Trip Report Pt. 2: Soundsational, DCA, and More!

When I last left you, I was jockeying for position to watch one of my favorite parades in years, Soundsational! A perfect blend of Disney character favorites and the whimsical stylings of Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily. My picture taking began in the Aladdin portion of the parade. Bring on the dancing girls!



Ariel blew kisses from above:



The Princess that started it all was on hand to wave to her grateful admirers in the crowd:



A particularly lovely Cinderella:



The styling of this bird just screams Kevin & Jody; in a good way!



Down at the Bayou, Princess Tiana was especially joyful and energetic:



The Princess and the Frog Showboat is one of my favorite set pieces from this parade. So much to see and admire, it is adorned with wonderful details.





Tink looked feisty as ever:



As the sun began to set, Mary & Bert were perfectly illuminated by the golden glow of the late afternoon, making it a perfectly Jolly Holiday:







After the parade, I made my way over to the other side, aka DCA.



Be sure to look at every square inch of Buena Vista Street; there are many gags and details for you to enjoy.



As I sauntered down the main boulevard of Hollywood Land, The Five and Dime car was driving by:



Quite surprisingly, I noticed that the Mad T Party was already occurring...in daylight!



Although it seems a lot more fun at night, I still enjoyed listening to the band play some of my favorite dance tunes while the enthusiastic crowd packed the floor below:









Across the way, I took a journey through The Sorcerer's Workshop in the Animation Building:





This is a hidden gem at DCA; unless told about it, I doubt that the average guest would stumble upon it on their own.





With all kinds of cool lights and crazy contraptions, you feel as if you have discovered a secret cave that begs to be explored.





It was hard for me to believe that in all the years I've been going to Disneyland, I h ad never really taken the time to photograph this beautiful area.



See Aladdin in the light fixture?



All the chairs were full as guests interacted with the touch screens to see which Disney character they most resembled:





The movie at the Crest Theater has been changed from "Snow White" to "Fantasia"; The El Capitan is still showing "Pinocchio." No changes in the last 11 years for the El Cap—"Pinocchio" must be doing well!



I was going to take the Red Car Trolley back to the new "hub" of DCA, but it was already full. Instead, I put my camera to use!



NEXT UP: Cars Land and Carthay!

See more vintage and current Disneyland/DCA photos on my Disneyland web pages.

A New DCA: Mad T Party

Inspired by Tim Burton's fanciful "Alice in Wonderland," is the current late-night entertainment that brings Hollywood Land in DCA to life. I didn't expect much from Electronica, and was pleasantly surprised. I expected even less from Mad T Party; it seemed like most had already written it off just based on preliminary concept sketches.

Once I walked through the mist screen, I was totally won over. The lighting truly transforms this area and the music coming from the band seemed to have a lighter more danceable feel. Instead of feeling like I'd stumbled into a rave (Electronica), it was like I'd just uncovered one heck of a fun retro dance party. For those that want the fancy drinks, you can visit the "Drink Me" bar:



The stage is incredible: the lights, the decor, and of course the funky costumes worn by the members of the band:





Meet Alice; I wonder if Walt would say that she lacked "heart" like his animated heroine?





The crowd loved the Michael Jackson "PYT" cover; what a lot of fun!







The Mad Arcade replaced Flynn's:



Short on time, I didn't venture inside, but it looked like there were skeeball machines inside, like the ones I used to blow all my money on at the Jersey Shore as a youth.



On a side stage, there were dancers sweating up a storm:





For those wanting a little high-energy fun after hours, I would highly recommend it!

See more Mad T Party photos on my Mad T Party web page.