Disney parks are mostly full of pleasant images. Cotton candy, singing bears, that hot belly dancer in Morocco. But every now and then, they sneak in something unsettling. Today, I’d like to introduce you to a creature that haunts my nightmares. You might wonder where you can find such a beast. Is it the Haunted […]
Disney Theme Park Hidden Secrets
Stupid Things I Notice While Riding Soarin’
Like many of you, I’ve ridden Soarin’ a number of times. I’m talking Peyton-Manning-to-Marvin-Harrison number of times. Cher-Cosmetic-Procedures number of times. Maybe not Rednecks-on-COPS number of times, but certainly Jessica-Simpson-Attempts-Fourth-Grade number of times. I’m telling you, I can recite every line of dialog in the movie word for word (that’s a little Soarin’ joke. Some […]
Stocks and Bongos
The most evil buzzword in the theme park industry today is “interactive” (followed closely by “guest experience,” and rounded out by “Potter-killer.”) I’m a traditionalist, darn it, and I prefer my theme parks shaken, not stirred. If I have to hear about another “living character initiative” or “NextGen project,” I think I’m going to have […]
10 Coolest Things Animatronics Have Ever Done
Audio Animatronics have evolved a lot since their debut as multicultural stereotypes. Jose, Michael, Pierre, and Fritz were pretty darn cool. They could move. They could talk. They could do both at the same time (something Al Gore never learned). But even Isaac Asimov couldn’t imagine what they’d do next. Answer: Activate Skynet. We’re a […]
Pixar Eyes May Be Detailed, But Disney’s Animatronic Eyes Are Insane
Apparently, Pixar’s success has nothing to do with their awesome stories. Google (no pun intended) the phrase “Pixar eyes” and you will find scores of tutorials, white papers, literary criticisms, journal articles, and Masters theses — all dealing with the awesomeness of Pixar eyes. You’d think that the entire art form begins and ends with […]
The Story of Exploration:
Today we are going to look at the last of the Tokyo Disney Sea Story Cards. Actually I am not sure that these would even technically be considered Story cards. Unlike the previous pieces we looked at all five of these cards are available right out in the open, no need to either ask for […]
The Story Continues…
Earlier this week we took a look at some of the special little touches that abound within the Tokyo Disney Resort. You can find that here. We are going to continue today by looking at the remaining “Story Cards” the resort offers. One major difference between the Japanese and most Western cultures are how they […]
So the Story Goes:
Parkeology is all about having fun and not being too serious. Afterall this is a blog about theme parks… not really world altering stuff. But sometimes things are just not fun or funny, sometimes thet are serious and sad. Thousands were trapped within the parks The past week and a half has brought us many […]
Hidden Jafar Revisited
So last week I posted a picture of the Hidden Jafar at Animal Kingdom, and some of you — including my fellow resident parkeologist Teevtee — doubted its veracity. To be honest, I don’t blame you. I have been known to come up with some half baked notions and crazy conspiracy theories from time to […]