Originally Posted By TP2000 Hello gang, it's TP2000 here, your friendly Miceage Apologist, with another scoop from that other website. Seeing as how we seem to feed most happily on news from other websites, I thought I'd summarize the scoop Miceage put up in a couple of their "Updates" the last month or two. This one is about Frozen coming to DCA's HollywoodLand Backlot area, but not opening until Saturday, December 20th. The basic details: -To push the Frozen fad while it still has some legs, and plus up DCA during a very busy Anaheim season of closures and rehabs -MuppetVision remade into a sing-a-long stage show with the Frozen gang -Stage 17 remade into a snowman making pavilion and ice skating rink, using real snow and ice, but staffed with fake Norwegians -Animation building remade into Frozen Central, with the official meet n' greet moved over from Fantasyland, Frozen character drawings in Animation Academy, and Frozen videos playing in the lobby -Lots of fake pine trees and snow banks and faux Norwegian arts n' crafts -Frozen merchandise and food offerings set up at the nearby snack bars and gift shops -The whole thing doesn't open until December 20th, in order to freeze out (get it?) the APs and make them wait until the Christmas blockouts are over. Then drive AP business during the slower winter months, and help boost the excitement during busy spring break weeks -Frozenland melts away in early May, to be replaced with the official launch of the Diamond Celebration on May 15th The most recent info from Miceage Update from last week is here: <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://micechat.com/84501-disneyland-hatbox-ghost/">http://micechat.com/84501-disn...x-ghost/</a> Your thoughts? I'm most fascinated by the concept of kicking all of this off on Saturday, December 20th, four days before Christmas. What a bizarre time to start something! But I guess if you are trying to prevent the APs from mobbing the place, that's how you do it.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I think that this seems pretty plausible. There are certain elements of it that don't quite pass the smell test to me (using Muppets for a live stage venue; in-park ice rink in a small-ish building when the DTD one is within walking distance), but after seeing how successful the offerings in WDW were, I have to think that DLR would want in on it I agree that the start date seems a little bit off to me. In a way, it makes sense, as the area will be really popular regardless of when they open it; but it also makes no sense, as they won't really be able to advertise it as part of the holiday offerings if they won't have it for most of the "holiday season". It also just goes to show how wacky things have gotten at DLR that they want to open new stuff right around major holidays because the AP crowd is too big >>...using real snow and ice, but staffed with fake Norwegians<< I'm still wondering where they're going to find people from Arendale to serve as Cultural Ambassadors in Epcot once the new ride opens : )
Originally Posted By TP2000 Agreed that this December 20th opening date really proves how much the AP demographic has turned decades of theme park operation on its head. And I'm Swedish, not Norwegian, but don't get me started on putting Frozen into the Norway Showcase at Epcot Center!
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I have a bit of Norwegian ancestry (1/8 or less) and spent my formative years in an area of the US with strong Norwegian roots and ties. It's just one of the many reasons (which I compiled into a thoughtfully written letter to certain folks at Disney) that I'm very opposed to it. But that's a whole different fish to fry
Originally Posted By FerretAfros WDW debuted their Frozen stuff in June under the guise of a "Frozen Summer". Olaf gets to sing his song (my least favorite of the bunch) and it makes Elsa's snow powers seem even more impressive (anybody can make snow in winter). Frozen in May makes more sense to me than Christmas decorations in October
Originally Posted By Dabob2 I'm married to someone of Norwegian extraction. I've had lutefisk. The things we do for love. Lutefisk is now eaten much more in the US (especially MN) than in Scandinavia. In Scandinavia it was invented from necessity, as a way of preserving fish - with lye (!) - lutefisk literally means lye fish - so it could be stored and eaten much later, centuries ago. Scandinavians now very sensibly realize they don't HAVE to eat this stuff any more, since we have - you know - refrigerators and stuff. Scandinavian-Americans still eat it as a misguided "tribute" to their ancestors. Here are two pieces from Garrison Keillor on lutefisk: "Every Advent we entered the purgatory of lutefisk, a repulsive gelatinous fishlike dish that tasted of soap and gave off an odor that would gag a goat. We did this in honor of Norwegian ancestors, much as if survivors of a famine might celebrate their deliverance by feasting on elm bark. I always felt the cold creeps as Advent approached, knowing that this dread delicacy would be put before me and I'd be told, "Just have a little." Eating a little was like vomiting a little, just as bad as a lot." "Lutefisk is cod that has been dried in a lye solution. It looks like the desiccated cadavers of squirrels run over by trucks, but after it is soaked and reconstituted and the lye is washed out and it's cooked, it looks more fish-related, though with lutefisk, the window of success is small. It can be tasty, but the statistics aren't on your side. It is the hereditary delicacy of Swedes and Norwegians who serve it around the holidays, in memory of their ancestors, who ate it because they were poor. Most lutefisk is not edible by normal people. It is reminiscent of the afterbirth of a dog or the world's largest chunk of phlegm."
Originally Posted By phruby Why can't they just leave Muppets alone and use the outdoor stage they already have? Just kick the Mad Hatter out and give us a Frozen dance party.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Garrison Keillor is pretty great, huh? I'm pretty sure that my knowledge of him goes back to my Scandinavian/Midwestern roots, but I'm always excited to hear him on the radio And those descriptions make me glad that the majority of my makeup is German and Irish. I'll have sausage and potatoes any day, but I'll keep doing what I can to avoid lutefisk
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>Why can't they just leave Muppets alone and use the outdoor stage they already have?<< Do they even use the outdoor stage with the covered seating area any more? It was last used for Disney Dance Crew, but that show ended a few years ago. I know it's occasionally used for Magic Music Days groups, but it seems like it could work well for Frozen. The seating area is smaller than Muppets and they'd need to find a way to display the words to sing along to (as if kids don't already know them all), but I think it could work. It would probably work nicely with the more informal nature of the show too, since a real theater setting might give people big expectations
Originally Posted By oneyepete <<when the DTD one is within walking distance>> I didn't know they had a rink. Where is it located?
Originally Posted By FerretAfros It's in the open space between ESPN Zone and Earl of Sandwich, next to the Disneyland Hotel. In the past it's where the DTD/DLH Christmas Tree was located; this past year, I think they incorporated the tree into the middle of the rink. From what I recall, they've only had the ice rink for the last 3 years or so; it's a relatively new addition
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I haven't seen anything about construction for it yet, so I don't think it's open. I think that it's been open roughly the same days as DL's official Christmas season, so it should start up mid-November and run through early January
Originally Posted By TP2000 oneyepete, I don't know that they'll let you use your own skates. You also have to wear their mandatory rental helmet. I'm not making that up. Here's a pic... <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://publicaffairs.disneyland.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/boysgirls_athletes.jpg">http://publicaffairs.disneylan...etes.jpg</a> In other news, Miceage is reporting Thursday evening that MuppetVision closes this weekend for seven weeks to be turned into a Frozen stage show. >>"Editor’s Note: October 30, 2014: Let the freezing begin - MuppetVision at DCA will be closing this Sunday. The attraction will then begin a seven week transformation into the Frozen stage show opening with the rest of the Frozen offerings that should debut on Saturday, December 20th. TDA is in no rush to announce their Frozen plans, and they're now planning to wait until after Thanksgiving before they say anything. But the Frozen related closures around Hollywood Land will soon be very noticeable."<< <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://micechat.com/">http://micechat.com/</a> I called the Disneyland refurb info line just now, and MuppetVision wasn't mentioned as closing this weekend or anytime soon. Interesting...
Originally Posted By FerretAfros The DL website, where you can go day by day to get the hours for individual attractions (an odd practice, since the vast majority of attractions have the same hours as the park) doesn't show anything for MuppetVision past this weekend <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/disney-california-adventure/muppet-vision-3d/">http://disneyland.disney.go.co...sion-3d/</a> If they're taking 7 weeks to do the conversion, they must be building something fairly substantial. I feel bad that the Muppet theater is so often used for temporary installations, since it's my favorite of the 3D movies at DLR
Originally Posted By oneyepete << You also have to wear their mandatory rental helmet.>> Ewwww! Well there goes that idea. Thanks
