The film features Rod Taylor the voice of Pongo, and Betty Lou Gerson as the voice of Cruella De Vil. The plot centers on the fate of the kidnapped puppies of Pongo and Perdita.

The production of the film signaled a change in the graphic style of Disney's animation. This occurred with the introduction of Xerography which eased graphic reproduction requirements, but at the price of being unable to deviate from a scratchy outline style because of the new (and time and money saving) technology's limitations, recognizable by its thick black lines. Since the line would not have fit the "round" Disney drawing style used until then (with the exception of Zleeping Beauty), a more graphic, angular style was chosen for this and subsequent films.

Another reason for its look was that the animators themselves was used to produce drawings which were very sketchy, as the clean-up was taken care of by those who transferred the drawings to the cells. With the hand inkers gone, the animation ended up the way the animators drew them on paper. Later it became common to do clean-up on paper before the animation was xeroxed, and with time and more experience the process improved also in this area.

The technology change also happened when Disney cut its animation department after the economical failure of the very expensive Sleeping Beauty, resulting in a reduction of staff from well over 500 to less than 100 and fewer resources put into the movies. Walt Disney, who at this point had started to direct his attention more towards television and his Disneyland amusement park and less on his animated features, disliked this development. The "sketchy" graphic style would, however, remain the norm at Disney for years until the technology improved prior to the release of The Rescuers to allow a softer look. In later animated features the Xeroxed lines could be printed in different colors. Unlike many other Walt Disney animated features, One Hundred and One Dalmatians features very few songs, only three, with just one, "Cruella De Vil", playing a big part in the film (ironic, considering that Roger was a professional songwriter). Even this song isn't sung in one setting (a scene between Cruella and Anita splits it into two parts). The other two songs are Kanine Krunchies Jingle, and Dalmatian Plantation, of which only two lines are sung as the film's closer. The MPAA was close to re-rating this movie due to the new criteria about smoking.

This new dvd has been restored masterfully and the new color can be noticed throughout the entire film. It puts this classic Disney story into a whole new light. It’s almost like you are seeing it for the first time. It has a lot of bonus features, I haven’t gotten through all of them. But the ones I have seen are very interesting as they go into depth about the new technology and how this movie, as opposed to other animated features Disney had done in the past, was very contemporary in it’s style. A great story, and great movie, and a must have dvd for your collection. Later.

Mickey, Walt, and Weekends

Hey everyone. Who's happy it's friday? Me! That's who. I've had a very long week and I'm just glad it's almost over. So I found out that the week we are down at WDW, stars wars weekends start. I'm not sure how to feel about that. It would be very cool to go to, but the crowds are what I'm worried about. I'd like to get there friday and see about getting one the special edition big-figs. But I think my main Studios day will be earlier in the week. I think that would be easier on everyone since the crowds will already be pretty high. So anyways, I found this picture when I was disney site surfing one day. It really reminding me of that picture of Walt drawing in his uncle's shed when he first moved out to California. But that's what I think it's trying to portray so they did a good job. It's a great ode to Mickey Mouse and an even better ode to the man himself, Walt Disney. Later.

Things I Can't Wait For

Hey everyone. Just a couple of things today. I was thinking about things I couldn't wait to see and that's what sparked yesterday's post. I figured it would be a nice thing to discuss and it will keep me as excited as I already am for our upcoming trip. So, another thing I cannot wait to see is Spaceship Earth. It's just an awesome building even though it looks very simple. This is a picture I took the last time we were down in wdw. I was just walking out from under it when I thought it might be cool to take a picture straight up. So that's Spaceship Earth from the bottom up. Enjoy and see you all tomorrow. Later.

Snow Makes Me Want To Be In WDW!

Hey everyone. So it snowed here yesterday, a lot. We got 11 inches where I work and my usually 1 hour drive home turned into a 4 hour ride home. It was not fun. But that just makes me more excited to go down to WDW. I can't wait to be in one of my favorite places at night, Main Street U.S.A. I love the every park any time of the day, but there is something about Main Street at night that I have always loved. But anyways, here is a wonderful picture of just such  a setting. I love having this as my wallpaper because it always makes me smile. Enjoy! Later.

Tower of Terror?

So today, it's snowing here in wonderful Missouri. We are supposed to get 3 to 8 inches by about the three o'clock. But whatever, lets get  to the good stuff. So I have to talk to a couple people and see what's going on, some of you should know who you are because you put the idea in my head. I was thinking about having a small meet, maybe with All About the Mouse there, for my first ride on the Tower of Terror. Yeah, I know, I've never ridden it before. But this came up on the boards and some one suggested, I won't name any names (rae), that we meet up and ride it. So that got me thinking, maybe I could talk to Bryan from AATM and see if he wants to kind of sponsor this meet. Just in that he can help get the word out and just to be there to hang out with whatever day we would decide to do it. I don't know. What do you guys think? Could we get a small band of people together for an AATM Hippy Tye-Dye Tower Meet? Let's figure it out. Speaking of the TOT, that is our wallpaper today. I really like this one because it makes the Tower looks so dark yet beautiful. Hope you all enjoy and weigh about a possible meet in June. Later.

Main Street Station and Food

Hey there everyone. Hope everyone one had a wonderful weekend as I did. Just a couple things today. We were making some plans for dinner reservations for a wdw trip coming up. We are making an ADR for lunch at the Coral Reef for my brother since he is graduating high school this year and that's where he wants to go. Then we are making an ADR for an early dinner at Le Cellier. Other ideas include Tony's in the Magic Kingdom, and pretty much anything else that we come across that sounds good. Suggestions are welcome. Also I have another wallpaper for everyone. This is one of my favorite pictures that I took last time we were down of the Main Street Station. It was a little overcast which meant all the colors of the station come out nicely. Hope you enjoy. Later.