#3 Surprise: Waking Sleeping Beauty
I�m a huge fan of documentaries. Startup.com, Word Wars, Tilt: The Battle to Save Pinball, My Kid Could Paint That - if it�s a non-political documentary, I�m probably interested. Especially those that go behind-the-scenes. So movies like this are nothing new to me and while I thought Waking Sleeping Beauty would be great, I just didn�t imagine a film put out by Disney about Disney could ultimately be all that insightful. But I was wrong. For whatever reason Disney gave the producers the freedom to make Disney look bad and at times - many times - the company really does. But ultimately it is for the best as the second Golden Age of animation took-off in 1989 (ignore The Rescuers Down Under). As as the film continues we realize again holding on to success is even more difficult than attaining it. I hope there are some Disney employees today bringing their camcorders to work.

#3 Disappointment: Captain EO
Along the same lines as Summer Nightastic and the Main Street Electrical Parade - pull out a 20+ year old attraction and say �y�all come�. Come on - 2010, Michael Jackson, Whip Warriors? Closing a current attraction and replace it with an old one? There�s some nostalgia there with the untimely death of the King of Pop. But just a little. I give it Nostalgia: 20%. Retread 80%.

#2 Surprise: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
No, it�s not Disney. But I think, in the long term, it will affect Disney as much as anything else on the list. The fact that the biggest thing in theme parks in 2010 didn�t come from the world of Disney is meaningful. Even if Disney had had a big theme park year, I think Potter still may have been the biggest thing of the year. With Spider-Man Universal proved it could build an attraction every bit as good as the best Disney has to offer. But with Potter they went one step further - they proved they could create an entire themed environment - Disney�s claim to fame even more than rides - that out does anything has done in recent memory (at least domestically). I walked into the Wizarding World having no interest whatsoever in Harry Potter and ready to mock it like any good Disney fan would. Instead I was hooked. I love to just exist in that world. I love to drink Butter Beer. The merchandise is awesome. The themed food is awesome. The only thing that disappointed me was the attractions. I can�t do the main ride, Forbidden Journey, because they decided to make the seats too small or something. The other 2 rides are just re-themes. And the other attraction, Ollivander�s Wands was a big disappointment once I finally got it. And all that said, I jump at the chance to go there every time.  A live-action world turned into a great place to be. I�ve since jumped on the Potter bandwagon and seen all the films and eagerly anticipate the finale. I�m also anxious to see / crossing my fingers for Universal to expand the area. Potter was a big financial bonanza for Universal and I hope they pour some of that money back into making it ever bigger and better. But most of all, I�m anxious to see Disney�s response. The ante has been up-ed. Disney, it�s your turn!

#2 Disappointment: Disney Dance Crew
If you�re a listener to the LPP � I mean, Laughing Place Podcast � you know this new show at Disney California Adventure was a new low as far as I�m concerned. Hip Hop Mickey is just � well, why? Tearing the classy clothes off of Mickey because they�re old and tired? Really? And some of the moves Mickey made. I don�t know if they were a part of the choreography or Mickey was just in a mood, but some of those moves (since removed) were absolutely inappropriate for Mickey Mouse. How did this come to be? Mickey Mouse isn�t some minor character, Mickey Mouse is the face of the multi-billion dollar multi-national corporation. Mickey needs some protection, some guidance. You can�t just take Mickey and make him do whatever you want. Mickey doesn�t have to live in a box, but if he�s going to go outside of it, it should almost take an act of the Board of Directors to let that happen. And I�m pretty sure the Board didn�t approve of the some of the moves I saw. Maybe I�m over-reacting. Mickey will survive and Disney will certainly survive it. But I do believe this is the way the Company should feel about protecting its 82-year old corporate symbol.