Happy Holidays From The Mouse Castle!

It's been a wonderful year for The Mouse Castle. Thank you for being a part of it.  Have a happy and safe holiday season and an even better 2015!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 12-22-2014 - Christmas at Disneyland

Merry Christmas from Inside The Mouse Castle!

It was a busy, fun-filled weekend at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure as Anthony and I both enjoyed the resort's Christmas finery. In today's episode, we share our festive experiences, which means a lot of talk about Frozen Fun, which has pretty much taken over the resort. Arendelle is now a permanent part of the Storybook Land Canal Boats while Freeze the Night is a cool replacement (see what I did there?) for the Mad T Party in Hollywood Land at DCA. Meanwhile, Anna and Elsa are now holding court at their Royal Welcome meet-and-greet inside the Animation Academy. It's by appointment only, so be sure to grab a Fastpass early. 

Anthony and I also offer our takes on it's a small world holiday, the Jingle Cruise, snoap, Haunted Mansion Holiday, Freeze the Night beverages and a lot of other seasonal Disney stuff. Considering it's Anthony's first holiday trip to Disneyland ever and my first Christmas trip in 15 years (how is this even possible?), we've both got a lot to cover.

We've also riff on a few other non-holiday items:

• Pixar's groundbreaking 1986 animated short Luxo Jr. was added to the Library of Congress's prestigious National Film Registry. Directed by John Lasseter, it's a sweet, silly vignette about two Luxo lamps interacting with an inflatable ball. Luxo Jr. was the first fully computer animated film to be nominated for an Academy Award. The film's characters have gone on to become iconic symbols of Pixar Animation Studios.
• The Marvel Experience debuted in Phoenix over the weekend, the first stop on a nationwide tour. It's an interactive, multimedia attraction where guests join forces with the world's greatest superheroes to battle Hydra and their evil army of Adaptoids.
• Orlando Bloom has let it be known that he's in talks with Disney to return to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise as Will Turner. The fifth Pirates installment, Dead Men Tell No Tales is slated for release in Summer 2017.

Anthony and I wish you both a very happy and safe holiday season!

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The Mouse Castle Lounge 12-18-2014 - 'Universal vs. Disney' Author Sam Gennawey

Universal Studios Hollywood dressed up for the holidays.
It's come a long way since the 1960s.

There’s no bigger theme park rivalry today than the one going on between Universal Studios and Disney. Just take a look at both company’s resort operations in Orlando where Walt Disney World was the dominant force for nearly 20 years. For the most part it still is, but in 1990 Universal moved into the neighborhood and began an ambitious plan to compete with Disney for Florida tourist dollars. Today, Universal Orlando boasts two theme parks, four onsite hotels and the CityWalk shopping, dining and entertainment complex. In 2010, Universal Orlando introduced the game-changing Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure. In 2014, they upped the ante with the opening of Diagon Alley at the Universal Studios theme park.

Harry Potter will make his debut at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2016. The original California park has come a long way since its modest beginnings in the 1960s with a backlot tram tour through a functioning film studio. In those early days Universal didn’t have any ambitions to compete with Disney and purposely positioned itself as the anti-Disney park. Over time, though, ownership changes, management changes, egos and hurt feelings set in motion the competitive rivalry we see today between Universal and Disney. It’s a fascinating story.

Sam Gennawey

Telling that story is author and historian Sam Gennawey. His new book is Universal vs. Disney: The Unofficial Guide to American Theme Parks’ Greatest Rivalry. In it, Sam offers a detailed history of Universal Studios dating back to the silent film era when Carl Laemmle, a German immigrant with a knack for business and showmanship, built a studio not only to make movies, but to share the experience with the public. Just like Sam’s previous two books, Universal vs. Disney is a carefully researched and detailed exploration of theme park planning, business and entertainment—with plenty of palace intrigue. Sam Gennawey is my guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

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