Showing posts with label Disney. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Disney. Show all posts
Tuesday, 7 February 2017
Tuesday, 8 July 2014
Thursday, 20 March 2014
Monday, 30 December 2013
My thoughts on the changes to Disney's park policies
Last October, Disneyland and Walt Disney World made major changes to their park policies in regards to servicing visitors with disabilities. I've been asked to give my thoughts on this situation since I happen to be a person with a physical disability. To this day I'm not sure I'm the most informed person to comment on this confusing situation. I can only go by the two days I spent at the original Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California earlier this month.
First I will explain what brought about these changes. They resulted from some people with disabilities, allegedly, who hired wealthy people to abuse the privilege of jumping past the line-ups for the rides. (I say 'allegedly' because some of these people may not have been legitimately disabled, but I can't make these judgments since I wasn't there.)
When I got there two weeks ago, I did not experience any ill treatment from park staff. The only thing that made me squirm was getting photographed by a staff member when my parents and I were entering the Disney California Adventure park. Taking photos of guests is standard procedure for everybody, and I think it has to do with matters of security.
The Disney parks and resorts in California, Florida and France, based on my personal (and limited) observations, have treated me well. It's true I'm no longer allowed to skip through the lines, as a result of these changes, but I'm okay with that. I want to be treated as an equal everywhere I go.
I didn't go on many rides during my second-ever visit to Disneyland, but let's face it, I'm older than I was the first time and am not the same physically as I was in my younger days.
Some attractions do not require people to transfer out of their wheelchairs due to the availability of modified carts. This includes It's a Small World, my all-time favourite. That was the first attraction we went to in the original Disneyland park during our second full day in Anaheim.
One criticism I have are the high ticket prices. They keep going up every year. I agree with people who aren't planning to go on rides ought to be charged a smaller ticket price. It's a complicated issue, and I don't have all the answers or solutions. Most theme parks do not offer much price flexibility, so this is seen as another standard practice.
Chances are I will not be visiting Disneyland again in the near future. It's not due to any feelings of animosity or resentment. It is a matter of personal economics. In the event I have a family of my own (and a better personal income), I will find a way to return.
I loved being at Disneyland again, and I have no regrets about going back.
First I will explain what brought about these changes. They resulted from some people with disabilities, allegedly, who hired wealthy people to abuse the privilege of jumping past the line-ups for the rides. (I say 'allegedly' because some of these people may not have been legitimately disabled, but I can't make these judgments since I wasn't there.)
When I got there two weeks ago, I did not experience any ill treatment from park staff. The only thing that made me squirm was getting photographed by a staff member when my parents and I were entering the Disney California Adventure park. Taking photos of guests is standard procedure for everybody, and I think it has to do with matters of security.
The Disney parks and resorts in California, Florida and France, based on my personal (and limited) observations, have treated me well. It's true I'm no longer allowed to skip through the lines, as a result of these changes, but I'm okay with that. I want to be treated as an equal everywhere I go.
I didn't go on many rides during my second-ever visit to Disneyland, but let's face it, I'm older than I was the first time and am not the same physically as I was in my younger days.
Some attractions do not require people to transfer out of their wheelchairs due to the availability of modified carts. This includes It's a Small World, my all-time favourite. That was the first attraction we went to in the original Disneyland park during our second full day in Anaheim.
One criticism I have are the high ticket prices. They keep going up every year. I agree with people who aren't planning to go on rides ought to be charged a smaller ticket price. It's a complicated issue, and I don't have all the answers or solutions. Most theme parks do not offer much price flexibility, so this is seen as another standard practice.
Chances are I will not be visiting Disneyland again in the near future. It's not due to any feelings of animosity or resentment. It is a matter of personal economics. In the event I have a family of my own (and a better personal income), I will find a way to return.
I loved being at Disneyland again, and I have no regrets about going back.
Tuesday, 5 February 2013
Monday, 13 February 2012
Monday, 31 October 2011
Thursday, 28 July 2011
Song Blog: "When You Wish Upon a Star"
"When You Wish Upon a Star" is one of the best-known - if not the best-known song - in Disney's musical canon. Ned Washington (1901-1976) and Leigh Harline (1907-1969) composed it as the theme to Pinocchio (1940), Disney's second full-length animated feature. Cliff Edwards (1895-1971), the actor who voiced the Jiminy Cricket character in the movie, was the first to record it. Not only did this song win the Academy Award, it also went on to become the Disney company's theme song.
Washington was a lyricist who had success with writing other pop standards, including "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You" (w/ Bing Crosby), "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" (w/ Hoagy Carmichael) and "The Nearness of You." Harline was a composer who previously scored music for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Disney's first animated feature.
According to Susan Sackett in her book, Hollywood Sings!, their inspiration for "When You Wish Upon a Star" partly came from "Wishing (Will Make it So)," the Oscar-nominated song from Love Affair (1939). She writes that "When You Wish Upon a Star" was a Depression-inspired homily to comfort people who suffered greatly during the 1930s. Ultimately, it is about the Pinocchio character and his transformation from wooden puppet to real boy.
Pinocchio is adapted from an Italian fairy tale by Carlo Collodi (1826-1890). The Adventures of Pinocchio is his most famous work, published in 1883. Pinocchio is depicted as a marionette prone to trouble and mischief. The cricket in Collodi's story is all talking and no singing, and is a minor character. Disney, however, elevated the cricket to major character status, and does not suffer a violent end like in Collodi's original. It's interesting to note that the name 'Jiminy Cricket' was derived from a soft expletive euphemism for Jesus Christ.
Cliff Edwards was a popular vaudeville and jazz singer in the 1920s. Nicknamed 'Ukulele Ike,' Edwards combined his unique and warm voice with a frantic ukulele. It was his voice work in Pinocchio that revived his career. Edwards recorded another version of "When You Wish Upon a Star" for single release. One major difference between it and the film version is a bridge that isn't heard too often. It goes like this:
When a star is born,
They possess a gift or two.
One of them is this,
They have the power to make a wish come true.
Edwards' single version charted at no. 10 in the US, according to Joel Whitburn's book Pop Memories 1890-1954. This version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002.
Jiminy Cricket's happy-go-lucky personality made him a instant hit, and Edwards would voice him again in the 1947 feature Fun and Fancy Free. Edwards later performed the character on and off in a series of educational albums and cartoons until 1970. The Walt Disney Company inducted Edwards into its Hall of Fame in 2000. Washington and Harline were inducted in 2001.
Glenn Miller, Dion & The Belmonts, Johnny Mathis, Louis Armstrong, Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett, Neil Diamond, Billy Joel, Ronnie Milsap and Ringo Starr are among the many artists who have covered "When You Wish Upon A Star." The American Film Institute ranks it at no. 7 in their 100 Greatest Movie Songs, making it the highest-ranked Disney song on the list.
Washington was a lyricist who had success with writing other pop standards, including "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You" (w/ Bing Crosby), "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" (w/ Hoagy Carmichael) and "The Nearness of You." Harline was a composer who previously scored music for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Disney's first animated feature.
According to Susan Sackett in her book, Hollywood Sings!, their inspiration for "When You Wish Upon a Star" partly came from "Wishing (Will Make it So)," the Oscar-nominated song from Love Affair (1939). She writes that "When You Wish Upon a Star" was a Depression-inspired homily to comfort people who suffered greatly during the 1930s. Ultimately, it is about the Pinocchio character and his transformation from wooden puppet to real boy.
Pinocchio is adapted from an Italian fairy tale by Carlo Collodi (1826-1890). The Adventures of Pinocchio is his most famous work, published in 1883. Pinocchio is depicted as a marionette prone to trouble and mischief. The cricket in Collodi's story is all talking and no singing, and is a minor character. Disney, however, elevated the cricket to major character status, and does not suffer a violent end like in Collodi's original. It's interesting to note that the name 'Jiminy Cricket' was derived from a soft expletive euphemism for Jesus Christ.
Cliff Edwards was a popular vaudeville and jazz singer in the 1920s. Nicknamed 'Ukulele Ike,' Edwards combined his unique and warm voice with a frantic ukulele. It was his voice work in Pinocchio that revived his career. Edwards recorded another version of "When You Wish Upon a Star" for single release. One major difference between it and the film version is a bridge that isn't heard too often. It goes like this:
When a star is born,
They possess a gift or two.
One of them is this,
They have the power to make a wish come true.
Edwards' single version charted at no. 10 in the US, according to Joel Whitburn's book Pop Memories 1890-1954. This version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002.
Jiminy Cricket's happy-go-lucky personality made him a instant hit, and Edwards would voice him again in the 1947 feature Fun and Fancy Free. Edwards later performed the character on and off in a series of educational albums and cartoons until 1970. The Walt Disney Company inducted Edwards into its Hall of Fame in 2000. Washington and Harline were inducted in 2001.
Glenn Miller, Dion & The Belmonts, Johnny Mathis, Louis Armstrong, Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett, Neil Diamond, Billy Joel, Ronnie Milsap and Ringo Starr are among the many artists who have covered "When You Wish Upon A Star." The American Film Institute ranks it at no. 7 in their 100 Greatest Movie Songs, making it the highest-ranked Disney song on the list.
Thursday, 21 July 2011
More French names of popular Disney characters
Aladdin: Aladdin
Alice in Wonderland: Alice au pays des merveilles
Ariel, the Little Mermaid: Ariel, la petite sirène
Baloo: Baloo
Bambi: Bambi
Big Bad Wolf: Le Grand Méchant Loup
Bolt: Volt
Buzz Lightyear: Buzz l'Éclair
Cinderella: Cendrillon
Dumbo: Dumbo
Genie: Le Génie
Jiminy Cricket: Jiminy Cricket
Kermit the Frog: Kermit la grenouille
King Louie: King Louie
Lady and the Tramp: La Belle et le Clochard
Mary Poppins: Mary Poppins
Miss Piggy: Piggy la cochonne
Mowgli: Mowgli
Peter Pan: Peter Pan
Pinocchio: Pinocchio
Princess Aurora, Sleeping Beauty: Princesse Aurore, la Belle au Bois Dormant
Rapunzel (Tangled): Raiponce
Robin Hood: Robin des Bois
Simba, the Lion King: Simba, le Roi lion
Three Little Pigs: Les Trois Petits Cochons
Thumper: Panpan
Woody: Woody
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
French names of popular Disney characters
I found this list of the names given to some of the most popular Disney characters in French. Some of these names are radically different from their English ones. This list is useful to anyone planning to visit Disneyland Paris, and wants to address these characters by their French names.
April, May, and June: Lili, Lulu et Zizi
Beagle Boys: Les Rapetou
Beauty and the Beast: La Belle et La Bête
Black Pete: Pat Hibulaire
Br'er Bear (from Song of the South): Frère Ours
Br'er Fox (from Song of the South): Frère Renard
Br'er Rabbit (from Song of the South): Bibi Lapin
Captain Hook: Capitaine Crochet
Chip: Zip
Chip 'n Dale: Tic et Tac
Cogsworth: Big Ben
Daisy Duck: Daisy Duck
Donald Duck: Donald Duck
Eeyore: Bourriquet
Gladstone Gander: Gontran Bonheur
Goofy: Dingo
Gus Goose: Gus
Gyro Gearloose: Géo Trouvetou
Huey, Dewey, and Louie: Riri, Fifi et Loulou
Launchpad McQuack: Flagada Jones
Maleficent: Malefique
Mickey Mouse: Mickey Mouse
Minnie Mouse: Minnie Mouse
Owl: Maitre Hibou
Paperinik (PK): Fantomiald
Piglet: Porcinet
Pluto: Pluto
Rabbit: Coco Lapin
Roo: Petit Gourou
Scrooge McDuck: Balthazar Picsou
The Seven Dwarfs (Dopey, Bashful, Happy, Grumpy, Doc, Sleepy and Sneezy): Les Sept Nains (Simplet, Timide, Joyeux, Grincheux, Prof, Dormeur et Atchoum)
Snow White: Blanche Neige
The Junior Woodchucks: Les Castors Juniors
Tigger: Tigrou
Winnie the Pooh: Winnie l'Ourson
April, May, and June: Lili, Lulu et Zizi
Beagle Boys: Les Rapetou
Beauty and the Beast: La Belle et La Bête
Black Pete: Pat Hibulaire
Br'er Bear (from Song of the South): Frère Ours
Br'er Fox (from Song of the South): Frère Renard
Br'er Rabbit (from Song of the South): Bibi Lapin
Captain Hook: Capitaine Crochet
Chip: Zip
Chip 'n Dale: Tic et Tac
Cogsworth: Big Ben
Daisy Duck: Daisy Duck
Donald Duck: Donald Duck
Eeyore: Bourriquet
Gladstone Gander: Gontran Bonheur
Goofy: Dingo
Gus Goose: Gus
Gyro Gearloose: Géo Trouvetou
Huey, Dewey, and Louie: Riri, Fifi et Loulou
Launchpad McQuack: Flagada Jones
Maleficent: Malefique
Mickey Mouse: Mickey Mouse
Minnie Mouse: Minnie Mouse
Owl: Maitre Hibou
Paperinik (PK): Fantomiald
Piglet: Porcinet
Pluto: Pluto
Rabbit: Coco Lapin
Roo: Petit Gourou
Scrooge McDuck: Balthazar Picsou
The Seven Dwarfs (Dopey, Bashful, Happy, Grumpy, Doc, Sleepy and Sneezy): Les Sept Nains (Simplet, Timide, Joyeux, Grincheux, Prof, Dormeur et Atchoum)
Snow White: Blanche Neige
The Junior Woodchucks: Les Castors Juniors
Tigger: Tigrou
Winnie the Pooh: Winnie l'Ourson
Thursday, 14 July 2011
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