Mrs. Potts Walt Disney Classics Collection

By Nick

I got this Mrs. Potts on eBay several years ago, for a really great price. She came without her box, which was no big deal, but what I didn’t realize when I bought it, she is part of a set! Originally, she came with her son Chip.

She is clearly looking at Chip, and saying “Good Night, Luv.” Which happens to be the name of this piece.

She is 4 1/2 inches tall.

This piece has the pickax production mark, from 1998, in honor of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

I may not have the Chip WDCC piece that accompanies Mrs. Potts, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a Chip in my collection.

For Chip, along with some other members of the Beauty and the Beast cast, please check out yesterday's post.

Pizza Hut Beauty and the Beast Hand Puppets

By Nick

The late 1980s and early 1990s was considered the renaissance of Disney Feature Animation, with movies like Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast. Disney had licensing deals with a lot of different companies, but did you know they had a deal with Pizza Hut at one time? I’ve had these Beauty and the Beast rubber hand puppets since they were released in1992.

As hand puppets, they are pretty limited. Chip is 4 inches tall, and it would be impossible for even the smallest child to use him as a hand puppet.

A finger puppet, sure. But none of these figures have any articulation.

Cogsworth is 6 inches tall.

Belle is the tallest figure, at 7 inches.

Beast is 6 1/2 inches tall.

While these may not be the best hand puppets, I do love them as figures, and they have a prominent spot in my collection.

Disney Movies, a Thanksgiving Tradition

by Lisa Green

I’m sure we’re not alone.  I bet a bunch of you go to the movies on Thanksgiving.  At our house, it’s a very long standing tradition.  So much so, it just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a trip to the movies.
I’ve done a little research and am pretty sure the list below is correct.  If a year is missing – we did not see a Disney movie – either because we had already seen Disney’s most recent release OR there wasn’t a new Disney movie available (we still went to the movies, but probably didn’t have as much fun).

Today I’m thankful for family, health, happiness, and Disney Movies! 

Did you see any of these on Thanksgiving?

• 1991 Beauty and the Beast
• 1992 Aladdin
• 1994 The Santa Clause
• 1995 Toy Story
• 1996 101 Dalmatians
• 1998 A Bug’s Life
• (Christmas Day) 1998 – Mighty Joe Young
• 1999 Toy Story 2
• 2000 102 Dalmatians
• 2001 Monsters Inc.
• 2002 The Santa Clause 2
• 2003 Brother Bear
• 2004 The Incredibles
• 2005 Chicken Little
• 2006 The Santa Clause 3 – The Escape Clause
• 2007 Enchanted
• 2008 Bolt
• 2010 Tangled
• 2011 The Muppets
• 2012 Wreck it Ralph
• 2013  Frozen

Hope your Thanksgiving is a happy (and entertaining) one!

Portions of this article were originally posted on the Living a Disney Life Blog.

Wordless Wednesday: The Festival of Fantasy Parade

Photos by Barbie

Do You Remember?

by Gaylin

At Hollywood Studios there is the stage show of Beauty and the Beast. The show is on a few times a day and up until a few years ago, there was a pre-show.

The pre-show was an a cappella group called 4 for a Dollar. One fellow walked out on stage pushing a broom and wow, just happened to notice that he had an audience. He would call out 3 more 'custodians' and they would break out in song. They had a great routine which included bringing an audience member on stage.

I was sad when I found out they were no longer doing this pre-show and I am so happy I got to see them more than once. Anyone else remember 4 for a Dollar?

The Music Behind the Magic: Disney CD Set

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by: Nick

Released in 1994 by Walt Disney Records, “The Music Behind the Magic: The Musical Artistry of Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice” is a four CD set highlighting the creative evolution behind the music of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin.
The set includes demos, tape recordings, final recordings, and unreleased master recordings of some of the most beloved music in Disney history.

The book and CD case are both cloth bound.

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The word genius gets tossed around waaaay too often these days when it comes to music.
If you want to hear musical genius unfold before your ears, one needs only to listen to these CDs.



The first 2 discs show how 2 men, Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, in my humble and honest opinion, saved the Walt Disney Company. The impression I get is The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast were written around the lyrics to these songs.
Really.
The third disc shows how amazingly fortuitous it was that they found Tim Rice to help complete the music for Aladdin after Howard Ashman’s untimely passing. Rice’s lyrics meld seamlessly in with Ashman’s.
Some of my favorite material from this set is hearing Ashman and Menken’s Little Mermaid Demos. It’s just amazing to hear Ashman do different character voices. The standout for me being his Ursula.
This set also comes with a wonderful book that looks at this creative period in the rejuvenation of Walt Disney’s animation department.







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Track Listing, on Amazon.

Music of Disney: Legacy in Song, CD Box Set (From 5/11/13)

I bought this amazing CD box set back in 1992.
 

It features music from Disney milestones such as "Turkey in the Straw" from "Steamboat Willie", and "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" from "Three Little Pigs" to "Beauty and the Beast", with animated movies, shorts, TV shows, live action movies, and even music from the theme parks represented.

If that wasn't enough, this set includes a terrific book focusing on each section.

The play list, courtesy of Amazon:

Disc: 1
1. Turkey In the Straw: Steamboat Willie (1928) - Traditional
2. Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf?: Three Little Pigs (1933) - Pinto Colvig/Mary Moder/Dorothy Compton/Billy Bletcher
3. Heigh-Ho: Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937) - The Dwarf Chorus
4. Whistle While You Work: Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937) - Adriana Caselotti
5. Someday My Prince Will come: Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937) - Adriana Caselotti
6. When You Wish Upon A Star: Pinocchio (1940) - Cliff Edwards
7. Give A Little Whistle: Pinocchio (1940) - Cliff Edwards/Dickie Jones
8. Dance Of The Reed Flutes: Fantasia (1940) - The Philadelphia Orch/Leopold Stokowski
9. Baby Mine: Dumbo (1941) - Betty Noyes
10. Love Is A Song: Bambi (1942) - Donald Novis
11. Little April Shower: Bambi (1942) - Amy Lou Barnes/Sally Mueller/Mary Moder/Alice Sizer/Betty Bruce
12. Saludos Amigos: Saludos Amigos (1943) - Disney Studio Chorus
13. You Belong To My Heart: The Three Caballeros (1944) - Dora Luz
14. Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah: Song Of The South (1946) - James Baskett
15. Ev'rybody Has A Laughing Place: Song Of The South (1946) - James Baskett/Jesse Cryor/Johnny Lee/Nicodemus Stewart
16. The Lord Is Good To Me: Melody Time (1946) - Dennis Day
17. Lavender Blue (Dilly, Dilly): So Dear To My Heart (1946) - Burl Ives
18. A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes: Cinderella (1950) - Ilene Woods
19. Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo: Cinderella (1950) - Verna Felton/Ilene Woods/James McDonald
20. I'm Late: Alice In Wonderland (1951) - Bill Thompson/Kathryn Beaumont
21. The Unbirthday Song: Alice In Wonderland (1951) - Jerry Colonna/Ed Wynn/Kathryn Beaumont
22. The Second Star To The Right: Peter Pan (1953) - The Jud Conlon Chor
23. You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly!: Peter Pan (1953) - Bobby Driscoll/Kathryn Beaumont/Paul Collins/Tommy Luske
24. Bella Notte: Lady And The Tramp (1955) - Bill Hamlin/Oliver Wallace
25. Once Upon A Dream: Sleeping Beauty (1959) - Mary Costa/Bill Shirley
26. Cruella De Vil: 101 Dalmatians (1961) - Bill Lee/Lisa Davis/Ben Wright
27. Higitus Figitus: The Sword In The Stone (1963) - Karl Swenson/Ricky Sorenson

Disc: 2
1. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious: Mary Poppins (1964) - Julie Andrews/Dick Van Dyke/The Pearlie Chorus
2. A Spoonful Of Sugar: Mary Poppins (1964) - Julie Andrews
3. Chim Chim Cher-ee: Mary Poppins (1964) - Dick Van Dyke/Julie Andrews/Karen Dotrice/Matthew Garber
4. Winnie The Pooh: Winnie The Pooh And The Honey Tree (1966) - Disney Studio Chorus
5. The Bare Necessities: The Jungle Book (1967) - Phil Harris/Bruce Reitherman
6. I Wan'na Be Like You: The Jungle Book (1967) - Louis Prima/Phil Harris/Bruce Reitherman
7. The Aristocats: The Aristocats (1970) - Maurice Chavelier
8. Ev'rybody Wants To Be A Cat: The Aristocats (1970) - Phil Harris/Scatman Crothers/Thurl Ravenscroft/Liz English
9. The Age Of Not Believing: Bedknobs And Broomsticks (1971) - Angela Landsbury
10. Nobody's Problems: Bedknobs And Broomsticks (1971) - Angela Landsbury
11. Oo-De-Lally: Robin Hood (1973) - Roger Miller
12. Someone's Waiting For You: The Rescuers (1977) - Shelby Flint
13. Candle On The Water: Pete's Dragon (1977) - Helen Reddy
14. Best Of Friends: The Fox And The Hound (1981) - Pearl Bailey
15. Perfect Isn't Easy: Oliver & Company (1988) - Bette Midler
16. Part Of Your World: The Little Mermaid (1989) - Jodi Benson
17. Under The Sea: The Little Mermaid (1989) - Samuel E. Wright
18. Kiss The Girl: The Little Mermaid (1989) - Samuel E. Wright
19. Be Our Guest: Beauty And The Beast (1991) - Jerry Orbach/Angela Landsbury
20. Beauty And The Beast: Beauty And The Beast (1991) - Angela Landsbury

Disc: 3
1. A Whale Of A Tale: 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954) - Kirk Douglas
2. Old Yeller: Old Yeller (1957) - Jerome Courtland
3. Pretty Irish Girl: Darby O'Gill And The Little People (1959) - Sean Connery
4. The Parent Trap: The Parent Trap (1961) - Tommy Sands/Annette Funicello
5. Castle In Spain: Babes In Toyland (1961) - Ray Bolger
6. Enjoy It: In Search Of The Castaways (1962) - Maurice Chevalier/Hayley Mills
7. On The Front Porch: Summer Magic (1963) - Burl Ives
8. The Monkey's Uncle: The Monkey's Uncle (1965) - Annette Funicello
9. That Darn Cat: That Darn Cat (1965) - Bobby Troup
10. Fortuosity: The Happiest Millionaire (1967) - Tommy Steele
11. Mickey Mouse Club March: The Mickey Mouse Club (1955) - The Mouseketeers
12. I'm No Fool: The Mickey Mouse Club (1956) - Cliff Edwards
13. You, The Human Animal: The Mickey Mouse Club (1956) - Cliff Edwards
14. Mickey Mouse Club Alma Mater: The Mickey Mouse Club (1955) - The Mouseketeers/Jimmie Dodd
15. Wonderful World Of Color (Main Title): Walt Disney's Wonderful World Of Color (1961) - The Wellingtons
16. The Spectrum Song: Walt Disney's Wonderful World Of Color (1961) - Paul Frees
17. The Ballad Of Davy Crockett: Davy Crockett (1955) - The Mellomen
18. The Swamp Fox: The Swamp Fox (1959) - Leslie Nielsen
19. The Wonderful World Of Disney (Main Tittle): The Wonderful World Of Disney (1968) - George Burns
20. Zorro: Zorro (1957) - The Mellomen
21. Strummin' Song: Walt Disney's Wonderful World Of Color (1961) - Annette Funicello
22. Mister Piano Man: The Golden Horseshoe Review (1962) - Annette Funicello
23. Duck Tales Theme: Duck Tales (1990) - Jeff Pescetto
24. Tale Spin Theme: Tail Spin (1990) - Jim Gilstrap
25. Meet Me Down On Main Street: Disneyland (1956) - The Mellomen
26. The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room: Disneyland (1963) - Wally Boag/Fulton Burley/Thurl Ravenscroft/The Mellomen
27. It's A Small World (After All): New York World's Fair (1964) - The Disneyland Chorus
28. Yo, Ho (A Pirate's Life For Me): Disneyland (1967) - The Mellomen
29. There's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow: New York World's Fair (1964) - Rex Allen
30. Golden Dream: EPCOT Center (1982) - Richard Page/Marti McCall
31. Main Street Electrical Parade: Disneyland (1979) - Jean Jacques Perrey/Gershon Kingsley

Enchanted Tales With Belle

By: Nick

In October of 2012, before the official unveiling of the New Fantasyland, Disney was having "dress rehearsals". We were very fortunate to be there the week they started opening many of the new attractions, and were among the first to see Enchanted Tales with Belle!

Portions of this article were originally posted on the Tips For the Disney Diva Blog, where I am a contributing writer.

While at the Magic Kingdom in line for Goofy's Barnstormer, I got a call from my friend Pam. She told me her and her family were asked to be among the first people to see the new "Enchanted Tales With Belle" in the as yet unopened section of Fantasyland. As we were just boarding the Barnstormer, we were stuck. But the moment we were off, we headed over towards the new castle wall.

Several Cast Members were out front asking guests if they'd like to see Enchanted Tales with Belle!
We couldn't get the word "YES!" out fast enough.
And we went behind the construction walls!

We were immediately struck by how beautiful the landscaping was.

 

Then, we got a good look at Maurice's cottage.

 Beast's Castle in the distance.

We entered into the very humble living quarters.

 

A portrait of Belle and her Mother. Now we know where she got her love of reading!

 

Then we entered Maurice's workshop.

SPOILERS! This is where the magic really begins!

A Cast Member points out a gift to Maurice, an Enchanted Mirror. 

At this point, the mirror comes alive. And a door appears! A portal to Beast's Castle. Now. I wasn't up front, and couldn't see how this was done, but I talked to a Cast Member afterwards, and she said she'd seen it dozens of times, and is amazed every time. This is a spectacular effect! My jaw was on the floor.

We then meet Wardrobe. Again, jaw on the floor. This is easily one of the most spectacular Audio-Animatronics ever! Sure, it's all facial, but...WOW! You'd swear this was a real, animated wardrobe.

Wardrobe explains that we would all be participating in the retelling of the story of how Belle met the Beast. The Cast Member opens Wardrobe, and chooses guests to act out characters, such as animated suits of armor, Beast, Maurice, Chip and Mrs. Potts, etc. She even asks if anyone that didn't get chosen would like to participate, and can see there are plenty of spoons and forks to be distributed to those who chose to be in the "cast".

 

We then enter the library, where another spectacular Audio-Animatronic is waiting, this time, it's Lumiere. The chandelier is also a miniature version of the one in the 'Beauty and the Beast" dance sequence from the film.

At this point, the Cast Members in attendance bring in Belle herself, to participate in the retelling of the budding romance of Beauty and the Beast.

The cast of guests help retell the tale as old as time, with help from the Cast Members. Seeing the young children in utter rapt attention, and the joy...I won't lie, my wife and I were welling up at several points. Here is Belle with her Beast.

 

At the end, each member of the cast received a special bookmark to commemorate the event, which I confess, made me question my decision to just be an observer!

Also, as each member of the cast was given the bookmark, a Photopass Cast Member took their photo. At the end, everyone was given a Photopass card, which in itself is a lovely souvenir.

On our next trip, I didn't need to volunteer to be in the show, I was chosen to be a Suit of Armor!

SO. What did we think. Well, in case you couldn't tell, we LOVED it! This is what Disney is all about. Wonderful stories being told in an engaging, and now, interactive, ways.