Trip Report Pt. 5: Walking Around Disneyland

I briefly debated riding the Haunted Mansion again once I exited, but the ridiculously long line helped my decision. Instead, I moved down my check list of things to shoot and got a few shots of the Splash Mountain drop. It was still a bit hazy, so the sky wasn't at its best for photos. Still, you gotta' work with what you have!



The snap dragons were out in New Orleans Square and they added the perfect touch of fall coloring (even though I associate them with Spring!).



New Orleans Square in the morning is my favorite place in the park. Strolling through the winding avenues which make it seem larger than it is, it is easy to pretend you are elsewhere.





I was recently told that Fortune Red was originally an old hag, and that "she" was repurposed as the pirate you currently see. Supposedly the harridan's face still lies somewhere beneath there.





The Court of Angels is now officially sealed off.



Back in the heart of Frontierland, this section of the exterior of the Golden Horseshoe was once the Frontier Gun Shop.



My favorite part of the Halloween decor is this little display in Zocalo Park that celebrates Dios de los Muertos.











Can you imagine if these guys were animatronics? What a cool band that would be!



The Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree is back again:







An unintentional (or intentional) nod to Jack the Pumpkinhead from "Return to Oz"?



Still more trip report to come...I am stretching this one out!

See more vintage & current Disneyland Haunted Mansion Holiday photos on my HMH web page.

Disneyland Halloween Trip Report: Pt. 5

After my Haunted Mansion Holiday adventure, I had to give Pirates equal time. I managed to capture the usual assortment of shots, attempting to improve with each journey through this classic dark ride in New Orleans Square.



I am surprised (but not disappointed) that Pirates hasn't been dragged into the Halloween festivities with a "new" overlay.











Here's to hoping that the missing hats are part of a long refurbishment and not a permanent change. Without the stack of hats, the gag of this scene is gone.



On a happy note, Fortune Red has been returned to New Orleans Square, sporting a pipe now.









Believe it or not, signs of Christmas were already popping up at Disneyland in October:





I've always enjoyed visiting the Rancho del Zocalo park, with its festive Dios de los Muertos decor during the Halloween season.









Construction continues on the replacement of The Carnation Plaza Gardens:



There is a colorful rendering of what the area is supposed to look like when completed:



Speaking of construction, Indiana Jones is still under wraps:



At this point, I went across the way to Disney California Adventure. I needed a little Red Trolley and Buena Vista Street fix, as well as wanting to check out the "Frankenweenie" exhibit inside of the Art of Animation Building.



THIS is the type of thing I love to see. An actual museum-style exhibit, devoid of the typical gift shop push. VERY well done, and a must-see for Tim Burton admirers.





Amazing how expressive these little models are.



Being able to see the miniature sets blew me away. All of the detail! This one was actually interactive; you could push buttons to have certain areas come to life.



If you want to check this out, get moving; I believe it is only there until November 5.



Over at the Muppet Theatre, you can catch a sneak peak of "Frankenweenie" during special afternoon showings.



This movie tie-in is very well done! As for the food items it is advertising, I have no first hand knowledge.



Here's a Faux-D® image of the Carthay Circle Theatre to tide you over until the next post.



Come back tomorrow for more DCA photos.

See more vintage & current Disney California Adventure photos on my DCA web pages.

Disneyland Trip Report, Pt. 3

Since the crowds were almost non-existant, Stacy & I tackled the Fantasyland dark rides. First up was Alice; I started to take photos of the temporary rails and then thought...why waste the shots. They look like crap. I’ll just wait until the better (and prettier) solution comes along.



Wow—Mr. Toad! What a rare treat, as we practically walked onto this one.





Yup...can still scare the crap out of little kids.



Mr. Toad as Blue Boy:



Pinocchio? Aw, what the heck—we’ll ride him too. Like I said: walk on...no wait.





And once again, I got another chance to capture the new lighting effects on Snow White’s Scary Adventures. Had to get a few of the queue first, though.



The bird in shadow; a simple yet every effective atmospheric illusion:



Please don’t try this recipe at home!



Snow seemed happy to see us—



but our interruption of the Evil Queen yielded a much less friendly welcome!





The Dwarves seemed to be in as much of a hurry as we did to get away from her!



Nothing like a nice unsettling feeling of impending doom when leaving an attraction:



For the longest line of the day, clocking in at around 15 minutes, Peter Pan took the prize. All seemed A-OK in the nursery. From just the right angle, you can see “Disney” and “Peter Pan” spelled out in the blocks on the floor.



The soon-to-be-open meet & greet for Rapunzel, oops, I mean Tangled, is just about ready for guests:



Big Thunder Ranch is decked out for Halloween:



Nothing like the warm glow of sunset to make the park sparkle even more:



For those of us who like a side of creepy with our Halloween, the display of Dios de los Muertos is a welcome sight:







Now that the sun was down and the closing of Disneyland was imminent, Stacy got down to some serious shopping and I did what I enjoy most: take photos. Hope you enjoy a few detailed shots enhanced by the glow of lights:







Is nothing safe from Pirates anymore?



As a parting shot, here’s the billboard for World of Color located at the Tram Station near the parking garage:



Stayed tuned as another trip report will be coming soon in the near future.

In other Disney news...while we were at Disneyland, Stacy went bananas when her Blackberry alerted her that the new limited edition line of Disney Villain Makeup by MAC Cosmetics was being released and ready to order! While she furiously filled up her online shopping cart, I continued to shovel down my dinner of Grilled Citrus Chicken at the Rancho del Zocalo. Here are some photos of the fruits of her labor:











The Venomous Villains represented include Maleficent, Dr. Facilier, The Evil Queen, and Cruella de Vil. Good luck finding it; apparently the stuff pretty much flew out the window.

View more Disneyland photos at my main website.