DDDDD IIIII SSSS ''' ''' ''' DDDDD A TTTTT D D I S S ''' ''' n ''' D D A A T D D I S ' ' nnnnnn ' D D A A T D D I SSSS ' ' n n ' D D A A T D D I S n n D D AAAAAAA T D D I S S n n D D A A T DDDDD IIIII SSSS n n DDDDD A A T "All Disney news fitted to print" -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 2 Number 7 July 94 Edition --------------------------------------------------------------------------
In this issue...
This ride was originally scheduled to open June 1, 1994.
The date was pushed back to July 1, 1994, and now we are being told
that this date is going to be pushed back even further.
For those that are curious, DIS' 'n' DAT presents, as a public service, from
our home offices in "I'll Sue" City...
In this column, DIS' 'n' DAT gives some more members of the FDC the
opportunity to tell the readership of this newsletter just who they
are and how they came rec.arts.disney in the first place.
Their responses, slightly edited, follow:
I live in southern California, about a half-hour's drive from
Disneyland, The Original!, and have lived in southern California all
my life.
I'm 34, so I've been visiting Disneyland almost as long as it's been there.
I've seen it go through TONS of changes, but I never tire of visiting
the Park, and even have a coveted "Annual Pass." I go about twice
a month, which is such a total luxury, I'm still THRILLED to be able
to do it!
And contrary to what I'd feared, going that often has not left me
jaded, or indifferent toward Disneyland-- quite the contrary!
Since I go that often, I see little details that I'd never noticed
before, and I can take time to just relax with a cup of coffee and some
form of chocolate dessert (doesn't matter what form, as long as it's
chocolate!), and just watch the people and soak up the wonderful,
happy atmosphere there.
I appreciate Disneyland more and more with each visit, and never cease
to marvel at the magic the cast there creates!Now that I've been on
rec.arts.disney for awhile, I've begun to know some WONDERFUL people that I
wouldn't have met otherwise.
The "rec.arts.disney Disneyland get-togethers" that we in the southern California
area have begun to do have been a great way to meet others with
similar interests, and there's nothing better than seeing Disneyland
with other people who are as enthusiastic about it as I am!
I had the good fortune to visit Walt Disney World just once, about two years ago,
and while we had to abort the vacation early due to "family
issues," I still had a terrific time, and can hardly wait to go
back.
My goal is to be there October 1, 1996, for the 25th anniversary,
which will coincidentally be my birthday, so what better present could
I give myself??!
I've loved all things Disney pretty much all my life.
I'm one of those people who just loves "happily-ever-afters," so
Disney has obviously always appealed to me.
I REALLY enjoy introducing the wonder and magic of Disney to people who
haven't experienced it yet.
To anyone reading this, if you're EVER planning a visit to Disneyland and would
like a personal tour guide, just let me know!
I **LOVE** the place, and love showing it to people.
My earliest recollections of Disney are of the Park.
I remember the first time I rode on the Matterhorn, which was probably
when I was around 6 years old.
I have NO recollection of the actual ride I took that day, but I
distinctly recall trying to be very brave while we waited in line, and
"telling" my mother over and over that this would undoubtedly be a
really fun ride, and not scary at all.
I'm not sure if I convinced myself or not, but I can still picture it
in my mind's eye.
I also recall visiting the "Mickey Mouse Club Clubhouse," and
having my picture taken with Mickey, when I was probably about 4.
I think I "remember" it more from the picture than from actual
memory, but I treasure that photo.
And I have wonderful memories of the "first" Fantasyland, and
going to the Welch's grape juice counter for a grape Popsicle, then
watching "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day" in the theatre
there.
I recall watching the construction of "Pirates of the Caribbean,"
and the "Haunted Mansion," and being so excited when we could
FINALLY ride those rides!
They were SHEER MAGIC!
Absolute bliss.
I spent my 1977 high school Grad Night at Disneyland, and waited about five
hours (!) in line for Space Mountain, since it was new then.
Well worth the wait, though, and it's STILL my favorite Disneyland ride!
I also have wonderful memories of what is, to me, one of the most
wonderful things in Disneyland: the "Fantasy in the Sky Fireworks." My
earliest clear recollections are of the time when it wasn't Tinker Bell
who "flew" from the Matterhorn down to "light" the fireworks,
but it was Mary Poppins!
Oh how I LOVED that!
Tinker Bell's flight is still nearly magical to me, and if someone
could grant me one Disney wish, I would wish to be that Tinker Bell for
a night!
(And when I watch the Disneyland Fireworks, I will always think of my very
happy, vibrant friend Melodie, who finally got to visit Disneyland for the
VERY first time when she was 26, and had tears in her eyes when the
fireworks were through, because the "Americana"-ism of it all just
overwhelmed her.
We had a *great* day that day, August 1993, but she very suddenly
passed away six weeks later.
You won't ever be forgotten, Mel!)
My earliest, *clear* Disney movie memories are of seeing The Jungle
Book, which I always thought (and still do) was sort of sad, when Mowgli
has to leave at the end.
Geez, I'm such a sap!
I also LOVED watching "The Wonderful World of Disney" every Sunday
night, and just hated it when they showed a "two-parter," cause I
was certain that there was NO WAY I could wait a week to see part two!
That Walt sure could weave some kind of magic!
My BEST Disney memory, though, is of when I saw "Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs" for the very first time.
My mom and I went together, and I was SO taken with Dopey, and his sheer
DELIGHT with life, and his absolute joy, love, and total desire to
enjoy EVERY moment, and his total trust and child-like innocence!
He's been my ultimate favorite Disney character ever since that
wonderful afternoon, and that happiness he brings has become a really
enjoyable hobby of mine, as I collect Dopeys in almost ANY form--
figurines, rubber dolls, original hand-made dolls, mugs, music boxes,
movie posters, lobby cards, production drawings, whatever I can find
AND afford!
(I **jokingly** say that because I collect Dopeys, that's why I
married my ex-husband, and that that was the only bad investment I've
made so far!, but I stress the *jokingly* part of that.
We remain good, supportive friends, for which I'm grateful).
I also had the extreme pleasure of being a Disney Cast Member, if only
briefly.
I worked for three months this past holiday season at my local Disney
Store, and never had so much FUN *working* in my life!
When you get the chance to interact with guests who are still
enthralled by the magic, and you can share it with them, it can really
make your heart soar!
I'm hoping to become a store Cast Member again, when the store a few
miles from my home opens this fall!
In "real life," I work at the University of California (UC),
Irvine.
The UC has nine campuses, and Irvine is, fortunately, near Disneyland!
I've worked here 11 1/2 years, after graduating from here with a
degree in French Linguistics.
Much of my work is done online now, and I therefore have managed to
get FREE, UNLIMITED Internet access!
Browsing through the newsgroups one day, I stumbled upon rec.arts.disney, and
have been hooked ever since!
And of course, I just HAD to apply to be the FDC Dopey!
I love reading rec.arts.disney, seeing the various viewpoints on various topics,
and I enjoy both the "fun" posts that simply entertain, as well as
the intellectual debates that get going sometimes.
One thing that continually strikes me is how **intelligent** r.a.d'ers
are!
Many "outsiders" think that adult Disney fans are people who are
"childish," but as we all know, we simply are able to still enjoy
the child within us all!
(It certainly isn't "childish" when, while discussing _Beauty and the Beast_, we
start quoting from the 'original' French tale, citing specific
passages; or when we get into a lengthy debate about "Hamlet"
while awaiting the release of "The Lion King!").
The only negative Disney comment I'll make about myself is that I have
trouble being negative about Disney!
But heck, so what?
This is the entertainment portion of life, and I like to just sit back
and have FUN with it!
Again, if anyone is going to be in the area of Disneyland, let me, or
the rec.arts.disney group, know ahead of time, so that I/we can meet you, if
you'd like.
It's terrific when one can share that Disney love and magic with
others!
[Editor's note:
Lisa has informed me that while her email may say "Campbell" for
a while longer, she's resuming the use of her family name, which is
"Shoup."
So when you start seeing massive posts from somebody with that name,
it's not a "Dopey" usurper, it's still her.]
Disney has a number of studios for some very good reasons.
For example, the films "Splash!" and "The Little Mermaid,"
though they both deal with mermaids and the human males they pursue,
are completely different.
And being affiliated with such an image-conscious company as Disney
has caused each of these studios to develop a distinctive
"personality" that marks its products long before one even sees the
opening credits.
Since it's true that "if you've seen one, you've seen them all," we at
DIS' 'n' DAT have created a small but definitive guide for the average film
viewer to describe EXACTLY the type of film one can expect from each
of Disney's film studios so that YOU, the fan, can wisely budget your
hard-earned entertainment dollars.
We met in front of "It's A Small World" at noon.
Christina, from the earthquake-ravaged California State University at
Northridge, who made the original suggestion for this whole event,
wasn't able to make it, because her car died!
(Next time, Christina!).
She was going to bring a sign, and I (Lisa, AKA FDC March-Around
Dopey! *Heigh ho, Heigh ho*) was going to carry a red mouse-ears
balloon.
Meeting at the dedication plaque was a great idea, but it's also where
the stroller parking is, so we wanted to avoid the confusion of this
group of people who didn't know each other's faces trying to find and
meet each other!
Well, Christina never made it, and I spent from 11:30 till noon
looking EVERYWHERE in the Park for a balloon vendor, but of course,
they were nowhere to be found.
So we wound up mingling around, and eventually pulling ourselves into
a group!
It was a little comical, to say the least.
Poor Roxane, the now un-lurked, who happened upon a woman right in
that area who DID have one of the precious red balloons.
She asked the woman if she was with the rec.arts.disney group, and I'm not sure
what the woman must have thought!
While we waited for a few more people to show up who'd said they'd be
there, I spotted a family with three balloons, one of them red!
I went over and asked if I could buy the red one from them, and while
they may have thought I was one brick short of a load, they very
kindly just gave me the balloon.
They'd had them since their "Magic Morning" breakfast, and were
tired of them bobbing around on the stroller!
So after I finally procured the red balloon, we waited, and waited,
and waited, and finally realized that no one else was coming anyway.
By then we'd probably clogged the exit to Small World for about an
hour, so we decided to veer over toward some shade and continue
getting to know each other!
Allow me to introduce you to the group who was able to be there.
Jacquie Parr was one of the first there, but also, unfortunately, one
of the first to leave, since she was visiting from northern California
with 10 relatives!
We were glad to meet you, Jacquie, even if only briefly!
Hopefully you'll be able to make it down again sometime!
Steve Z (AKA Steve Ziolkowski) was there, with a really cool Euro-Disney
cap on.
(See lar3ry-- **someone** went there, at least ONCE!).
His mother lives in Italy, so he gets to jet over there periodically,
and drops in at Euro Disney from time to time!
(Lucky guy).
Doug Palmer, the very tall guy in the photos, for those of you who
have seen them, was there from nearby Long Beach, Calif.
John(Indigo) Frost, who kindly made our group lunch reservations at
The Blue Bayou, was there, and along with Doug, touted the Monte
Cristo sandwich so much that most of us had them for lunch!
Yummmmmmmmmmm!
(Rule #1: Never count calories at Disneyland!).
Greg (Tigger) Orman was there, appropriately attired in a Tigger
shirt, and black and orange sunglasses!
He's a real Disneyland regular, and is another fan of those Disney-lore
stories that some of us love so much!
Greg(Sacto) Loe was able to be there, too, although he had to leave
early, too.
But at least we got to meet him! He stayed for the get-together, and
left as we went into the Blue Bayou for lunch, cause he still had to
drive home to Sacramento, which is probably at least seven hours away
by car.
We're glad to stuck around for a bit, Greg!
Todd King (a lurker, but lurkers are ALWAYS welcome!) was there in a
great Lion King shirt.
He works in Feature Animation! <envy, envy>
We can watch for his name in the credits of _The Lion King_ when we all start
flocking to it!
Teri McDonald (another WELCOME lurker!) was there, and SHE works in
Feature Animation, too!
<envy, envy>
Her name is also in _The Lion King_ credits, under "Finishing," I think, and
for those of you with the videos, she also worked on _Aladdin_ and
_Beauty and the Beast_, (I think those are the ones she said!).
Roxane Smyer (the now famously de-lurked!) was there, too, and is
another die-hard Disney fan!
She and John(Indigo) are the two who saw Marie Osmond on Space
Mountain, for those of you who read that thread.
She is also not only de-lurked, but has already become an FDC member,
as the FDC Fantasmic! Ninja!
(Those of us who are joining her at Disneyland on July 4th to chat and watch
Fantasmic! together are hoping to see her do her Ninja-stick
routine!).
Roberta (FDC MalEficent and Sleeping Beauty Castle Walk Through
supporter extraordinaire!) Brubaker was able to join us, for part of
the time, although she was working that afternoon so couldn't stay
with us the whole time.
She's been a Disneyland cast member for around 15 years, and is one of the
special group of Cast Members who has a Spirit Pin!
If you ever see a Cast Member with a pin of Sleeping Beauty's castle on their
name badge, they're SPECIAL!
And she truly does have the Disney spirit.
She has many *wonderful* stories about the joys of working at
Disneyland, and how she honestly never tires of it!
Last but by no means least, was Steven (The Surge!) Soria, who is
listed last only because we met him last, and unfortunately only
briefly.
He was hard at work as a lead on Main Street, working at the Cone Shop
when we tracked him down.
We dragged him out just long enough to get him in one of our group
photos, then he diligently went back to work, but with a Disney smile
on his face!
We're hoping that another time he'll be able to join us for much
longer!
I hope I didn't leave anyone out, and my apologies if I did.
Meeting each other was **terrific**, but trying to get the names
straight was tough at first, since we're used to email addresses and
clever sigs, instead of actual FACES!
(For any lurkers who may be out there but hesitant to join us-- DON'T
HESITATE!
The group of us had a GREAT time, and it didn't matter if you were a
complete lurker, or as famous as Roberta or The Surge!
We're all equal in the eyes of Uncle Walt, so come on out and JOIN US
next time!)
After talking in front of Small World for about an hour, then talking
in the nearby shade for probably another 30-45 minutes, we decided to
EAT.
While we were in the shade, though, Roberta pointed out a man walking
by and said, "See that man-- he's the president of Disneyland."
I think Roberta was almost ready to hold me back, as I was ready to
run after him and, I don't know-- bow at his feet, maybe!
I mean, I've grown up in southern California, and couldn't even BEGIN
to count how many times I've visited Disneyland, but I've been going since
around 1963.
But here, in the space of about 2 hours, I'm hob-nobbing with
members, the president of Disneyland walks by-- WHAT A DAY!
But even if all these people had had other jobs and weren't cast
members with really cool jobs, the day would still have been one of
the BEST times I've had there.
We all just had SO MUCH FUN!
If you think rec.arts.disney is fun-- just wait till you get together with a
group of r.a.d'ers!
EVERYONE has the Disney spirit, loves Disney (whether blatantly or
slightly cynically-- the love is still there!), and loves talking
about Disney!
So to anyone who couldn't join us, I **heartily** encourage you to
join us another time, or for those of you closer to Walt Disney World, plan a
r.a.d-together there!
I feel like I can almost guarantee that you'll have a GREAT time!
Back to the day:
We all made it over to The Blue Bayou, although Greg Loe and Steve Z.
had to leave us early.
The remaining 8 of us had a wonderful, leisurely lunch, a few of us,
myself included, were introduced to the wonders of Monte Cristo
sandwiches, and we TALKED AND TALKED AND TALKED!
We all seemed to have so much to share, and it was INCREDIBLE to hear
everyone's different stories, experiences, etc.
As we were finishing lunch, the soothing jazz trio started playing on
the balcony overlooking the restaurant, and we were all having just a
WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL time!
After lunch, we went over and tracked down Steve (The Surge!), so that
we could FINALLY meet this man with all of this wonderful Disney
knowledge and ENTHUSIASM.
Even though he couldn't stay and chat, we now have a face and smile to
go with those wonderful posts, and hopefully he'll join us sometime in
the future.
Over lunch, Roberta pointed out that since many of us have annual
passes (a deal you can hardly refuse if you live nearby!), we could do
these get-togethers on a semi-regular basis, and we agreed heartily to
that!
A suggestion of every 6 weeks to 2 months was made, and also anytime
anyone's going to be in the area and wants to meet some of us who have
the good fortune to *live* in the area, we can meet then also!
After The Surge! went back to his duties, many of us, sadly, had to
leave.
Roberta had to work, Teri and Todd said their goodbyes also, Doug
left, also, and after a little bit of shopping in the Villains store,
I had to leave, too.
If I hadn't had house guests, I would have stayed to close the place!,
along with John(Indigo) and Roxane, but, well, NEXT TIME!
Greg (Tigger) went to visit his friend Rod, the piano player
EXTRAORDINAIRE who has entertained so many of us at his piano at Coke
Corner for so many years, (and who, Greg and I agreed, should
ABSOLUTELY get a "window on Main Street" if he retires some day!,
although he never seems to *age*-- what do he and Dick Clark know that
WE don't know???).
Roxane and John(Indigo) were able to stay, and apparently did us all
proud, riding most of the "mountain range" of roller coaster rides
(along with Marie Osmond, who must certainly have been following them
around).
They, too, visited Rod for a bit, and eventually watched the Main
Street Electrical Parade before calling it a day.
AND WHAT A DAY IT WAS!
Speaking for myself, it was one of the most enjoyable days I've spent
at the Park, because I was with a group of **wonderful** people who
love Disney as much as I do!
(My family still finds it hard to believe that there REALLY are other
people who love it as much as I do!).
There was NEVER a shortage of happy conversation, and we really became
friends that day, in just a few hours.
Several of us have gotten together since then, (Doug, Roxane and I,
along with some friends and relatives, all saw "The Lion King"
together on Friday, June 17, at the El Capitan theatre in Hollywood,
AND cheered when Teri and Todd's names went by!, and I know some other
groups saw it together, also).
Teri, Roxane and I plan to get together again soon, and Roxane and I
are staking out a Fantasmic! viewing spot on July 4, and others are
WELCOME to join us!
(Roxane has posted this to rec.arts.disney, so check there for details).
And most of us are planning to meet again on July 10 at noon at the
Goofy statuette by the Partners statue!
And the WONDERFUL THING (well, ONE of the wonderful things) about this
is that most of us had never met before June 5!
But we all had such a TERRIFIC time, that we can hardly wait to get
together again!
It was a GREAT day (or did I mention that already?), and if anyone can
ever make it to another one of these, PLEASE COME!
You'll meet NICE people, (I *know*-- I've met 'em!), and *we'll* meet
MORE nice people, and we can all share our mutual love of things
DISNEY!
This will be, (in case any of you have missed the posts about it on
rec.arts.disney), on July 10th, around noon, and we will meet in the hub, (or
the round, virtual center of the Park), at the Goofy statuette right
by the gorgeous Partners statue of Walt and Mickey.
ALL rec.arts.disney'ers are welcome, whether you lurk or post or just LOVE
DISNEY!
I imagine that spouses/mates/significant others/friends would also be
WELCOME!
Thanks for the great idea, Christina!
Hope you can be there next time!
CONTRIBUTIONS
People wishing to contribute to DIS' 'n' DAT should send email to the
publication at the internet address
"lar3ry@world.std.com."
Please state explicitly if you wish to retain copyright or anonymity
for any material submitted.
The editor assumes no liability for unsolicited material of any kind.
STAFF
AVAILABILITY
DIS' 'n' DAT is posted monthly to the Usenet newsgroup
rec.arts.disney
just prior to the calendar month of the issue date.
Two mailing lists are maintained for this newsletter.
To subscribe, send email to lar3ry@world.std.com and state whether you wish to
receive either the ASCII or the PostScript version.
The following ftp archives contain back issues of DIS' 'n' DAT:
Top Ten Reasons for the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror Delay
One of the newest thrill attractions at the Disney/MGM Studios is the
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
In this ride, guests are going to have the magic thrill of plummeting
thirteen stories in a delapidated elevator.
FDC Column
The FDC is a group of people on rec.arts.disney that have dreams of working for
the Disney company in some capacity or another.
The FDC was founded to allow such people an opportunity to pretend
that they do work for the company that gave us Mickey Mouse,
Disneyland, and _Freaky Friday_.
Recently, most FDC applicants are character walk-arounds, who assume
the role of their character quite literally in correspondence on rec.arts.disney.
A number of FDC members and other people that regularly read rec.arts.disney
recently got together at Disneyland, and a report of that trip is
included as a separate article in this issue.
A Novice's Guide to Disney's Film Divisions
Touchstone pictures has that recognizable blue "line and circle"
logo that tells you that the following film is a Touchstone picture.
Hollywood Pictures has that dumb-looking Sphinx gracing the start of
their features.
These images may be distinctive, but do little to convey the type
of entertainment one is to expect from the respective labels.
rec.arts.disney Members Meet at Disneyland
On June 5, 1994, at about noon, a group of r.a.d'ers finally had a
chance to meet, **face to face**, at Disneyland (The Original!).
I think that everyone who was able to attend had a GREAT time meeting
each other, and getting to know the people behind the posts.
Of course, three of the group were lurkers, so we didn't even know
them from their posts, but that made absolutely no difference, because
they are all true-blue Disney fans, and us non-lurkers were thrilled
to meet even more people!
Our Next Get-Together...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
DIS' 'n' DAT is an on-line newsletter published monthly by Larry Gensch.
Copyright (c) 1994 Larry Gensch, except where individual copyright is
retained by the authors.
All rights reserved.
Anything may be reprinted in whole or in part with proper attribution
to DIS' 'n' DAT.
All incidents, situations, and events depicted or described in DIS' 'n' DAT
are fictional, and any similarity, without satiric intent, of
characters presented therein to living persons, toons, alleged NHL
teams, or Disney executives is purely coincidental.
So get a life, OK?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / PUBLISHER
lar3ry gensch <lar3ry@world.std.com>
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Amberle Ferrian <amberle@epx.cis.umn.edu>
CONTRIBUTORS
Lisa Shoup Campbell <lcampbel@uci.edu>
David Uy <daviduy@ee.umr.edu>
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