Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween! 

Disney Dance Crew starring Talking Mickey!

There's a new show at California Adventure called Disney Dance Crew.  It started on Friday and replaced the show Drawn to the Magic which featured characters at the end of every show.  In Disney's Dance Crew you get to see a very special character...Mickey Mouse!  But it's not just any Mickey, it's a Mickey that blinks and talks! 

In Disney Dance Crew, two groups of dancers compete against each other dancing to remixed Disney tunes.  At the end of the show, talking Mickey shows up and gets the two groups to dance together.  Unfortunately, the talking Mickey does not come out after the show to take pictures and interact with guests. However, you can take pictures with a more traditional Mickey that doesn't talk but is dressed in hip hop clothes.

Here is a short clip from the show.  It's a little grainy though because my camera doesn't shoot the best video.  I'm not sure how I feel about the new Mickey.  I thought he was a little creepy at first but I'll have to see the show again sometime to see if one gets used to seeing a Mickey with a face that is so animated.  What do you all think?

Duffy Merchandise

Mickey has his own special teddy bear, Duffy, and now you can too!  You can find Duffy merchandise at Treasures in Paradise and other select stores around California Adventure.  You can buy Duffy and get him his sailor suit or pick from a variety of other outfits.

There are a few different Duffys you can pick from as well as small Duffy magnets and keychains.

I really liked the window display at the Treasures in Paradise store.

You can even find Duffy snacks at Baker's Field Bakery! 

You can buy one of the teddy bears and take him on your own trips for good luck just like Mickey does. Where will you take your Duffy?

 

Want to read more about Duffy?  You can take a look at my other blog, Duffy's Voyages which features updates and pictures of Duffy at different locations!  

http://duffysvoyages.blogspot.com/

In case you missed it, here's a link to yesterday's post on where you can meet Duffy.

Meeting Duffy at DCA

Meet Duffy at DCA!

Duffy has arrived at California Adventure! Duffy is a teddy bear that Minnie made for Mickey to take with him on his voyage. (You can read more about him on the post from September-  "Duffy Arrives at DCA")
You can meet Duffy in front of the Treasures in Paradise Store on Paradise Pier.  While waiting in line to meet Duffy you can read the story about him and a cast member gives you a sticker that says "I just hugged Duffy the Disney Bear!"

 

 

Duffy!

Isn't he cute?  Check back tomorrow for a post about all the Duffy merchandise that you can now find at California Adventure!

ElecTRONica

Last Friday, ElecTRONica made its debut at California Adventure.  It replaces Glow Fest from this past summer and takes place in the the Hollywood Pictures Backlot and Sunshine Plaza. This nightime event and dance party is based on the upcoming film, Tron: Legacy, that will be in theaters on December 17th.  ElecTRONica is very well done with excellent lighting and effects that really make you feel as though you have walked into the video game the film is based on.

There are dancers that are dressed like the characters in the movie with their futuristic outfits and discs on their backs.

 

Just past the Monsters Inc. ride in the Backlot, the Coke Drive-In has been turned into a trendy lounge called End of Line Club where guests can sip on their Tron themed drinks like "Glowjitos" and "Digitinis."

In the Stage 12 building is Flynn's Arcade.  The arcade looks like it came right out of the movie and inside are classic 80s games you can play including Tron.

 

 

In the Muppet Vision 3D theater there is a sneak peek of the new Tron movie.  The preview is in 3D and there are even some wind and lighting effects!

Tron merchandise is available at the stores and stands in the area and there is Tron themed food at a cart outside Flynn's arcade.

ElecTRONica is very cool and really gets you excited for the new Tron movie.  You can catch the party on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights.

Mickey's Trick or Treat Party

For the past couple years I have been going to Mickey's Trick or Treat Party at California Adventure every October. This year the party has been moved to Disneyland and is now called Mickey's Halloween Party.  Although I have not been to this version of the party yet, I thought I would share some details from when I went in the past.
I love Halloween but I'm more into dressing up and carving pumpkins than I am into having creepy people jump out and scare me. So when I first heard about the Halloween parties I knew they were perfect for me because I get to enjoy some Halloween fun without worrying about who is going to try to frighten me next. The parties are great for the whole family because people of all ages get to dress up, trick or treat, and go on rides!
When I went to the parties at California Adventure, the park was decorated for Halloween and at night they had special lights illuminating some of the rides.

2009

2007

There were Trick or Treat stations throughout the park that were marked with large glowing Mickey shaped ghosts.  There were a good variety of treats that included both candy and some healthier options like raisins and apple slices.  I was particularly excited when I found that one of the trick or treat stations had Ghiradelli chocolate!

Last year at Paradise Pier you could play the Boardwalk Games for free to try to win even more candy!

There was even a small parade that featured Disney characters like Mickey and Minnie dressed up in costumes dancing to their favorite Halloween tunes.

Outside of Bugs Land, you could find live scarecrows that moved and talked to you! I've read that these scarecrows are at the Disneyland Halloween parties this year as well.

My favorite part of the party was going on the rides because there were barely any lines! I'm not sure what the wait times will be this year since it's at Disneyland but at DCA the wait times were very short!  We went on Tower of Terror three or four times without waiting last year.  One of the times we went on the ride we took several pictures in the lobby because there wasn't anyone behind us waiting for us to move.

I've had very good experiences at the past Disney Halloween parties I've attended.  I always felt there could have been some improvement though such as more character photo spots, Trick or Treat stations, and more of a consistent Halloween theme throughout the park.  Now that the event is at Disneyland, a lot of these problems have been fixed.  From what I've read, there are many more Trick or Treat Stations and photo spots and the whole park is decorated for the event. Also now that the event is at Disneyland the fireworks show, Halloween Screams, is included.
The Halloween parties are on Tuesdays and Fridays nights as well as on Halloween night this month.  Here is the link to where you can buy tickets online.
Disney's Halloween Party Tickets
Has anyone gone to the party already this year?  What did you think? 
I've got my ticket already.  Now I just need to pick out a costume!  I've got some posts coming up about Disney costume ideas so check the blog again soon!

Captain Jack Sparrow Visits London School!

Photo from Express.co.uk

Johnny Depp paid a surprise visit to a school in London while taking a break from filming Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. A nine year old student had written this note to him:

Captain Jack Sparrow,
At Meridian on Old Woolwich Road, we are all a bunch of budding young pirates. Normally we're a right handful but we're having trouble mutinying against the teachers! We'd love it if you could come and help.
from
Beatrice Delap
aged 9,
a budding pirate

Depp received the note and he and some of the other cast members decided to swing by to see Beatrice!  The school called all the students in for a special assembly and to their delight, Captain Jack Sparrow walked in!  He showed them Beatrice's letter and gave her a hug. He told her however that maybe they shoudn't mutiny that day because there were police outside monitoring him and they could get into trouble.
Such a cool thing for Depp and his cast mates to do!  I'm sure that was a day those students will never forget! 

To read more about Depp's surprise visit, take a look at these links:

BBC News- Depp Visits School Video Link

Daily Express Article Link

Blastr- Syfy Link

Halloween Time at Disneyland!

It's Halloween Time at Disneyland!  The park is decorated with jack-o-lanterns and autumn colors, the stores have an assortment of Halloween merchandise, and two of the rides at Disneyland have been changed for the season. I didn't have my camera at the time but I took some photos with my cell phone.  Disneyland looks great and you should check out the park this month if you can!

 

 

Everyone is in the mood for Halloween- Disney characters are dressed in Halloween costumes and even the Dapper Dans are dressed in Halloween colors!

For the month of October, Space Mountain has been changed to its scary Ghost Galaxy version!   The ride itself is the same but the music, visuals, and effects are different!  The transformation is great and the ride is creepy!  Parents should note that the ride could be too frightening for young children. There are even signs outside the ride with warnings about it.  Make sure to walk by Space Mountain at night time.  There are some pretty cool lighting effects you can see from outside!

As mentioned in an earlier post, Haunted Mansion has been transformed into it's Nightmare Before Christmas version called Haunted Mansion Holiday.  This will be open the rest of the year.

And of course the stores have lots of Halloween merchandise!

In October there are also Mickey's Halloween Parties on certain nights throughout the month.  On these nights the park is open only to those who have purchased separate tickets to the event. The parties have always been at California Adventure but this year they will be at Disneyland for the first time. I'm excited to see what the differences will be when I go at the end of the month.  I have gone the last few years and I'll be doing a post with more details on my past experiences at the Disney Halloween Parties soon!
I'm very excited for Halloween so the site will probably have a bit of a Halloween theme this week!