Our Hurricane Matthew Weekend : Part 3

By Nick

Part 1
Part 2

Saturday, 10/8/16

Up and out very early to meet up with my Disney Exchange Podcast co-host Lisa at the Magic Kingdom before rope drop at 8 am.

As our bus was pulling into the drop off area, I saw Lisa and her family walking along the path from the Contemporary and Bay Lake Tower, so I texted her and let her know I saw her. We walked up to security check at literally the same time and got photos in front of the train station.

After rope drop we went our separate ways, and Barbie and I headed back to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Jill and Zach met us back there and we got in the stand-by queue, which was immediately 30 minutes. They had never ridden it, so we decided to just go for it.

We went across the way from there to ride The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and ran into Lisa and her family again!

Next up was Pirates. On our way from there to the Haunted Mansion we stopped for a little snack.

As we exited the HM I got a text from our friend from England, Chloe, who we had met when she was a Cast Member on the International program at the United Kingdom Pavilion, and who has been featured in a few articles right here on Disney Musings!
Chloe and her boyfriend Josh had JUST gotten engaged! Congratulations again Chloe and Josh!

We took a stroll through Big Top Souvenirs before going over to Liberty Square to watch the The Muppets Present Great Moments in American History. The show was really well done, and features my favorite Muppet, Sam Eagle, along with Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie and Gonzo.

While watching the show, I got a text from my other Disney Exchange co-host, Dave telling me he and his daughter Dannielle had arrived at the Magic Kingdom. He'd come down to say hello and hit a few booths at Epcot's Food and Wine Festival, but stopped at the MK first to say hello and pick up gifts from Lisa and friend Dave Tupper.

We chatted for a bit before going our separate ways. The girls decided to do a little shopping while Zach and I stopped into Casey's for a snack, followed by a walk around Tomorrowland, and a ride on Space Mountain using our last MK FastPass, before heading to Disney's Hollywood Studios.

We walked through the shops to escape the heat, and then noticed a crowd gathering out front. We stepped outside just in time to see the beginning of the First Order Troopers march by. What made this even cooler was, as we were near the front of the park, we were able to then march behind the procession as it moved up Hollywood Blvd!

Afterwards we stopped into Keystone Clothiers to say hello to our long time friend Marilyn.

We had dinner at Disney's Hollywood Brown Derby, another excellent meal at one of my favorite restaurants anywhere.

The Great Movie Ride seemed like a great choice as a spot to digest, so we grabbed FastPasses via the My Disney Experience App, and took a stroll over.

This was followed by a walk through Star Wars Launch Bay, where a Jawa wanted to trade a light cube for my iPhone. I said no thanks, but was treated to a selfie...taken by the Jawa!

We had planned on meeting Dave and his daughter for the Star Wars : A Galactic Spectacular show, but they were tired so decided to leave early, and we were pretty beat as well, so also decided to skip it and called it a night.

Raised By Muppets

 

 

This article is from back in 2014, before the recent "The Muppets" television show debuted. That show just had it's season, perhaps, due to low ratings, it's series a couple of weeks back. I bring this up because my wife and I love the show, and will be sad if it doesn't return. One of the reasons I am such a fan of Lisa is because she often says what I'm thinking, sometimes better than me (Dang you Lisa!) and her thoughts on the Muppets struck a chord with me! -Nick

By: Lisa Green 

 

Listen my friends and I will share with you the true story of a long ago childhood.  Back in ancient times, the 1970’s – in the days before microwave ovens, cable TV, and VCRs.  In the days where boys and girls walked alone to school (in all kinds of weather, year-round, five miles uphill, both ways), played on rusty playground equipment which sat atop concrete playgrounds, rode in cars without seatbelts and happily suffered the effects of second-hand smoke all day, everyday.  Unimaginably dangerous, but happy times.

Begin Flashback Sequence Now …..

By the time I started Kindergarten in 1970, my stay-at-home mom had decided to go to work, I’d earned some street smarts in the rooms and playgrounds of Harrington Park Nursery School and
at the hands ofunder the influence of my much older siblings, who were 9, 10, and 13 years my senior.  I was ready to take Hillside Elementary by storm while I became what is regrettably referred to as a “latchkey kid”.  Luckily for me, Sesame Street had been on the air for nearly a year.  It was my go-to show after school and before suppertime.  Bear in mind there were a whopping FOUR channels of television programming from which to choose.  I know, impossible to believe, right?  The three major networks (ABC, NBC, and CBS) and PBS (Public Broadcasting Service).  During the hours between school and the call to the dinner table, the networks tended to show some incredibly boring stuff – at least to my nearly six-year-old self.  PBS rocked!

 

Ernie and Bert, The Count, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Kermit the Frog and many, many others were a huge part of my childhood.  Thanks to the Children’s Television Workshop‘s educational programming initiative, I was entertained while being taught my colors, shapes, numbers, letters, and even body parts!  Songs like “The Rubber Ducky Song” “It’s Not Easy Being Green” and “I Love Trash” were perennial favorites.  I may have been left to my own devices, but I was smart enough to let those Muppets help me along.

Flash forward to 1976…

A lot in my life had changed.  I was a worldly fifth-grader that fall and had left the likes of Elmo and Mr. Aloysius Snuffleupagus behind.  We’d moved half-way across the country and everything familiar had also, like my favorite Sesame Street Muppets, been left behind.  What I needed was some lighthearted, comic relief – and low and behold, Jim Henson and his band of sarcastic mischief makers were there for me!  With the premier of The Muppet Show, I fell in love with the Muppets all over again.  Pigs in Space, the Swedish Chef, Lou Zealand, Fozzie, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Kermit, Statler and Waldorf – they were there, with a much more grown up humor, just when I needed them most.  While it wasn’t by any means the best bit in Muppet Show history, the memory of those Babies singing “Deep in the Heart of Texas” with Dale Evans still cracks me up! (Watch it here.)  The Muppet Show, those beloved characters performing with my favorite actors and comedians became a very important part of my life.

In 1979, the Muppets’ place in my heart was sealed forever…

I was by then smack-dab in the middle of the most awkward year of my existence.  The7th grade was typically difficult, but to me, I was all alone in my Junior High angst.  Bad hair, bad skin, socially inept.  The horrors and indignity of a girl’s life at that age are indescribable.  That summer, The Muppet Movie thrilled and delighted theater audiences (and ME) with the perfect blend of super stars, Muppets, comedy, and epic musical numbers – Some of the best songs Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem ever produced were on that soundtrack.  On December 22nd of the same year, John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together premiered on TV.  There was not one second of that program that I did not love.  The music was incredible, the album (actual vinyl) was purchased at the earliest opportunity and to this day those songs (not on vinyl) are a part of every one of my annual Christmas playlists.

The subsequent string of Muppet movies, some hits, some misses, has sustained my relationship with my Muppet “family” through the years.  Muppet Treasure Island had some very entertaining parts and A Muppet Christmas Carol is a seasonal must-watch at our house.  I like the newest Muppet movies alright, but thought Lady GaGa and The Muppets was an abomination.  I grew up with these guys and I am extremely protective of them!

From some of my earliest memories, the Muppets have been an integral part of my life and they helped shape me into the person I am today.  They were there for me after school, made me laugh when I was an insecure tween, and are forever intertwined with my Christmas memories.  I know that MuppetVision 3D at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is highly criticized as being worn, old, and outdated, but those puns, sight gags, and characters are part of who I am!  I was raised by Muppets…and I turned out just fine!

Have Muppet thoughts or feelings?  Please leave a comment!

This article was originally posted on Lisa's Living a Disney Life Blog.
She can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LivingaDisLife and on Twitter at @life_of_green

Please be sure to check out Lisa along with me and David Hodges on The Disney Exchange Podcast!

A Salute to All Nations, But Mostly America! (Originally Posted 5/27/13)

By Barbie

A Happy Memorial Day to all of you, and a heartfelt thanks to all the veterans out there who have helped fight for the freedoms our wonderful country holds so dear. Your sacrifices and those of your families do not go unnoticed! Truly they don't.

Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, honored only those lost while fighting in the Civil War. But during World War I the United States found itself engaged in another major conflict, and the holiday evolved to commemorate American military personnel who died in all wars.

For decades, Memorial Day continued to be observed on May 30, the date selected for the first Decoration Day. But in 1968 Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in order to create a three-day weekend for federal employees; the change went into effect in 1971. The same law also declared Memorial Day a federal holiday.

The Muppets and Star Wars: May the 4th Be With You

These Star Wars Muppet Action Figures were released exclusively to Walt Disney World and Disneyland in late 2011.



These were at the Stage 1 Company Store.

 

The Muppets released as Star Wars characters are Kermit as Luke Skywalker, Miss Piggy as Princess Leia, Beaker as C-3PO, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew as R2-D2 , Fozzie Bear as Chewbacca, Link Hogthrob as Han Solo, Camilla as a Stormtrooper, Gonzo as Darth Vader, and Sam the Eagle as Obi-Wan Kenobi.

I picked up the Sam Eagle/Gonzo/Camilla set for myself.







Gonzo comes with an interchangeable head.



 .

This just cracks me up.

.

But for pure absurdity, you can’t beat a Stormtrooper chicken.





May the 4th be with you!

Muppets Most Wanted : Mostly Spoiler Free Review

by: Nick

I grew up with The Muppet Show and the Muppet Movies in the 1970s and 1980s.

2011's The Muppets was a wonderful return. So I was really excited to see Muppets Most Wanted, which opened Friday, despite the fact it was not going to star Jason Segel, who was instrumental in making The Muppets so great. I've been purposely avoiding reading too much about Muppets Most Wanted, so as not to be spoiled, but did catch a snippet or two of reviews stating that the newest Muppets fell short of The Muppets. In a nod to the high expectations of this follow up to that instant classic, Most Wanted, which literally begins immediately where The Muppets ends, acknowledges the fact that sequels rarely live up to the original in it's own opening musical number, aptly named "We're Doing a Sequel." By the way, if you are keeping track, this is actually the 7th sequel to the original original, The Muppet Movie.

Most Wanted doesn't have the heart that Muppets had, and the songs are not as memorable, though, upon listening to the soundtrack, which I bought on iTunes as soon as I got home, they are starting to be.

Not once did I shed a tear (several, actually) like I did in Muppets. But what both Barbie and I did do was laugh. A lot. I actually think that Most Wanted is a funnier film than Muppets. It's more along the lines of one of the Muppets earlier caper type movies, and I look forward to seeing it again, as I was laughing over some of the dialogue.

My one complaint, I'd like to have seen more of Ty Burrell, who stars as Phil, my favorite character on one of my favorite sitcoms, Modern Family, as French Interpol agent Jean Pierre Napoleon, who teams up with my favorite Muppet, Sam Eagle, to solve a crime spree.

Is Muppets Most Wanted better the The Muppets? No. But it's just as good, in it's own way, in my humble opinion.

As a bonus, there is an animated short before Muppets Most Wanted  titled Party Central, featuring the characters of Monsters University, that manages to pack in more laughs in a few minutes than all 1 hour and 42 minutes of the Monsters University feature film. It alone is worth the ticket price.

by: Barbie

Ty Burrell starring as an Interpol agent Jean Pierre Napoleon with Sam Eagle.

A match made in heaven! These two should be be in multiple buddy movies!  

I was amazed to hear that many people who saw this movie before us were panning it. Maybe that was why I was so happy with it. This movie had me laughing out loud in the movie theater with the anonymous people sitting all around me. We were all having a great time, and I was so happy we were.

The Muppets Most Wanted reminded me of the classic Pink Panther, Abbott and Costello and Dirty Dozen type movies my Dad and I would watch when I was younger. People mention an emotional connection, but really, it's not necessary. It was fine to have a fun slapstick comedy without any tears!

Thank you Muppets. I had a great time laughing with you again!

Muppets Most Wanted Merchandise at the Disney Store

by: Nick

Disney's Muppets Most Wanted opens today in theaters, and the Disney Store is carrying some great merchandise to promote it.

Our Godson, Flynn, with a plush Animal

There are mugs for $12.95, tee shirts for adults ($19.95) and children ($12.95), iPhone cases at $19.95, a journal for $14.95, and a postcard set.

 The postcard set is $8.95. 

There are several plush Muppets for $19.95.

 This play set is $12.95.

A couple of interesting articles are this Animal Journal for $16.95...

 

... and this stationary kit at $16.95

We'll be seeing Muppets Most Wanted this weekend, so please stop back for a review.

 

Epcot in Full Bloom

By: Nick

Back on March 2nd, Barbie and I took a cruise, with one of our stops being Cape Canaveral. We took an excursion over to Epcot to have lunch at Le Cellier and to photograph the topiaries throughout the park for the International Flower and Garden Festival, which officially started on March 5th and runs through May 18th.
Spring arrives today in the Northern Hemisphere, so I thought it would be the perfect time to share some photos of those topiaries, as well as other flowers in bloom.

Directly behind Spaceship Earth, we find these beauties depicting Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto.

The flowers around and in the water features in Future World are beautiful.

Heading into World Showcase, we are greeted by Sorcerer Mickey, as well as other characters from Fantasia.

Around to Canada, we find Bambi, Flower, and Thumper.

 

The gardens in Canada are lovely regardless of time of year.

The United Kingdom has several Topiaries as well as a Tea Garden.

Around to France, where there are Princesses and their Princes, as well as trees blossoming. 

Beauty and the Beast topiaries can also be found here as well.

Continuing around World Showcase, we have Miss Piggy and Kermit, promoting "Muppets Most Wanted", which opens in theaters tomorrow!

In Germany, we are greeted by Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Even though Barbie and I took several photos of this display, we managed to miss getting a photo of Happy.

Rafiki and Simba at the Outpost.

Pandas in China and a troll in Norway.

There were a few areas that weren't yet viewable when we were there, as well as topiaries we probably missed, so there is even more to enjoy at Epcot if you visit during the Flower and Garden Festival!