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ANITA
ANSWER 8/24/09 8/17/09 8/10/09 8/3/09 7/27/09 7/13/09 7/6/09 6/1/09 5/25/09 5/18/09 5/11/09
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Hi! I'm Anita! March 30, 2009 Construction
in Tomorrowland
On our recent trip to Walt Disney World we noticed new building going on in Tomorrowland between the Carousel of Progress and Space Mountain. What is it? A new attraction? Hi Greg! The construction going on in Tomorrowland over by the old Skyway station and Space Mountain is a new outdoor theater being built for performances of the new Stitch's SuperSonic Celebration show. The smaller building going up just opposite it will be the tech booth for the show. It is due to open sometime in late spring, but I don't have an exact date yet. The show will consist of live performers onstage and will have Stitch appearing on a large video screen. Over next to the Carousel of Progress, the Galaxy Palace Theater has been removed and the front part of the area is currently a character meet and greet area. Trivia question: Variations of Space Mountain can be found in the Magic Kingdom, Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland. What element is unique to the Magic Kingdom Space Mountain's track configuration? Answer in next week's column! A.A.
Hello Anita. I was just wondering if you knew how many swimming pools were on the Walt Disney World property? Thanks for your time and help. Hi Nathaniel! Dare I ask why you want to know? Planning on some Extreme Pool Hopping? (Kidding!) OK, this one involved math, so you know I had to drink plenty of coffee before starting this project, but then I had to wait 30 minutes before I could dive in to do the research. Hey, it's early morning and math is involved! What did you expect, Dorothy Parker? Before I reveal the numbers, I need to clarify that I only counted the Disney-owned resorts, Shades of Green and the Swan and Dolphin. I did not count the Hotel Plaza Boulevard hotels or the two major water parks. By my reckoning, there are 61 regular and themed pools and 22 kiddie pools for a total of 83 resort pools on property. The resorts with the most pools are Port Orleans with a total of 9, and Pop Century and Caribbean Beach with 8 each. Well, that went swimmingly, didn't it? A.A.
I remember reading on AllEars.net about a Disney project on the west side of the property near the Coronado Springs Resort. Can you give us an update on this project? If I remember correctly, there were to be new hotels and shopping. Hi Sherri! Flamingo Crossing (worst name EVER!) appears to either be on hold or is at least moving in very slow motion, likely due to the sluggish economy. The budget-priced hotel/dining/shopping district, located north of Coronado Springs on Western Way was announced in 2007, and was planned to consist of third-party-operated businesses. The last time I was out there in early January, there was very little going on at the site. Some infrastructure had been added (utilities, etc.) but nothing that could be seen above ground. I wouldn't count on seeing anything out there anytime soon. A.A.
Hi. We are planning on going to WDW in mid-November. Do you think the Soap Stars Weekend will make it a crowded weekend? Is there a less crowded time we should look at? We are absolutely open to anytime in October or November as long as it means less crowds. Thanks! I appreciate your help. This is our first time. Hi Holly! ABC announced last year that 2008 would be the final Super Soap Weekend in the Studios. Instead, in 2009, they plan to do a soap star tour around the country, so Super Soap won't affect your trip at all. The only other things going on the week you're visiting are some early Very Merry Christmas Parties in the Magic Kingdom. You'll probably experience moderate crowds at that time. Have a great trip to the World! A.A.
Hi Anita. I have been reading your column for four years now and love it more and more each week (repeats included!). My family is traveling to the World this summer to celebrate my daughter's birthday. We have planned a surprise makeover for her at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and I was wondering if we tip the Fairy Godmothers in Training? Just one more thing. I have been enjoying a soundtrack from the Disney World Theme Parks and couldn't help but notice that the music from Impressions de France sounds a lot like that from Beauty and the Beast (coincidentally set in France). So my question is, did the movie get the music from Impressions or did Impressions get its inspiration from Beauty and the Beast? Hi Trish! The Fairy Godmothers-in-Training at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique are not considered to be tipped positions, so tipping is not allowed. Most of the music in Impressions de France was written in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by French classical composers Debussy, Saint-Saens, Offenbach, Ravel, Satie and Dukas. Any original music was written by Disney's Buddy Baker in the very early 1980s. Beauty and the Beast's (the film's) music was written in the early 1990s by composer Alan Menken and the late lyricist Howard Ashman. Although the composers may have been trying to get some of the essence of those French composers into their music, I doubt that one really influenced the other all that much, especially since the film takes place in an earlier era than the one in which the French composers lived and worked. Both films' soundtracks are beautiful unto themselves, in my opinion. A.A.
HELP! We are going on the Disney cruise soon. When I booked the cruise, Disney said they were having a special: Stay at Swan/Dolphin for $110/night prior to the cruise. What I did not realize is that this hotel is not part of the Disney park transportation. Please let me know the best/fastest way to go to the Magic Kingdom. Hi Maria! Actually the Swan and Dolphin hotels do use Disney transportation, even though the hotels aren't owned or run by Disney. You can take the bus to the Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom, or take the boat to Epcot and the Studios. You can also easily walk to Epcot or the Studios from the Swan and Dolphin. Another option is to walk through Epcot and take the monorail to the Magic Kingdom, although it's probably faster to take the bus from the hotel. For more information about WDW transportation, please click here.
WDTHTDWD #2, Disney Meets the Doctor, AGAIN! The questions: 1. In the late 1990s, a famous comedic actor played the Doctor in a hilarious two part sketch for a Comedy Relief charity broadcast on the BBC. The actor has a close connection to Disney. What is it? 2. and 3. Not only did that actor have a connection to Disney, at least two of his fellow cast members in that sketch have strong ties to Disney as well. Who are the other two stars, and what connects them to Disney? Good luck! ---------------------------------------------------------- Oh, this one was great fun! As I hinted, there were more than two other cast members in the sketch that had Disney connections. Actually, everyone in the sketch has a connection (although a couple of them are very tenuous) with the exception of the two actors who voiced the Daleks. The answers are: 1. Rowan Atkinson played the Doctor in the 1999 Comic Relief sketch "Doctor Who -- The Curse of Fatal Death," and of course he is the voice of Zazu in "The Lion King." By the way, "The Curse of Fatal Death" was written by none other than the incredibly talented Steven Moffat, set to take over from Russell T. Davies on Doctor Who when Matt Smith takes over the title role from the wonderful David Tennant next year. (Pardon me while I have a moment of mourning to myself over the loss of David Tennant as the Doctor. OK, better now.) 2, 3, 4, etc: Jonathan Pryce plays The Master, and he of course was Governor Weatherby Swann in all three of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. The Doctor regenerates several times in the sketch, and the first regeneration is played by Richard E. Grant. Grant had a part in the Corpse Bride, which was directed by Tim Burton, who has produced, directed and written films for Disney including "The Nightmare Before Christmas." Tenuous, yes, but there is a connection! The next regeneration is Jim Broadbent, who among other Disney projects, appeared in "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "Around the World in 80 Days." Hugh Grant was the next regenerated Doctor, and he has appeared as himself on The View, among other ABC-owned talk shows. (This is one of the really "tenuous" connections.) Joanna Lumley appears as the final Doctor, and she of course was Aunt Spiker in "James and the Giant Peach," as well as having a part in "The Corpse Bride" and "Ella Enchanted," which was distributed by Buena Vista International. She also appeared on ABC's "Rosanne" show, but to be fair, that was before ABC was owned by Disney. Last but not least, the Doctor's companion Emma was played by Julia Sawalha, who had a part in "The Wind in the Willows," which was distributed by Walt Disney Home Video, another tenuous connection. There was a lot of response on this one, and nearly everyone got at least the minimum of three of the answers. You made this Who fan very proud! In no particular order, the Doctor Who/Disney Geeks of the Week[s] were: Adam, Karen, Giesela, Tom, Allison D, Erin, Robert, Mark, Janey, Mary S, Megan, Maureen R, Carol B, Penny, Lou Anne, Laurie, Chris and Alison, Lisa, Chandra, Melissa, Randy, Julia, Kristen, Paul, Kimber and Scott, Ren, Maureen B, Bridget, Jeff, Joe, Lynn, Vicki, Judith, Christopher, James, David, Rhonda, and Becca who squeaked in just under the wire. Hope I didn't miss anyone! Thank you all for indulging me in this silly bit of crossover of my two favorite things! What Does That Have to Do with Disney #3 will be coming up in a week or two, and will be of a more general nature, I promise. Anita
There is a fort located on Tom Sawyer Island in the Magic Kingdom. What was the fort's original name when the park opened, what is its name now, and what is the significance of both of the names? Answer: The fort on Tom Sawyer Island's original name was Fort Sam Clemens. The fort is currently named Fort Langhorn. The significance of the two names is that the real name of the author of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," Mark Twain, was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Note that Fort Langhorn has no 'e' at the end, while Samuel Clemen's middle name has the 'e.' Although there is a story that the fort's name was changed to match the fort's name in the 1995 film, "Tom and Huck," I suspect it may actually have to do with the legal rights to use Samuel Langhorne Clemens' name commercially in the U.S. On the other hand, it could be a simple spelling error. If anyone knows more about that, I would love to hear about it! We have 27 Disney Geeks of the Week, in no particular order: Bob, Kelly, Jamie, Jennifer, SSG, Mickey, Carol, Lynn, Shannon, Annie, Jim, Ken, Rodney, Walter, George, Maureen, Cathy, Ron, Jim T, Don, John, Amy, Anna, Chuck., Kevin, Glory and Teavis. Thanks for participating, everyone! Anita
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