Yesterday during my routine Disney related headlines round up for the site, I stumbled upon a delightful story originally published in the Christian Science Monitor. The author shares a magical moment at Disney when thanks to the enthusiastic support of a fellow Walt Disney World guest she tackles Rock N Roller Coaster. Click here for the full story.
It reminded me of my first trip on Space Mountain. I was probably around 13 and was finally tall enough to ride. Earlier in the day I did what was my typical pattern, stand in line with my friends and then duck out at the “Emergency Exit”. But they saw how much I enjoyed Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and the Matterhorn so they believed enjoy Space Mountain would be fun for me, too. But that portion of the queue where you can see the ride and hear the screams would dampen any courage I’d managed to muster. With the Matterhorn and Big Thunder I knew what I was in for, but this was a mysterious unknown. I had no way to judge it. My friends however were not to be denied and they skillfully distracted me with ridiculous games, stories and fun while we moved along in the queue and Space Mountain became one of my favorites at Disneyland.
Also among yesterday’s headlines was the news that Charter Communications a Madison WI announced they will launch a Disney video on demand channel for their subscribers. Yippee! My hope is that this is how those of us who long for the old Vault Disney days will be able to see those classics again. I don't live in the area so immediately I'm jealous. Knowing that the audience for Vault Disney type programming is more limited than what the Disney Channel captures with their current lineup I’ll accept the premium price for the content. But my early dreams and jealousies were quickly brought back to reality as I read on … “Disney Family Movies features a dozen Disney movies and animated shorts. Titles will remain in rotation for about a month, with new titles added weekly. The rotating titles will have broad appeal, targeting children, teens, adults, and families. Initially, Disney Family Movies includes Honey, I Shrunk the Kids; Air Buddies; Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams; Tarzan & Jane; Geppetto and others.” Ouch! This list doesn’t reflect what I had hoped would come from a Disney video on demand channel. Oh well, hopefully a Vault Disney channel will make its way to Disney.com
As a Disney fan, its sometimes disturbing how the Mouse sneaks into your brain. For example during the Olympics (which I’m enjoying tremendously) there was one particular British athlete whose name seemed strangely familiar and yet I couldn’t figure out why I would know her. Her name – Hannah Miley. Finally it dawned on me that it was the coincidental nature of her name that caught my brain. Actress / Singer Miley Cyrus plays Hannah Montana.
And finally, Disney is seeking the help of fans in fine-tuning 20Q Disney editions. I’m a big fan of 20Q having purchased the little orb as impulse buy at the Walgreens checkout. Sometimes 20Q has been almost creepy in its ability to discern what I’m thinking. My favorite was when it correctly guessed “spouse” But apparently they are developing a Disney edition gathering the data via the web as they with the original. I tested out the Disney 20Q site yesterday with the answer “Dumbo the Flying Elephant” (ride). And I stumped it. Apparently its database is currently based upon previous respondents who felt the answer to “Am I old?” was probably and not the yes I replied. As more correct data is collected by the website the game will become more accurate and more fun, so stop by and see if it can guess the Disney character, place, thing or unknown on your mind and increase the 20Q computer's knowledge about all things Disney.