Disney's Assault on Fatherhood

My first mistake was reading comments online. The mistake was made though and I caught myself reading the statement which seemed to get endless support...

"Disney always makes the dad look like the buffoon, Disney is assaulting fatherhood and the role of the father. We need to boycott Disney."

Despite, my ideas about boycotting and my love of pretty much everything Disney, I really wanted to explore the idea, just to see if it held any merit and to see if I have been looking at the company through pixie-dust covered glasses.

Here is what I found and began to think.....

Every Disney movie does have a story and a theme. Certainly, the same is true about the shows, and the THEME Parks. These themes though rarely have to do with the family unit as the central theme. I would argue though that Disney is a company for families and that the park was built for any type of family. However, we are not there yet, let's break it down piece by piece and see any place that this notion could have come from. I really wanted to see if there was any merit and either help debunk or prove the seemingly popular statement.

First, let's start with the movies as that is some people's first and only exposure to the world of Disney. Through my looking back, I noticed that dads in Disney movies are typically treated as better than they are in pop culture. Throughout pop culture, dads are treated as useless buffoons often, but in many Disney movies it seems to be the exact opposite.

Marlin in Finding Nemo is actually the star of the movie. He tracks across the entire ocean in order to find his son. Despite being worried about something happening to Nemo due to a baraccuda killing his family, Marlin protects Nemo and when Nemo is taken, Marlin does whatever he can to get Nemo back. Marlin is the hero of the tale. This clownfish shows courage and has many ideal qualities of what it means to be a dad and the protector of your family unit.

Another one of my favorite movies with a dad character is Pinocchio. During that movie, Gepetto did not have any children, but he kept wishing and praying for one. Eventually, he got Pinocchio as his little boy. He was so joyful, happy, and thankful for having this boy brought into his life. When Pinocchio went missing, just like Marlin did, Gepetto stopped at nothing to find Pinocchio. This movie showed a dad that truly cared for his son. Its central themes were to follow your conscience and dream big. Do the right thing and dream big is what the movie focused on. Seems to me this would be a fantastic movie to show your kids.

Finally, let's look at the Lion King and everything that is involved with that franchise. The wise dad here was Mufasa. Simba's dad taught him all the important things in life and always looked out for him. He eventually died trying to save his son. However, his spirit and memory lived on as he continued to give advice to Simba and help Simba reach his destiny. Now, he occasionally gives Kion advice in the Lion Guard series. Mufasa could be said to be the wisest of all the characters. Despite, not being around anymore, Disney has kept an important role for him. Mufasa is one of the best known characters in all of Disney and nobody thinks of him as a buffoon. Everyone thinks of Mufasa as Simba's wise father.

There are other examples in movies. More fathers and father figures, but after the three I focused on, I realized that it was not even close to true that Disney made dads to look like fools in all movies, but could I find any examples....

The closest I got to finding a dad that was a fool in these movies were The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast. Those are three of Disney's big movies, and the dads were somewhat foolish in each. The Little Mermaid though involved the dad having incredible power and keeping his teenage daughter away from a cruel world. King Triton was not really foolish in that he understood the world being far different and he wanted to protect his daughter that was not legal. He even lets her chase her love at the end of the movie and helps save his daughter from the evil Ursula.

The saltan was Jasmine's dad in the movie Aladdin. He was made to be more of a foolish character, but it was one movie and even here, he was hypnotized by Jafar's staff for a large portion of the movie. That hypnotism added to the perceived foolishness of his character.

Finally, Beauty and the Beast. Belle's dad was deemed a fool largely in part because he told of a Beast off in the forest. Belle proved her father right when she showed the people of the Beast. Dad was an inventor in this and some of the inventions worked pretty well. This all is not to mention that like the two other dads (Saltan and King Triton) he was a single dad that raised a strong independent woman on his own. There is something to be said for them not raising trainwrecks as just the dad. Many popular media outlets would not give that message, that Disney seemed to invoke.

So if not in movies, then what about in television?

Disney owns ABC, so I sure that there are cases of the dad being a buffoon on ABC, just as there are on any channel. My suggestion with this is that if the show is trash, don't watch it. I don't watch any shows that I think are complete filth. I encourage you to do the same. I do not have any specific examples of the dad being a buffoon in these shows because as I said a minute ago, I don't watch shows that are garbage. I don't watch shows that send awful messages like that, at least that I can think of off the top of my head. The only two shows on ABC that I do watch are The Middle and Last Man Standing. I really enjoy the dads in those shows. Those dads are the best TV dads since the Home Improvement days.

Finally, what about Disney Parks?
Well, I feel I am always treated very well at Disney World. I rarely have a poor experience. This resort has the best customer service in the world. As a dad, I am treated just as magically as anybody else. The people are helpful and they do anything they can to help my family routinely. They make the experience magical for my whole family. Making reservations is a piece of cake. Making plans is easy as pie. This place allows me to plan ahead so that I can help make my kids memories to last a lifetime. Disney World makes it easy to be a dad that is even more loved and even more appreciated.

My family with my favorite Jiminy Cricket

My family with Minnie @ Character Breakfast

My 3 year old gets to meet lots of characters

 We get to meet Eeyore

And look around every corner for something special

My kids love Disney World. My kids love Disney period. I will not boycott Disney because of a few buffoons who spew hate on the internet. Boycotting is typically stupid anyways. Disney does not have an assault on fatherhood. Some people just are unable to see the big picture. The big picture that Disney is a wonderful company that does a lot of good and encourages kids to dream. I like the world that they provide. I am sorry that some are not able to love and appreciate it. However, I do appreciate living in a free country where people can have different opinions and perspectives. I also appreciate that my family does Disney.

-Noland

Jiminy Cricket Character Dining

One of my favorite characters in the Disney Universe is Jiminy Cricket. My son and I both love him and he was dying to meet him when we had our passes last year. This kid has watched Pinocchio about 10 times in a row and can't get enough of the cricket. Unfortunately, Jiminy Cricket is always MIA at the Disney Parks. He cannot be found anywhere and that is a shame. This is one of the most important characters in the Disney Universe after all...It's time Disney did something about that and let the people meet Jiminy Cricket.

The easiest way and most fun way to do this is to make a character dining experience with Jiminy Cricket. The great thing about character dining is that you can meet the character without waiting in a huge line and they get to spend some quality time with your family. Here are my Top 10 character dining ideas to include Jiminy Cricket. They can do these ideas at any of the parks, resorts, or the re-imagined Disney Springs. Just bring us the cricket. These ideas are numbered 10 to 1 with 10 being the idea I would least likely pay for to 1 being the idea I want to sign up for today!!! I would pay for any of these dining experiences though.

Honorable Mention: House of Mouse Dining Experience (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Jiminy Cricket)
This dining experience would tie into the popular series house of mouse which just so happened to be a restaurant. While Jiminy Cricket was a valuable member of that show I am not so sure that he would make the cut this time. Of course, I wouldn't really want it without him.

10. Mickey's Christmas Carol (Jiminy Cricket, Scrooge McDuck, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse)
While they might not be the characters that play them and might actually be the character in the movie, it would be neat to have some experience surrounded on the Christmas Carol. Of course, Scrooge's longtime worker Bob Cratchit was played by Mickey while the ghost of Christmas past was played by good ol' Jiminy Cricket. People would love to see Scrooge and Jiminy both in a character dining experience.

09. A Bug's Life (Dot, Flik, Jiminy Cricket, Hopper)
While this would be more centered on the Bug's Life Movie, this would be a great experience for people and a fine way to work Jiminy Cricket into the parks. It is unlikely that there would be more Bug's Life influence in the parks though as they already got a mini show experience at the Animal Kingdom. I think this would be perfect for Animal Kingdom lodge though.

08. Pinocchio Theme (Foulfellow, Gepetto, Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio)
This would be the easiest dining experience to do. They could even do it in the Pinocchio Village Haus that already exists and turn that from a quick service place to a character dining hall of awesomeness. Imagine riding small World and not only seeing the people waving at you, but seeing the different characters from Pinocchio.

07. Jiminy Cricket's Christmas (Jiminy Cricket, Donald Duck, Chip, Dale)
Most people don't realize this, but there was a Jiminy Cricket holiday special at one time. They should put this up as a dining experience around the holidays in my opinion. I think there would be many people who would love it. The other characters included are the main characters in the special.

06. Theme Song Characters (Gaston, Jiminy Cricket, Tigger, Thomas O'Malley)
This is a fun to me. Characters that have sung their own theme song getting included. There are numerous choices, but I chose the 4 that best fit the description. Well the three that best fit the description and Jiminy Cricket who sung the theme song for Disney as a whole. Don't forget that it was Jiminy Cricket who sung "When You Wish Upon A Star." Tigger and Gaston are already fan favorites and you can't meet Thomas O'Malley anywhere making this a fantastic meet and greet. I would love to replace O'Malley or Gaston with Darkwing Duck though for personal preference here.

05. Fun  Singing Characters (Baloo, Jiminy Cricket, Lumiere, Sebastian)
For this meet and greet experience you take the four characters that sung perhaps the most fun songs in Disney. Those songs being Bare Necessities, When You Wish Upon A Star, Be Our Guest, and Under the Sea. Besides who wouldn't want to meet this group of four that is rarely featured. The only one of the four you can meet is Baloo and there is massive fan appeal for all four of the characters.

04. Most Magical Non-Mickey Characters (Genie, Jiminy Cricket, Mushu, Olaf)
Now, this would be the most popular of the meet and greets because it would satisfy the Olaf crew. It is almost a no-brainer to do something like this and pump up the other movies. These characters are very magical and either have powers or are given extra life/attributes through magic. Tinkerbell, Pinocchio, and/or Peter Pan could easily replace one of these characters in this experience.

03. Small Characters (Chip, Dale, Jiminy Cricket, Sebastian)
This is the less strong option of characters from the concept of taking very small characters and putting them into a larger than life dining experience. There are several options to go with Jiminy this is the weaker 3 to go along. There are several more characters that I wouldn't pay for, but I'd pay for this. Chip and Dale aren't as appealing to me, but are very popular, but Sebastian is a big draw. Lumiere is a bigger draw than the Chipmunks for me, but I realize that this is a more likely group if they did go with this theme. The toys would also be likely candidates.

or better option same concept...
Small Characters (Abu, Jiminy Cricket, Mushu, Timon)
I haven't seen any of these characters for a meet and greet in about 5 years. Getting all of them in this experience would be awesome.

02. Wise Characters (Jiminy Cricket, Owl, Rafiki, Sebastian)
I love this theme and would absolutely book this dining experience. My son has been begging me over and over to meet Owl and I have never seen him at Disney. Not at a parade, not at anything! You cannot see Owl on Disney property. This dining experience where you can meet Owl and Jiminy Cricket would be awesome especially when you throw in the other two. All of these characters gave a great deal of advice during their roles in the Disney Universe. It just makes too much sense not to have this dining experience. Get on it Disney.

01. Disney Throwback (Jiminy Cricket, J. Thaddeus Toad, LaunchPad McQuack, Oswald)
With throwbacks and sentimentality becoming so popular, it could be a fantastic idea, no the best idea to have a throwback character dining experience. The two no brainers for this would be Jiminy Cricket and Mr. Toad from the departed Mr. Toad's Wild Road, but who else would join them? Oswald would be another easy choice as he came before even Mickey Mouse. Using these characters that are not used as much anymore would be something that Disney fans would really enjoy. For the last character in this experience I went with Launchpad because he was so big in the 90s and is unused today. He was the sidekick in the DuckTales cartoon and in Darkwing Duck and Disney fans loved him. This experience would sell out constantly. Disney can go ahead and get on this one (I won't even charge them for my idea).

Timothy Q. Mouse would be great in either of the last two themes as well. Stay tuned next week for some more random thoughts.

-Noland

Characterpalooza at Hollywood Studios

In the past year, Noland and I have been going to Walt Disney World a lot. We both have learned so much about how to navigate the parks and meet characters that we can even have a full day with several rides and character meet and greets during the busy times. We've also gone for an afternoon and accomplished more than some people do in a whole day.

Have you ever watched the TV Show called The Middle on ABC? Well, on their 2014 season finale, they won a trip to Disney World. It's a long story and I don't want to ruin the episode but the first day they go to Disney, they run into many misfortunes and don't end up riding anything. In fact by the time they agree to get into one of the many long lines, they jump into a line of people who happen to be walking out of the park. It made me laugh so hard because I know that I've been to Disney and felt that way before. Have you  ever gone to Disney World and felt completely overwhelmed? I know that the first few times I went to Disney's Magic Kingdom, my mom only managed to get me to ride a couple of rides. I met a few characters too but that may have been around the times when characters would just walk around. And according to the pictures, my brother and I rode Dumbo...

And here we are in front of the castle.

It can be hard to navigate a place if it is your first time going or you have only been one or two times before. After all, each park is large, it's hot outside, crowded, you are trying to read this large map to figure out where to go, and what is the best way to get there, all while your toddler/ little one is (or multiple kiddos are) crying because he/she is hungry or thirsty. Okay so that is a little bit over-dramatic, but it can be challenging. I get it. Since we've managed to figure it out, we have decided to start sharing some Disney World tips and tricks on this blog occasionally.

Today we are going to talk about Characterpalooza at Walt Disney World's Hollywood Studios (previously known as MGM). I'm starting to believe that Hollywood Studios could be one of the best places to meet characters. As an adult, it has two of the best rides (in my opinion) in all of Walt Disney World Resort: Tower of Terror and Rockin' Roller coaster) and it has a TON of characters and a secret meet and greet that I'm going to telly you about called CHARACTERPALOOZA.

What is Characterpalooza? Well it is a gathering of characters that happens at Hollywood Studios! It will not be listed on the map or times guide but it happens almost every day.

Up: Noland and Noland Jr. meeting Stitch Below: The Evil Queen from Snow White, and Pocahontas.

What characters will be at Characterpalooza? There is no telling which characters will show up at Characterpalooza, I hear it changes from time to time but, we did see some characters that you could not see anywhere else. We happened to run into Characterpalooza on Tuesday, July 24, 2014. They had about 14-15 characters out. Here are the list of characters that were out when we arrived: Stitch, Evil Queen (from Snow White), Pinocchio, Gepetto, Queen of Hearts, Mary Poppins, Penguin (from Mary Poppins), Chip, Dale, Pocahontas, Meeko, Minnie Mouse, Mulan, and a couple of Army Men from Toy Story.

Above: Here is Minnie Mouse interacting with some people in line and the Queen of Hearts posing for a picture. Below: Mulan ran out of time to meet with all her fans so she went by and talked to each of them before she left. We met Chip. Noland Jr. didn't look at the camera but he was smiling!

 










When is Characterpalooza? According to Kenny the Pirate, it all depends on Fantasmic (a nighttime extravaganza featuring music, pyrotechnics, video projected on water, fiber optics, lasers and many more effects at Disney's Hollywood Studios).

• If Fantasmic isn't scheduled, Characterpalooza will NOT happen.


• If one Fantasmic show is scheduled, Characterpalooza will occur at 4:30 p.m. near Echo Lake, and 5:30 p.m. on the Streets of America.


• If two Fantasmic shows are scheduled, Characterpalooza will happen only at 6:00 p.m. on the Streets of America.

So the next time you travel to Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, make sure to check out Characterpalooza and meet some characters that you may not see anywhere else in the parks. 

Below is Noland Jr and I meeting Pinocchio. Gepetto was there too but stepped away by the time is was our turn in line.

How long is Characterpalooza? Characterpalooza is usually in about half hour increments. When we met the characters, they were out for about 30 minutes. We didn't get pictures with every character but we did get to interact, meet and take pictures with about 4-5 of them. 

Hollywood Studios has many other characters that can be found on the park's times guides such as: Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Green Army Men, Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Sophia from Sophia the First, Phineas and Ferb, Wreck-it-Ralph, Vanellope von Sweets, Woody, Buzz, Sorcerer Mickey, Mr. Incredible and Frozone from The Incredibles, Lightning McQueen and Mater from Cars, Sully, Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc/Monsters U.

This is outside of Toy Story's Midway Mania. The green army men hang out there.








Here are the Nolands meeting Jake from Jake & the Never land Pirates by the Disney Junior Stage show.

Hope that helps in planning your vacation!

-Jen