The New Disney Hype

We all know Disney is great at their marketing skills and sales. They always have a new hype going on- a new collectable that will attract Disney fanatics from all over. I remember when I was younger the Disney Pin Trading was the fad. They had pins of all the characters, attractions, and of course limited edition ones to keep you buying. I personally collected the Tinkerbell pins. They are all so different and cute! I have about 30 Tink pins and probably around 50 pins all together. Pin trading at the park is still in effect. You can buy pins and trade them amongst the Disney Cast Members(employees). The pin trading has now died down and the next disney collectable is on shelves everywhere.

The Disney Vinylmations are the new craze! A vinylmation is a figurine that is shaped in the form of Mickey Mouse. The way they are designed makes them a collectable. There are thousands of different designs from the characters of all Disney movies to everyday objects, and cool abstract designs. There are many different series to the vinylmation collection. The vinylmations are only a 3 inch figure but they are quite pricey. Depending on the edition you can spend anywhere from ten to hundreds of dollars.

Aside from their cute appearance, another reason people are hooked on these little fellas is that there is a chase for all of them! In every series of vinylmations there is a mystery one to the set. They are usually pictured as the question mark on the back of the box set. There is no guarantee that you will get the mystery one or ever even come close to getting it. They are packaged in a way that you never know which one you are buying. This is fun but also a bummer because it is very probable that you will buy doubles.

I myself do not own any vinylmations, besides one miniature green alien one, but my best friend is a huge collector. She has spent over $800 on her collection and it is still growing. Some people find this Disney fad to be a not-so-good one, but others are all over it. A true Disney fan has some sort collectable from the parks. Whether or not the Vinylmation Collectables are for you, they are here and staying for awhile!

Radio Commercial

This is the radio commercial I made for Burt's Bees!

Video Interview

This is the original cut of the interview I did of my roommate Stephanie!

This is the edited version of the interview with Stephanie!

Disney California Adventure Makeover

Disney California Adventure, which opened in 2001, was constructed as part of a major expansion that transformed the Disneyland area and its hotels into the Disneyland Resort and consists of five areas: Sunshine Plaza, Hollywood Pictures Backlot, The Golden State, A Bug's Land and Paradise Pier. Each area is meant to resemble various aspects of California, its culture and landmarks. It was expected that the park would be a massive success.  The actual attendance for its premier year was far below Disney's expectations and continued to disappoint the company.

Trough feedback from employees, locals, tourists, and many Disneyland vistors, the company was able to understand some setbacks that effected the success of the park.
         -lack of "Disney-quality" attractions
         - lack of rides for young children
         - with an estimated price tag of $600 million, the park was criticized for being built "on the cheap", with a small number of attractions and minimal theming
        - admission was too expensive for what the park offered.

California Adventure has now gone under major renovations, in hopes to attract more visitors and revenue. A $1.1 billion expansion and renovation plan has been put into effect since their decision in 2007. Rides will be redesigned or replaced with a larger focus on Disney characters and stories. Some new additions include:

Buena Vista Street- The park's main entrance gate is similar to the entrance at Disney Hollywood Studios in Florida, with a design to resemble the landmark Pan-Pacific Auditorium. Buena Vista Street,  will lead guests into the park in a recreation of early 1920s Los Angeles when Walt Disney first arrived with Mission and Art Deco facades housing shops and restaurants. The Golden Gate Bridge replica was removed and replaced by a simple arched bridge.  Construction of Buena Vista Street began in the fall of 2010 and is planned to open in the spring of 2012.

Cars Land- This attraction is inspired by Cars, the movie.
The new Cars Land will contain three attractions and will span 12 acres. The first, Radiator Springs Racers will be among the most expensive rides ever built at an estimated $200 million. The ride will begin with a race briefing from Lightning McQueen and end at the Wheel Well Motel from the movie.
The other two attractions are going to be smaller family attractions with smaller height requirements featuring Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, a tea-cup like attraction, and Luigi's Roamin' Tires. Cars Land will also feature a life-size model of Radiator Springs and several dining and shopping venues.
It is supposed to open in 2012, after the park celebrates its 10th anniversary.

I personally cannot wait for the park to be finished with these major changes so I can go back home and enjoy them. Although these changes have a set completion date, "Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.", in the words of Mr. Walt Disney himself.

Interview with Professor Ernay

Last week's assignment was to interview a classmate and practice editing our audio files. Being that there was an uneven number of students in class, I ended up having to interview my professor. I was nervous at first, but the interview with Professor Ernay turned out to be a fun and pretty insightful. Here are some excerpts from our interview. 

Q:"Where are you from?"
A:"I'm from Pennsylvania originally, but I grew up in New Jersey."

Q:"Since you're from the area, where is your favorite place to visit in New York City?"
A:"My favorite place to visit in New York City on a regular basis is Central Park."

Q:"Besides teaching, what are your other hobbies?"
A:"I play a lot of tennis, um, spend a lot of time with the family, and watch a lot of TV..."

Halloween Hits Disneyland

Every year, Disneyland turns into a not-so-scary Halloween Haunt. From September 16th through October 31st, Disneyland is decorated all the way from Toon-Town to Adventure Land, from Tomorrow Land to Main Street, and all the way to Sleeping Beauty's Castle. Needless to say, the place is decked out! 

Some of the newest editions to this annual dress-up include the spooky addition to Space Mountain. The ride is now playing eerie music as you blast off into space, as well as having creepy creatures lurking around every twist and turn of the turbulent ride.

Main Street is decorated from head to toe with Halloween decor. Jack-o-lanterns beyond jack-o-lanterns line the street and stores, as you first enter the park- 300 pumpkins to be exact. Also, you can be sure to find special edition Halloween souvenirs in the stores, not only on Main Street, but throughout the park.

Being from California, I have visited this Halloween Spectacular multiple times, and I must say my favorite part of it all, is the redecorating of The Haunted Mansion. Instead of being the normal, already spooky attraction, they transform it into The Nightmare Before Christmas. Jack Skellington and all his friends take over the mansion and add more Halloween fun, and a taste of Christmas. This attraction stays open until after the new year.

I highly recommend going to Disneyland during this time of year. If you want an even better Halloween experience, try going to Mickey's Halloween Party, taking place on select weekends in October. At this party you can dress up (a special treat for the older crowd who normally aren't permitted to do so), take pictures with the Villains, and help yourself to special spook-tacular treats. Also, you can enjoy the park's traditional attractions. This event is an additional fee, but is well worth it. Hope everyone enjoys their Disney-filled Halloween!

New Disney Princess

This Sunday, October 2nd, Disney will induct another princess into their royal world. Rapunzel, from "Tangled" will be along side the other nine princesses Ariel, Snow White, Aurora, Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, Mulan and Pocahontas at her coronation ceremony at the Kensington Palace in the UK(Residence to the British Royal Family for over 4,000 years). The Walt Disney Company will host this first ever event with Historic Royal Palaces which is a charity that helps people understand how royals helped shape society. Not only will there be a party, but a procession through Hyde Park will take place for the public to view for free!

Rapunzel is the 10th princess to join the Disney bunch right behind Tiana from "Princess and the Frog". Rapunzel is indeed a princess, but wasn't aware of it until she turned 18 and went off on her own, against her mother's commands. Her mother Gothel, or who she at least thought was her mom, was in fact a woman who kidnapped her for her magical hair when Rapunzel was a newborn. Gothel kept her locked up in her tower to keep her away from her family a Once Rapunzel turned 18 she set out to follow the glowing lights that her original kingdom lit every year on her birthday, in hopes that she would return. Eventually, with help from Flynn Rider (the prince figure), she makes it back to her kingdom and discovers that she was supposed to be there all along.

Disney, once again, recreated another fairytale story that has every little girl wearing costumes, wigs, and singing songs. For being the 50th animated Disney film and the 10th Disney princess, it is only necessary that "Tangled" and Rapunzel be celebrated in such a royal manor.