Incredible Mermaid Picture!

Annie Leibovitz has released a new picture in her "Disney Dream Portrait Series" with celebrities as Disney icons. Pardon any bias, but this is the best one yet. It's Ariel!!! Here, Julianne Moore plays Ariel with Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps as a merman. It's amazing!

The Other Side

Disney brings magic to the hearts of millions of guests that pass through its gates. That magic is what makes Disney special and unique and has people coming back over and over again for it. Anyone who can afford a ticket to go can experience that magic. Most don't realize it but that isn't the only type of magic that exists at Disney. There's a very different experience that you'll find behind the curtain. People say the magic ends when you cross that line, but I don't think it does. I think you get a different type of magic. There's a whole new world back there and you can't helped but to be humbled and awestruck by it. The magic that exists on the other side comes from the people there and the work they do to make dreams come true for people on both sides of the curtain. It's quite amazing! And I consider myself so lucky to finally be able to see this magic from the other side.

More Celebrity Disney

Disney just released another set of promotional photos by Annie Leibovitz, depicting celebrities as Disney characters. I love these photos.

Jessica Biel as Pocahontas.



Gisele Bundchen as Wendy Darling, Tina Fey as Tinker Bell, and Mikhail Baryshnikov as Peter Pan.



Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony as Jasmine and Aladdin.



And funny enough, Whoopi Goldberg as Genie.

Remembering Disneyland

I was going through some of my old videos and it brought back memories of my time spent in Disneyland. It's almost been a year. Hard to imagine that a big chunk of my year wasn't just spent at Walt Disney World, but it's California counterpart as well. I do miss it at times, especially when I ride Soarin' Over California (the correct name!). Here are some videos I took.

Walking Through Fantasyland After Closing:



Sleeping Beauty Castle:

Parade of Dreams to Florida!

It's being reported on a bunch of sites that Walt Disney World has purchased Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams from Disneyland and it should arrive late this year. Nothing has been said officially yet, but if this is true... SWEET!!! The Parade of Dreams is the GREATEST PARADE EVER!!! I hope they do the show stops. They're what make the parade so awesome!

*excitedly twirls around a gold ribbon*

Top 5 Fireworks Shows

The fireworks shows are some of the best things Disney has to offer. After a long day at the parks, you're treated to a magnificent spectacular, bringing together all the magic you experienced that day. These leave a lasting impression on those who see it. Some of them are alone worth the price of admission into the parks Throughout the years, I've been fortunate enough to see many of them. These are the best five that I've seen. No shows that I didn't see in person made the list, else Disneyland's amazing "Believe... in Holiday Magic" would be there.

5. Fantasy in the Sky - Magic Kingdom

This is probably a sentimental pick. Compared to the fireworks shows today, Fantasy in the Sky is dated. But it was the first Disney fireworks show I ever saw and that memory will always stay with me. My eyes still light up every time I hear its version of "The Second Star to the Right."

4. Magic, Music, and Mayhem - Magic Kingdom

This is the fireworks show from Disney's Pirate and Princess Party and I think they are the best Magic Kingdom fireworks around. Instead of using original music, it taps into beloved Disney ballads and the exciting soundtrack to Pirates of the Caribbean. It's also the only pure fireworks show that tells a story. The "Part of Your World" sequence alone is enough to make it my favorite at the Magic Kingdom, but throw in an insane pirate battle over the castle and it's just mind-blowing.

3. Fantasmic! - Disneyland

While Fantasmic! isn't a pure fireworks show, it definitely belongs in this category. What can be said about Fantasmic! that hasn't been said before? It's an incredible show bringing together fireworks, water effects, fire effects, characters, action, and a wonderful soundtrack. There are two versions of Fantasmic! I went with Disneyland's over the one at Disney-MGM Studios, since it's better and easier to see. Peter Pan and pirates beat out Pocahontas any day.

2. Remember... Dreams Come True - Disneyland

One word describes Remember... wow! Remember was the perfect show for Disneyland's 50th anniversary. It paid tribute to what Disneyland was through 50 years. Remember sent you on a journey through all of Disneyland's classic attractions, including Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, Star Tours, Indiana Jones, The Enchanted Tiki Room, and so many more. Through amazing effects tied to each attraction, you practically did everything in the park through the fireworks. And Tinkerbell's flight... pure magic!

1. IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth (Holiday Version) - Epcot

The regular version of IlumiNations is not good enough to make this list, but its holiday version not only makes it but claims the top spot. The regular version hurts itself with a rather dull couple minutes of just globe projections. The holiday version tacks on an additional 5 minutes of fireworks that more than makes up for the dull part. At the end of the regular show, the voices of the world make one final wish and the most haunting rendition of "Let There Be Peace On Earth" is played. The sequence is so well done, it send shivers down your spine. The most amazing effect of the flying dove is created through lasers and you are treated to a giant crescendo of fireworks. While Remember has much better effects, IllumiNations trumps on it on the emotional factor. This show is absolutely chilling and must be seen.

Believe... in Holiday Magic

Christmas is absolutely wonderful.

California Makeover

It looks like Disneyland's little sister is getting a makeover, a $1.1 billion makeover! Disney now seems to be admitting that they made some mistakes with Disney's California Adventure. And while I like the park, I would agree that there is just something missing from it. From my experiences, there was nothing about it that made it special, that made you want to go there. It had a few nice attractions, Soarin' Over California, Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular, and Disney Animation. But other than those, it didn't really hold much for me. Last winter, I spent two weeks in Disneyland and I hardly ever visited California Adventure. The allure of Disneyland is just so strong. California Adventure almost feels like Disneyland's ugly stepsister.

Well, it looks like times are about to change. It's just been announced that Disney plans a $1.1 billion overhaul of California Adventure. What they're aiming for now is "a second Disneyland." New lands and attractions are going to be added and the entrance of the park will be completely redone with a new hub and a new icon. The new icon is going to be a replica of Hollywood's former Carthay Circle theater, where Snow White premiered in 1937. With Disneyland's entrance bringing guests back to Walt's hometown in Missouri, California Adventure's entrance plans to take guests to Walt's arrival in Los Angeles, including an appropriate "Partners" statue. New additions included Pixar-themed attractions based off of Toy Story and Cars. Existing rides like the Sun Wheel will get a makeover. The park will also finally get a nighttime spectacular. And this is what excites me the most... a Little Mermaid ride! Anyone I've known who has had or seen the Little Mermaid Platinum DVD knows of the forgotten Little Mermaid dark ride and wishes it would have been made. Well, it looks like we're getting that wish! OMG, I am so psyched! It's going to be in Paradise Pier, which is perfect cause of the water and Ariel's Grotto already there. It looks like this overhaul is going to take about five years to complete. Gosh, that's a long wait but in my opinion, it's totally worth it!

You can see the official press release and concept art here.