General

The tour takes a detour … Which (in the end) wasn’t necessarily a bad thing

JHM guest writer Uncle Skippy recounts what it was to be a member of that infamous tour group. Which started out as having Jim Hill as its host … only to wind up taking the ” A Walk in Walt’s Footsteps” tour instead.

Published

20 years ago

March 21, 2005

Jim Hill

Howdy, folks!

I’m Uncle Skippy, a new kid on the block and Jim’s west coast mole. I thought I’d start my brilliant and illustrious career as a JHM guest writer with a short review of the “Walking in Walt’s Footsteps” that I took at Disneyland this past Sunday afternoon. But — in the “make a short story long” tradition of our fearless leader (Sorry, boss) — I’m going to tell you a story before I tell you about this somewhat infamous tour.

I’m cheap. Incredibly cheap. Miserly cheap. I’d like to call it frugal but I’d be lying. (Remember this when we’re having lunch together. You’ve been warned.) It is in my miserly spirit that my wife and I took our first trip to New York. It was a working vacation; a few days of business and one day for sightseeing. The trip turned into a mini vacation because work paid for one ticket and accumulated airline points paid for the other (Told you I was cheap).

Because we only had one day for touristy stuff and a car in Manhattan seemed like a bad idea, we decided to try our first bus tour. The bus tour is a fairly common concept. A group of out-of-town suckers board a bus with non-working TV monitors designed only to fracture the skull of the preoccupied and the tall. This rolling luxury palace will take you on a round trip tour of all the major tourist attractions. At each major sight, you have the option of getting off and spending money on fake Gucci bags and knock-off Ray Bans or continuing on in a seat not wide enough for Barbie. Each bus has its own tour guide and if they’re too wordy or not wordy enough, you can step off the bus and wait for the next one. Your tour, your speed, your pace. As we’re about to buy our tickets and board the bus, my brilliant wife suggests we upgrade and add the nighttime tour of New York. In a jet-lag moment and, giddy from taxi exhaust, I said yes.

In spite of cramming my double wide girth in a single wide seat over and over, the tour was a great experience. (Ha! And you thought I was going to say it sucked!) We boarded and departed buses all day. Every tour guide knew their stuff and we didn’t have to get lost in Manhattan. As for the night tour, it was even better. (Double ha!) The guide had the bus driver stop on the edge of Little Italy and as a group we schlepped four blocks to eat authentic Cannoli.

Now what’s the purpose of this story you ask? Well boys and girls, Uncle Skippy learned that cheaper isn’t always better. I haven’t completely changed my miserly ways (you’re still paying for lunch if we go). But it opened my eyes to trying a few things on vacation. While I think the MasterCard ad guys are the spawn of Satan for using a campaign that makes you ashamed of not spending little Johnny’s college tuition on hot dogs and souvenirs at a baseball game, I do admit that, once in a while, a few extra bucks can make some MasterCard memories. This brings me to the guided tours at Disneyland.

The tours at Disneyland are like bus tours. If you don’t know your way around the park or know any of its history, a Disneyland tour with knowledgeable and perky tour guides can be a great help. Besides the basic tour package that will get you to the front of the line at a few high attendance rides, Disneyland also offers specialized tours like “Walt’s Footsteps.”

“A Walk In Walt’s Footsteps” is a 3 1/2 hour tour designed to show you a clean, shiny authorized Disney version of Disneyland in its golden age from opening day in 1955 to Walt’s death in 1966. A highlight of the tour is a visit to the downstairs entrance to Club 33, Disneyland’s exclusive membership only restaurant in New Orleans Square. The Tour concludes with lunch at the Golden Horseshoe Revue and an exclusive tour pin.

A historical tour of Disneyland always sounded interesting to me. But my inner Scrooge couldn’t get past the $49 dollar price tag. I’ve lived in Southern California much of my life and I go to the park frequently. What could they show me that I hadn’t already heard or seen? A history tour seemed like a waste, unless, of course, I could get a tour for free. Little did I know I was going to get my wish the hard way.

I was on Jim Hill’s last Disneyland tour for the weekend when — 20 minutes into the tour — Mouse House security suddenly shuts down Jim’s tour and offers everyone the official Disney sanctioned “A Walk in Walt’s Footsteps” tour at no charge. Ooookay. A weird move on Disney’s part … But who am I to pass up free stuff? The following is my highly subjective observations of Sunday’s tour.

In the tour group were seven regulars from this very site, obviously brilliant folks of impeccable taste already interested in the parks history. We were all on Jim’s tour when Mickey decided we needed an “upgrade.” The hostess for our Disney sanctioned tour was Lera R., a three year tour veteran from Ontario, California with a vast knowledge of company lore. Lera was all the good stuff you expect from a Disney cast member: bright, personable, sincere and witty. She gets big points for witty.

A sampling of some of the things on the tour included:

A short history of Walt’s career from Mickey Mouse to the Magic Kingdom
The significance of the second story windows on Main Street
A VIP dining area Walt used before Club 33 was built
A short history of uniforms and costume
Theme park tricks like forced perspective
Examples of Walt’s theme park philosophies
The story of Snow White’s grotto
Park design and Walt’s meticulous attention to detail
More Hidden Mickeys than I will ever care to see again
Walt and Roy Disney’s two apartments in the park
A backstage peek at the Tiki Room (you stay for the show)
A history of Club 33 and a look at the ground floor
Lunch at the Golden Horseshoe topped off with one of Walt’s favorite desserts
An exclusive tour pin

Not surprisingly, the tour began on Main Street, moved to Plaza Gardens, bounced to the hub, zipped into Fantasyland, sauntered to Tomorrowland and … Well, you get the picture. We moved to many new locations. At the Tiki Room, we were brought in between shows to see one of the audio-animatronic flowers up close and personal. This was followed by a trip to the first floor of Club 33 and then more bouncing and zipping before ending with lunch at the Golden Horseshoe.

Now, would I recommend the tour to JHM regulars? Yes and no. If four or more of the bulleted activities I’ve mentioned above are topics you don’t know about … Then sure. Why not? Those in my group had a cross section of Disney knowledge and everyone enjoyed themselves. Since they feed you a piece of cheesecake as big as your head, it could have been the sugar talking … But I think a good time was had by all. Even an ubergeek, know-it-all like me learned a few new things. The tour does cover the high points of authorized Disney Company History 101.

If you’ve read “Walt Disney: An American Original,” “Disneyland: the Nickel Tour,” or “Disneyland: Inside Story,” … Well, you’ve heard most of it before and you’re spending $49 bucks for a croissant sandwich and a pin. That’s a bit much even by Disney event standards.

If you decide to take the tour or are sweet talked into going by out-of-town relatives, I have a couple tips to enhance your experience:

Comfortable shoes: This is something I wouldn’t think anyone should have to recommend at a theme park but I have seen some of the most torturous and diabolical footwear worn in the park in the name of style. You walk a lot on this tour (hence the name “Walking in Walt’s Footsteps”). So comfortable shoes are a must.

Get a big group: I took the tour with seven other fun, interesting, intelligent readers from this very site and I know it made all the difference in the world. An entire group of fun loving people will hopefully give you those MasterCard memories you’re paying for.

Come with questions: No, I don’t mean play “Stump the Tour Guide.” I’m not talking about asking minutia you already know the answer to, I mean think of the stuff you’re curious about and ask those questions. Lera was full of answers. She knew names, dates, heights and weights beyond her pre-programmed spiel. Which made the tour that much better, especially for those of us who were familiar with the Disney version of Walt’s Disneyland.

While the whole ‘Security-rolling-up-its-newspaper-and-swatting-Jim-on-the-nose’ thing was uncalled for, the “Footsteps” tour wasn’t bad. I would have been mildly disappointed if I had paid for it. But — to be honest — it wasn’t designed for me. It was for those with lots of discretionary income who are looking for a high tone experience but only have rudimentary knowledge of the park.

One thing I can say with some assurance about that I probably enjoyed my Sunday-in-the-park more than Jim did. That and — given the number of chins that Hill’s beard hides — I’m betting that we would have enjoyed that cheesecake.

The comments and opinions listed above do not reflect those of the management of JimHillMedia.com. Unless — of course — you violently disagree with them. In that case … Well … Jim made me say this. This whole thing is Hill’s fault.

For further information on Disneyland’s “A Walk in Walt’s Footsteps” tour, JHM suggests that you follow this link.

General

Seward Johnson bronzes add a surreal, artistic touch to NYC’s Garment District

Published

10 years ago

June 23, 2015

Jim Hill

Greetings from NYC. Nancy and I drove down from New
Hampshire yesterday because we'll be checking out
Disney Consumer Products' annual Holiday Showcase later today.

Anyway … After checking into our hotel (i.e., The Paul.
Which is located down in NYC's NoMad district), we decided to grab some dinner.
Which is how we wound up at the Melt Shop.

Photo by Jim Hill

Which is this restaurant that only sells grilled cheese sandwiches.
This comfort food was delicious, but kind of on the heavy side.

Photo by Jim Hill

Which is why — given that it was a beautiful summer night
— we'd then try and walk off our meals. We started our stroll down by the Empire
State Building
…

Photo by Jim Hill

… and eventually wound up just below Times
Square (right behind where the Waterford Crystal Times Square New
Year's Eve Ball is kept).

Photo by Jim Hill

But you know what we discovered en route? Right in the heart
of Manhattan's Garment District
along Broadway between 36th and 41st? This incredibly cool series of life-like
and life-sized sculptures that Seward
Johnson has created.

Photo by Jim Hill

And — yes — that is Abraham Lincoln (who seems to have
slipped out of WDW's Hall of Presidents when no one was looking and is now
leading tourists around Times Square). These 18 painted
bronze pieces (which were just installed late this past Sunday night / early
Monday morning) range from the surreal to the all-too-real.

Photo by Jim Hill

Some of these pieces look like typical New Yorkers. Like the
business woman planning out her day …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the postman delivering the mail …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the hot dog vendor working at his cart …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the street musician playing for tourists …

Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention the tourists themselves.

Photo by Jim Hill

But right alongside the bronze businessmen …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and the tired grandmother hauling her groceries home …

Photo by Jim Hill

… there were also statues representing people who were
from out-of-town …

Photo by Jim Hill

… or — for that matter — out-of-time.

Photo by Jim Hill

These were the Seward Johnson pieces that genuinely beguiled. Famous impressionist paintings brought to life in three dimensions.

Note the out-of-period water bottle that some tourist left
behind. Photo by Jim Hill

Some of them so lifelike that you actually had to pause for
a moment (especially as day gave way to night in the city) and say to yourself
"Is that one of the bronzes? Or just someone pretending to be one of these
bronzes?"

Mind you, for those of you who aren't big fans of the
impressionists …

Photo by Jim Hill

… there's also an array of American icons. Among them
Marilyn Monroe …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and that farmer couple from Grant Wood's "American
Gothic."

Photo by Jim Hill

But for those of you who know your NYC history, it's hard to
beat that piece which recreates Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous photograph of V-J Day in Times Square.

Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, a 25-foot-tall version of this particular Seward
Johnson piece ( which — FYI — is entitled "Embracing Peace") will actually
be placed in Times Square for a few days on or around August 14th to commemorate the 70th
anniversary of Victory Over Japan Day (V-J Day).

Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, if you'd like to check these Seward Johnson bronzes in
person (which — it should be noted — are part of the part of the Garment
District Alliance's new public art offering) — you'd best schedule a trip to
the City sometime over the next three months. For these pieces will only be on
display now through September 15th.

General

Wondering what you should “Boldly Go” see at the movies next year? The 2015 Licensing Expo offers you some clues

Published

10 years ago

June 10, 2015

Jim Hill

Greeting from the 2015 Licensing Expo, which is being held
at the Mandalay Bay
Convention Center in Las
Vegas.

Photo by Jim Hill

I have to admit that I enjoy covering the Licensing Expo.
Mostly becomes it allows bloggers & entertainment writers like myself to
get a peek over the horizon. Scope out some of the major motion pictures &
TV shows that today's vertically integrated entertainment conglomerates
(Remember when these companies used to be called movie studios?) will be
sending our way over the next two years or so.

Photo by Jim Hill

Take — for example — all of "The Secret Life of
Pets" banners that greeted Expo attendees as they made their way to the
show floor today. I actually got to see some footage from this new Illumination
Entertainment production (which will hit theaters on July 8, 2016) the last time I was in Vegas. Which
was for CinemaCon back in April. And the five or so minutes of film that I viewed
suggested that "The Secret Life of Pets" will be a really funny
animated feature.

Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, Universal Pictures wanted to make sure that Expo
attendees remembered that there was another Illumination Entertainment production
coming-to-a-theater-near-them before "The Secret Life of Pets" (And
that's "Minions," the "Despicable Me" prequel. Which
premieres at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival next week but
won't be screened stateside 'til July 10th of this year). Which is why they had
three minions who were made entirely out of LEGOS loitering out in the lobby.

Photo by Jim Hill

And Warner Bros. — because they wanted "Batman v
Superman: Dawn of Justice" to start trending on Twitter today — brought
the Batmobile to Las Vegas.

Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention full-sized macquettes of Batman, Superman and
Wonder Woman. Just so conventioneers could then see what these DC superheroes
would actually look like in this eagerly anticipated, March 25, 2016 release.

Photo by Jim Hill

That's the thing that can sometimes be a wee bit frustrating
about the Licensing Expo. It's all about delayed gratification. You'll come
around a corner and see this 100 foot-long ad for "The Peanuts Movie"
and think "Hey, that looks great. I want to see that Blue Sky Studios production
right now." It's only then that you notice the fine print and realize that
"The Peanuts Movie" doesn't actually open in theaters 'til November
6th of this year.

Photo by Jim Hill

And fan of Blue Sky's "Ice Age" film franchise are in for an even
longer wait. Given that the latest installment in that top grossing series
doesn't arrive in theaters 'til July
15, 2016.

Photo by Jim Hill

Of course, if you're one of those people who needs immediate
gratification when it comes to your entertainment, there was stuff like that to
be found at this year's Licensing Expo. Take — for example — how the WWE
booth was actually shaped like a wrestling ring. Which — I'm guessing — meant
that if the executives of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. didn't like
the offer that you were making, they were then allowed to toss you out over the
top rope, Royal Rumble-style.

Photo by Jim Hill

I also have to admit that — as a longtime Star Trek fan —
it was cool to see the enormous Starship Enterprise that hung in place over the
CBS booth. Not to mention getting a glimpse of the official Star Trek 50th
Anniversary logo.

Photo by Jim Hill

I was also pleased to see lots of activity in The Jim Henson
Company booth. Which suggests that JHC has actually finally carved out a
post-Muppets identity for itself.

Photo by Jim Hill

Likewise for all of us who were getting a little concerned
about DreamWorks Animation (what with all the layoffs & write-downs &
projects that were put into turnaround or outright cancelled last year), it was
nice to see that booth bustling.

Photo by Jim Hill

Every so often, you'd come across some people who were
promoting a movie that you weren't entirely sure that you actually wanted to
see (EX: "Angry Birds," which Sony Pictures Entertainment / Columbia
Pictures will be releasing to theaters on May 20, 2016). But then you remembered that Clay Kaytis —
who's this hugely talented former Walt Disney Animation Studios animator — is
riding herd on "Angry Birds" with Fergal Reilly. And you'd think
"Well, if Clay's working on 'Angry Birds,' I'm sure this animated feature
will turn out fine."

Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, there were reminders at this year's Licensing Expo
of great animated features that we're never going to get to see now. I still
can't believe — especially after that brilliant proof-of-concept footage
popped up online last year — that Sony execs decided not to go forward
with production of Genndy Tartakovsky's
"Popeye" movie. But that's the
cruel thing about the entertainment business, folks. It will sometime break
your heart.

Photo by Jim Hill

And make no mistake about this. The Licensing Expo is all
about business. That point was clearly driven home at this year's show when —
as you walked through the doors of the Mandalay
Bay Convention Center
— the first thing that you saw was the Hasbros Booth. Which was this gleaming,
sleek two story-tall affair full of people who were negotiating deals &
signing contracts for all of the would-be summer blockbusters that have already
announced release dates for 2019 & beyond.

Photo by Jim Hill

"But what about The Walt Disney Company?," you
ask. "Weren't they represented on the show floor at this year's Licensing
Expo?" Not really, not. I mean, sure. There were a few companies there hyping
Disney-related products. Take — for example — the Disney Wikkeez people.

Photo by Jim Hill

I'm assuming that some Disney Consumer Products exec is
hoping that Wikkeez will eventually become the new Tsum Tsum. But to be blunt,
these little hard plastic figures don't seem to have the same huggable charm
that those stackable plush do. But I've been wrong before. So let's see what
happens with Disney Wikkeez once they start showing up on the shelves of the
Company's North American retail partners.

Photo by Jim Hill

And speaking of Disney's retail partners … They were
meeting with Mouse House executives behind closed doors one floor down from the
official show floor for this year's Licensing Expo.

Photo by Jim Hill

And the theme for this year's invitation-only Disney shindig? "Timeless
Stories" involving the Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm brands that
would then appeal to "tomorrow's consumer."

Photo by Jim Hill

And just to sort of hammer home the idea that Disney is no
longer the Company which cornered the market when it comes to little girls
(i.e., its Disney Princess and Disney Fairies franchises), check out this
wall-sized Star Wars-related image that DCP put up just outside of one of its
many private meeting rooms. "See?," this carefully crafted photo
screams. "It isn't just little boys who want to wield the Force. Little
girls also want to grow up and be Lords of the Sith."

Photo by Jim Hill

One final, kind-of-ironic note: According to this banner,
Paramount Pictures will be releasing a movie called "Amusement Park"
to theaters sometime in 2017.

Photo by Jim Hill

Well, given all the "Blackfish" -related issues
that have been dogged SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment over the past two years, I'm
just hoping that they'll still be in the amusement park business come 2017.

Your thoughts?

General

It takes more than three circles to craft a Classic version of Mickey Mouse

Published

10 years ago

June 9, 2015

Jim Hill

You know what Mickey Mouse looks like, right? Little guy,
big ears?

Truth be told, Disney's corporate symbol has a lot of
different looks. If Mickey's interacting with Guests at Disneyland
Park (especially this summer, when
the Happiest Place on Earth
is celebrating its 60th anniversary), he looks & dresses like this.

Or when he's appearing in one of those Emmy Award-winning shorts that Disney
Television Animation has produced (EX: "Bronco Busted," which debuts
on the Disney Channel tonight at 8 p.m. ET / PT), Mickey is drawn in a such a
way that he looks hip, cool, edgy & retro all at the same time.

Looking ahead to 2017 now, when Disney Junior rolls out "Mickey and the
Roadster Racers," this brand-new animated series will feature a sportier version
of Disney's corporate symbol. One that Mouse House managers hope will persuade
preschool boys to more fully embrace this now 86 year-old character.

That's what most people don't realize about the Mouse. The
Walt Disney Company deliberately tailors Mickey's look, even his style of
movement, depending on what sort of project / production he's appearing in.

Take — for example — Disney
California Adventure
Park's "World of Color:
Celebrate!" Because Disney's main mouse would be co-hosting this new
nighttime lagoon show with ace emcee Neil Patrick Harris, Eric Goldberg really had
to step up Mickey's game. Which is why this master Disney animator created
several minutes of all-new Mouse animation which then showed that Mickey was
just as skilled a showman as Neil was.

Better yet, let's take a look at what the folks at Avalanche Studios just went
through as they attempted to create a Classic version of Mickey & Minnie.
One that would then allow this popular pair to become part of Disney Infinity
3.0.

"I won't lie to you. We were under a lot of pressure to
get the look of this particular version of Mickey — he's called Red Pants
Mickey around here — just right," said Jeff Bunker, the VP of Art
Development at Avalanche Studios, during a recent phone interview. "When
we brought Sorcerer Mickey into Disney Infinity 1.0 back in January of 2014,
that one was relatively easy because … Well, everyone knows what Mickey Mouse
looked like when he appeared in 'Fantasia.' "

"But this time around, we were being asked to design
THE Mickey & Minnie," Bunker continued. "And given that these Classic
Disney characters have been around in various different forms for the better
part of the last century … Well, which look was the right look?"

Which is why Jeff and his team at Avalanche Studios began watching hours &
hours of Mickey Mouse shorts. As they tried to get a handle on which look would
work best for these characters in Disney Infinity 3.0.

"And we went all the way back to the very start of Mickey's career. We began
with 'Steamboat Willie' and then watched all of those black & white Mickey shorts
that Walt made back in the late 1920s & early 1930s. From there, we
transitioned to his Technicolor shorts. Which is when Mickey went from being
this pie-eyed, really feisty character to more of a well-behaved leading
man," Bunker recalled. "We then finished out our Mouse marathon by
watching all of those new Mickey shorts that Paul Rudish & his team have
been creating for Disney Television Animation. Those cartoons really recapture
a lot of the spirit and wild slapstick fun that Mickey's early, black &
white shorts had."

But given that the specific assignment that Avalanche Studios had been handed
was to create the most appealing looking, likeable version of Mickey Mouse
possible … In the end, Jeff and his team wound up borrowing bits & pieces
from a lot of different versions of the world's most famous mouse. So that
Classic Mickey would then look & move in a way that best fit the sort of
gameplay which people would soon be able to experience with Disney Infinity
3.0.

"That — in a lot of ways — was actually the toughest
part of the Classic Mickey design project. You have to remember that one of the
key creative conceits of Disney Infinity
is that all the characters which appear in this game are toys," Bunker
stated. "Okay. So they're beautifully detailed, highly stylized toy
versions of beloved Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm characters. But
they're still supposed to be toys. So our Classic versions of Mickey &
Minnie have the same sort of thickness & sturdiness to them that toys have.
So that they'll then be able to fit right in with all of the rest of the
characters that Avalanche Studios had previously designed for Disney Infinity."

And then there was the matter of coming up with just the
right pose for Classic Mickey & Minnie. Which — to hear Jeff tell the
story — involved input from a lot of Disney upper management.

"Everyone within the Company seemed to have an opinion
about how Mickey & Minnie should be posed. More to the point, if you Google
Mickey, you then discover that there are literally thousands of poses out there
for these two. Though — truth be told — a lot of those kind of play off the
way Mickey poses when he's being Disney's corporate symbol," Bunker said.
"But what I was most concerned about was that Mickey's pose had to work
with Minnie's pose. Because we were bringing the Classic versions of these
characters up into Disney Infinity 3.0 at the exact same time. And we wanted to
make sure — especially for those fans who like to put their Disney Infinity
figures on display — that Mickey's pose would then complement Minnie.

Which is why Jeff & the crew at Avalanche Studios
decided — when it came to Classic Mickey & Minnie's pose — that they
should go all the way back to the beginning. Which is why these two Disney icons
are sculpted in such a way that it almost seems as though you're witnessing the
very first time Mickey set eyes on Minnie.

"And what was really great about that was — as soon as
we began showing people within the Company this pose — everyone at Disney
quickly got on board with the idea. I mean, the Classic Mickey that we sculpted
for Disney Infinity 3.0 is clearly a very playful, spunky character. But at the
same time, he's obviously got eyes for Minnie," Bunker concluded. "So
in the end, we were able to come up with Classic versions of these characters
that will work well within the creative confines of Disney Infinity 3.0 but at
the same time please those Disney fans who just collect these figures because
they like the way the Disney Infinity characters look."

So now that this particular design project is over, does
Jeff regret that Mouse House upper management was so hands-on when it came to
making sure that the Classic versions of Mickey & Minnie were specifically
tailored to fit the look & style of gameplay found in Disney Infinity 3.0?

"To be blunt, we go through this every time we add a new character to the
game. The folks at Lucasfilm were just as hands-on when we were designing the
versions of Darth Vader and Yoda that will also soon be appearing in Disney
Infinity 3.0," Bunker laughed. "So in the end, if the character's
creators AND the fans are happy, then I'm happy."

This article was originally posted on the Huffington Post's Entertainment page on Tuesday, June 9, 2015