#coolestsummer

New Post has been published on http://www.themainstreetmouse.com/2015/08/09/coolestsummer-ever-disneys-animal-kingdom-cool/

#CoolestSummer Ever: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Cool

From Greg Ehrbar, Writer/Author, Disney’s Yellow Shoes Creative Group and posted on the Disney Parks Blog.

There are more ways to enjoy the coolness of Disney’s Animal Kingdom than simply standing in the shadow of an elephant (and we can’t promise you can do that). Here are a few more refreshing options:

Finding Nemo—The Musical. This is my personal favorite thing in the whole Park. Before they wrote the Oscar and Grammy-winning music for Disney’s “Frozen“, Bobby Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez were already treating Walt Disney World Resort guests to their catchy, clever, melody-rich songs in this marvelous show, featuring a multi-talented cast of performers and delightful puppetry. Best of all, there’s an original cast album you can purchase in select Park and Resort shops or download on iTunes.

It’s Tough to Be a Bug! This 3-D comedy romp isn’t as flashy as some other attractions—mostly because it’s tucked beneath the Tree of Life—so like Alice, you have to wander down curious passageways to get to this buggy wonderland. It’s based on Disney•Pixar’s “A Bug’s Life“, so you’ll see good ol’ Flik along with as bad ol’ Hopper. The posters in the queue area are a hoot—spoofs of Broadway shows with insect twists If you listen carefully, you can name the tunes sung by the little tiny creature chorale.

DINOSAUR. This is my kids’ favorite Disney’s Animal Kingdom attraction. To them, no visit is complete without their taking a wild ride through time, dodging more dinos than Captain Caveman. We’re a Doctor Who fan family and appreciate being able to go back in time without a Tardis (though it’s fun to pretend that the phone booths at the Epcot U.K. pavilion are, like the Tardis, bigger on the inside than on the outside).

Festival of the Lion King. If you haven’t seen this magnificent show since it moved into a nice “new house” in Harambe Village, it’s cooler than ever in more ways than one. The exuberant performers, high-flying acrobatics and the Lion King characters make this an experience that is not only cool, but downright spirit-lifting.

New Post has been published on http://www.themainstreetmouse.com/2015/08/02/coolestsummer-hollywood-cool/

#coolestsummer: Hollywood Cool

From Greg Ehrbar, Writer/Author, Disney’s Yellow Shoes Creative Group and posted on the Disney Parks Blog.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios seems to be getting more and more cool and exciting, thanks in no small part to its starry “Frozen-ality”. All of these are oh-so-very cool:

For The First Time In Forever: A Frozen Sing Along Celebration. Choose a row and move all the way down to the last available comfy, cushioned seat in the Hyperion Theater and watch the story highlights of Disney’s “Frozen” unfold through songs by Oscar winners Bobby Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez. (The words appear on the screen so everyone can sing). Princess Anna opens the show, presenting the Royal Historians of Arendelle, Eric and Arianna (perhaps the funniest comedy duo since Stiller and Meara). Kristoff also takes the stage, as well as a certain frost-wielding Queen, bringing her own magical “snow” for your marveling pleasure.

Frozen Fever. During Frozen Summer Fun, you see this charming animated short “sequelette” to Disney’s “Frozen” on a big movie screen, and also get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of this gem, and a glimpse at the upcoming Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection. The upcoming Blu-ray release features twelve acclaimed animated masterpieces. Some of these shorts, like “Paperman,” “Get a Horse!” and “Tangled Ever After,” preceded Disney movies in theaters, plus a few that you might be seeing for the first time, like “Lorenzo” and “Tick Tock Tale.”

Voyage of The Little Mermaid. How perfect is this for getting out of the warmish and into the coolish? It’s as if the entire ocean enfolds the theater as a live-action version of highlights from Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” tell the story along with animation, lasers, special effects and that magnificent Alan Menken/Howard Ashman music. You’ll even see Ariel go from finned to footed before your eyes!

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. This all-time great thrill attraction always lets you down, but in a fun, screamie way. But it’s also extremely cool because of its meticulously detailed setting of a classic old-Hollywood luxury hotel, now faded and creeped out. My favorite thing to do is to explore the library and pick out the items representing “Twilight Zone” TV episodes (the book, “To Serve Man”, the fortune telling machine, an envelope filled with recording tape with Rod Serling’s name on it, etc). You don’t have to go down the falling elevator to see the library; just ask a cast member how to use the detour in the boiler room.