Sneak Peek into the Newly Opened Blue Sky Cellar with The Little Mermaid

The Blue Sky Cellar opens today with all new models, videos, and concept drawings for many of the changes happening right now at Disney California Adventure. 

Here is a sneak peek for you.

 Newly designed posters for the Paradise Pier area attractions in a Victorian seaside style.

This moving map replaces the old map to the right of the movie that's shown in Blue Sky Cellar. There are 30 different effects that move around. For example - lightning hits ToT, the monorail moves across the map, there are bugs zooming around near the farm, etc.

The Mermaid Mural is an 86-foot long mural that has been hand painted in the loading area of the attraction.

The evolution of the facade and ride layouts are a few of the hundreds of drawings that were done by Imagineers trying to work out what the ride would look like.

This is a sample of the glass that was hand made for the entrance of the attraction (the ride's marquee), that will be in the former dome of California Dreams.

This is a model of Ursula, that is in Scene 6 - the Poor Unfortunate Souls or Ursula's Lair (the official name of scene 6) section of the ride. The model is 1-inch to 1-foot scale, which gives you an idea of how very large Ursula will be in the attraction (something like 12-feet wide by 8-feet tall).

The Little Mermaid Ride will be about 6-minutes in length and should open by summer. I can hardly wait, what about you? 

The Magic, The Memories and You!

Tonight was the preview for "The Magic, The Memories and You!" at Disneyland. 

This new show projects images over It's a Small World, and showcases over 500 photographs of visitors to the resort each day. 

Besides seeing memories captured on film from guests at Disneyland, many of your favorite characters are also involved, and great Disney music is woven in to create the whole show. 

Show times are as followed:

Monday- Thursday 7:30pm 

Friday-Sunday twice at 8pm and 9:10pm. 

Times are subject to change, so make sure to check your guide when you enter the park. 

Below is a video I took during the 6pm preview tonight.

Watch below or go directly to this link for a better quality video (Blogger made it fuzzy for some reason):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXSghg78QTQ

Wordless Wednesday -Random Photos Around Disneyland

From Motherhood Magic to Magical Days with the Mouse... Why the Change?

From Motherhood Magic to Magical Days with the Mouse… why the change? 

I started Motherhood Magic as a way to share all the things I love about Disneyland. As someone who frequents the park throughout the week, there is always something I see that I feel others might enjoy looking at too. Sometimes it's just random photographs around the Disneyland Resort, but other times I will share a new show, a new treat to eat, or a place in the park we like to visit. 

As my blog has grown, I have realized that I may not be reaching out to everyone who is a fan of Disneyland. I feel that the word "Motherhood" might be confusing, and if someone didn't take the time to read my bio, then they might assume that my blog is about the magic of being a mother. Although that may be true, that is not what I want the focus of my blog to be.

So from this day on, I will continue the rest of my weekly posts on this new blog, Magical Days with the Mouse. I have gone ahead and imported every blog post I have ever done on Motherhood Magic.

Please head over to our new Facebook page and become a fan. 

If you are following MotherhoodMagic on twitter that account will be the same but now read @MagicMouseDays

I look forward to sharing more of our Magical Days with the Mouse with all of you.

-Sarah

Family Fun Weekends- Kickin' Country Weekend at Disneyland

 Family Fun Weekends is back, and this weekend it's Kickin' Country Weekend at Disneyland. 

Last weekend I shared pictures from Fiesta Disneyland, and just like last weekend you can find many of the same characters out ready to meet you in their Country clothes. 

Cowboy Mickey and Minnie looking cute as always.

 Loving Daisy's dress and hat, and Donald looks pretty good himself too. 

It's Clarabelle Cow!

 Clara Cluck too!

 Pluto had a bandanna around his neck for the festivities.

I always love seeing how Goofy will dress.

While we were there, Chip and Dale were on the stage teaching everyone how to line dance. Goofy gathered all the little kids and brought them over to the stage. 

 Goofy joined in the line dancing for only a few minutes before returning to take photos. He really made quite a few little ones have a magical moment. It's always fun to see the kid's faces light up, when they get a little extra experience with their favorite characters.

 The Fort Worth West Band will be performing all weekend.

The coloring station is back with Family Fun Weekend papers to color on. 

 There is a quilt making booth...

 a BBQ sauce cart...

 Merchandise from Frontierland available...

 And a wood carving table.

You can find the Family Fun Weekends located back in the Festival Arena right next to Big Thunder Ranch from 10 am-5pm through this Sunday.
Next weekend Jan 28-30, Family Fun Weekends is back with Character Fan Days. 

 One last thing I wanted to mention, over at the cabin next to Big Thunder Ranch, they have it also open for coloring. If you want a quiet place to color with your kids, this is an ideal place to go.

Don't forget to say hi to Maggie on your way out. 

Magical Character Moments

Last September, I met a bunch of friends for a day at Disneyland. One of the first rides we rode with our children was the King Arthur Carousel. As soon as we got off, and we all strapped our babies back into the strollers , we all witnessed something very magical. 

A little girl was dressed like Mary Poppins, and she was being escorted by the real Mary Poppins and Bert for a ride together. I've heard stories about character going on rides every once in a while, but this was the first time witnessing it. 

Now even though I wasn't directly apart of that magic, the magic did effect me. I walked away with such a happy feeling, just witnessing something like that was magical for me too. As a child once, I could feel the excitement that little girl must be having, and as a parent I could feel the excitement of my child getting to go on a ride with her favorite character. It's these random personal interactions that make Disney so great.

Although we haven't had a ride with any characters, we do have our fair share of stories seeing characters around the park. On one magical day as we were leaving, Geppetto came up to my son and feed him some water with his sippy cup. My son giggled, and then gave Geppetto some water. Geppetto pretended to drink the water, and then gave it back to my son. That may not seem like much, but trust me it left quite a great memory with me. 

This morning the Internet is all a buzz about Disney enforcing a new rule that characters will no longer be allowed to roam, and they will be forced to stay in Photo Pass (A Disney photographer will take your picture, hand you a card with a number, and you can purchase your photos online at home) locations. 

 If the rumor is true, that will be a sad sad day for Disneyland. 

I hope Disney can change their mind and let the magical moments continue to grow.

What was that saying? ... "Let the Memories Begin".

Mickey and Minnie Dance at Fiesta Disneyland Family Fun Weekends

This photo only was taken with an iPhone.

This weekend starting on Friday, join Disney's Kickin' Country Weekend for all new Family Fun!