Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with disney

Double-size Beds at Disney World?!

14580 — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 07:10:03 -0800

My wife and I want to stay at Disney World (Florida) with our 8-year old granddaughter. I'm almost 6-foot, 5-inches tall and I don't want a double-size bed, which seems to be what Disney wants families to sleep in. While there are rooms with king-size beds, they are only for two people. Our travel agent called them and was told that their Coronado Springs hotel is only one where we can get a room with two queen-size beds. Quite frankly, the Southwestern theme doesn't appeal to us, and we think our young granddaughter won't find it very charming at all. So, we're looking for suggestions or alternatives. We'd like to stay on the Disney property to avoid having to rent a car. Even more important than that, we want to stay at a hotel where we can get to/from the hotel quickly and easily, without having to wait for crowded shuttles or buses.

Disney version of the Monsanto Corporation story please.

querty — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:25:20 -0800

How would you explain to an 8 year old the practices of Monsanto? Basically need a kids-friendly, Disney / fairy tale / bedtime story version of Monsanto Corporation without mentioning the farmer suicides and keeping the politics to a minimum.

WTF Disney?

chicago2penn — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 11:18:51 -0800

Disney movies: Why is The Princess and the Frog not considered to be inappropriate or racist along the same lines asSong of the South? I saw the Princess and the Frog last night. It was adorable, and I laughed and had a generally good time. However, there were several elements of it which reminded me of the Uncle Remus stories.

1) Uncle Remus is heavily criticized for its use of black Southern dialect. The Princess and the Frog uses Creole accents in much the same way.

2) It seems as if The Princess and the Frog plays as much into stereotype as Uncle Remus, just in a different time period... a poor black woman whose only dream in life is to be promoted from being a waitress to owning her own restaurant. Both she and her parents work servile jobs to rich, white people.

3) All the lightning bugs seem to be funny, but ultimately mean stereotypes of backwoods, backwards Cajuns. Voodoo. The Shadow Man? Mama Odie?

If you want to say it's trying to give an "historically accurate" portrayal of 1920's New Orleans, what is different about 1920's New Orleans and 1850's Mississippi?

What is the difference between portraying classic stereotypical "Uncle Remus and Aunt Jemimah" characters, and lesser-known/written about Creoles?

Visiting the Mouse House

thanotopsis — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:40:01 -0800

We're visiting Mickey Mouse down in Orland December 15-21. We've been spending weeks now working out our reservations and special events tickets, but we still have some extra time left over. Any mouse-ear-types that can give us a tip on something really special to do that might not be mentioned on an official website? We've managed to get tickets for Mickey's Christmas party, Epcot Illuminations and Candlelight processional (with the dinner package and special seating) and Cinderella's table. We even got the Brown Derby dinner package and reserved seating for Fantasmic over at Hollywood Studios. My daughter's birthday is the 17th, so we also got some special birthday stuff for her that evening.

We've been doing all the research on special magic hours, and this certainly isn't our first visit -- I just don't want to miss out on anything.

What a strange movie...

razzamatazm — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:55:38 -0800

Weird movie memory filter: I feel like it was a Disney Channel movie. The premise was a 14ish year old girl wanting to be in a boy's band, so she ended up dressing like a boy and they let her in the band. She was also in an all girl band and it happened that they had to perform on the same day. Chaos ensues, and she is found out in the end... Any help is great.

$500/mo in Orange Country: Feasible?

tj9991 — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 04:07:20 -0800

I was hired at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California last month, and am currently living in Northwest Washington. I'll be moving in approximately two months to the Orange County area, and could not be more terrified. This will be my first time leaving home for a period longer than a week or two, and I will be doing it alone. I'd like to ask a few questions here as my friends/family haven't been all that helpful.

1) I'd like to have a room to my own as close to Anaheim as possible for about $500 a month. I know this is outlandish, but I'm really hoping that my lack of standards will land me a deal at some point. Will this mentality find me a home? Where should I be looking? I've been monitoring Craigslist, but it's difficult to tell between the spam and people who actually have rooms for that low of an amount.

2) What is a good job to apply for while I am part-time at the resort? I was thinking of applying into either fast-food or restaurant work, given my experience, but I'd like to know what you have to say. With it being the secondary job, the hours flexibility is what really matters. I'm sure that I will be switching quite a few shifts from double-scheduling on the two jobs.

3) For those of you who moved out on your own without a partner: how does it feel living on your own for the first time? Is it as lonely as I think, or is it really not all that bad? I'll be moving into another state and won't have any friends to come visit me, and I see some very lonely nights ahead of me.

4) Anyone here on MetaFilter a current/future Disneyland Cast Member? I've been in contact with several through a site called MiceChat, and I'd like to know if there is somewhere else with a higher turnout of CM's.

Best way to get between Disneyland Paris and the Airport (CDG)

Goofyy — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 11:39:38 -0800

We are planning our second trip to Disneyland Paris in a couple of weeks and are trying to figure out the best way to get between the airport (CDG) and Disneyland. The two main options discussed in a previous thread around this topic recommended the RER or the VEA shuttle. The RER seems like a hassle with luggage having to change in Chatelet-Les-Halles. During our last Disneyland Paris trip we took the VEA shuttle and we did not enjoy it at all (having to leave 2.5 hours before check-in, unpredictable timing, long stops at the different hotels, crowded). We are therefore looking for alternatives.

One option that never seems to be mentioned anywhere is to take the TGV (train) from Chessy to CDG Terminal 2. It is fast (10 minutes), should be much more predictable than the shuttle or the RER and appears to cost the same as the bus. What are we missing here? Why is this not the preferred way to go?

One other option we are considering is to take a taxi - does anyone know how much this would cost, and how long?

You Lucky Dog

comwiz — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 22:45:49 -0800

Help! Where can I find a copy of the Disney Channel original movie You Lucky Dog (wiki/imdb)? I've looked everywhere and can't find anything. Getting ahold of this would mean a lot to a very special friend. I'm basically willing to accept anything in any format and of any quality, and up to a reasonable price, if there's even anywhere that's selling it. Heck, if any of you MeFites have a old VHS recording of it sitting around, I would gladly pay for you to copy and ship it to me.

Disney movie about telepathic twins?

alona — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 01:22:31 -0800

MovieFilter: When I was a kid (late 90's) there was a movie on the Disney Channel or Family Channel that I absolutely loved. Help me find out what it's called! Note: It may not be a Disney movie. I went through a list of Disney movies of the 1990s and couldn't find it.

I don't remember much about it. Part of the premise was that everyone in the world had a twin somewhere, and this girl found her boy twin and they became best friends. And there was something about how they lived at a rich old man's house and he bought them lots of toys, but it may only have been the girl who lived at the man's house, I'm not sure. Also, once any set of twins in the world had met they'd do something like join hands and then purple light would appear and they were beamed up to another planet where everyone lived with their twin. My friend also remembers this movie and he claims the twins had a telepathic connection but I'm not sure.
Any help with figuring out the name of the movie is appreciated!

SURPRISE!!!

Diskeater — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 11:24:12 -0800

Celebrating my mom's birthday in Disney World....help me surprise her! My family and I are going to Walt Disney World to celebrate my mom’s 60th birthday. We are all staying on-site and my parents are arriving a day before the rest of us (me, my sister, her husband and two year old baby). I wanted to surprise them by picking up the tab for their dinner but I spoke to my sister and she’s pretty sure that our meals have been paid for already, so that’s out.

I would love to surprise them with something before we all arrive but I don’t have any ideas yet. My sister suggested a bouquet of flowers for their room when they arrive or breakfast in bed the next day. Both are excellent suggestions but I want to get more ideas before I decide on anything.

Stuff to consider: They’re arriving on my mom’s birthday (Wednesday, September 24th) so a birthday-related surprise would be fun but not required. We are all staying at the Coronado Springs. I have never done anything like this before so bonus points if you can tell me who I should contact to arrange whatever I decide on.

Thanks!

Best book about Disney park design?

davebush — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 10:44:43 -0800

I want to read a book about Disney's parks, specifically, one that focuses on the parks' designs and their impact on the visitor's experience. I'm interested in knowing more about all of Disney's design techniques, - food service, architecture, lighting, guest services, Fast Pass...etc. I'd like some insight into all the details that make their parks feel so efficient and "happy." What book should I read?

it's off to work we what?

phoeniciansailor — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:26:19 -0800

for anyone who has trouble hearing, seeing a movie at the theater means missing out on a lot of dialogue and piecing together the story as best they can. thankfully, many movies are now distributed with (optional) captions, and some theaters will have 1 or 2 special screenings where they show the dialogue on-screen. however for some reason, disney/pixar refuses to participate. who at disney do i need to talk to about this, to try and set things right? for people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, having on-screen captions includes them in the movie-going experience like you wouldn't believe. the only other option for them is to wait for the movie to come out on dvd -- with captions. but for the summer blockbusters, that's just not the same.

i'm so happy that the alamo drafthouse here in austin shows movies with on-screen captions, but they can't get disney/pixar to send them the captioning info. i'd like to talk to someone at the studio or the distributor who can explain why. maybe all they need is a little nudge to change their mind.

but i can't seem to find any good information on who to get in touch with. can someone with a better understanding of the disney machine help with me names / email addresses / phone numbers?

any other advice or ideas are also welcomed.

I'm seeing the Mouse, so I'll need a House.

aristan — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 14:30:58 -0800

At least 9 of my closest friends & I are planning a vacation to Florida in early 2010. We were thinking of renting a vacation house for at least a week. Have you ever dealt with Vacation rental companies? Good Experiences, Bad? Any recommendations on who to deal with in the Orlando area? - There will be at least 10 of us.
- All of us are adults
- One of us uses a wheelchair
- We're going in February 2010 to miss most of the crowds, plus quiet a few of us work in Retail, so Feb is "off season" for us too.

We're currently leaning toward renting from these guys.

If you have ever rented a vacation home for a week, let me know how it worked out for you. Any nasty surprises? Did you like it better than a hotel?

Where Can I Get Disney Movies in Chinese?

rubberkey — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:51:51 -0800

Where can I get Disney movies dubbed in Mandarin? My Chinese teacher had showed us MuLan in Mandarin Chinese with the subtitles when I was in school a few years ago. Surfing youtube has brought up tons of Disney songs dubbed in Mandarin, but I can't seem to find the movies to buy or otherwise anywhere. I've also read that any Disney movie that is dubbed in Chinese is a fake because they don't make them. This doesn't really bother me, but I want to find some to play in the United States dvd players. I also don't know/understand very much about dvd zones but I understand that movies made for China will not play in the U.S.
Also where I can find other shows/ movies for kids in Mandarin that aren't specifically Disney films? (the children are 2 and 5 + myself)
Thanks

I'm going to Disney World!!! (Crap, what do I do there?!?)

CAnneDC — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 09:34:50 -0800

Turning 24 in Disney World... what should we do there? I'll be there in 2 weeks for 4 days and need some ideas to make sure the SO and I are adequately entertained. So I need your suggestions for the Can't Miss things in and around Disney World. Please, help me plan my vacation! As ya'll helped me decide in this post: link, the SO and I are going to go to Disney World for a little vacation. We've never been and I need help to make this exciting for both myself AND the boy.

About us: 24, working stiffs who are looking to kick back, hang out, have a great time, and party. (We see each other frequently, so no need to make this a romantic type thing...) We are staying in a hotel that is right across the street from Downtown Disney. The hotel has a nice pool, bar, restaurants, etc.

FRIDAY:
We will be getting in on Friday the 11th (my b-day), around noon or one. What should we do friday during the day? Any suggestions for a nice dinner friday night? Where should we go out afterwards (bars, etc)

SATURDAY & SUNDAY:
We want to go to the parks 2 days. Which ones should we go to?? I definitely think I want to go to the Magic Kingdom one of those days... but if it were you, which ones would you go to?

MONDAY:
We don't fly out until 10 and the hotel said we can stash our bags for the day. Should Monday be a relaxing pool day or do you have any other suggestions?

**Sorry to go to this forum for these questions... I've checked out a bunch of other links like this one and this one, but those seem to be catering to a different demographic and I don't know anyone who has gone to Disney World before :(

Basically, what do two 24 year olds who like to have a good time do in and around Disney World for 4 days and 3 nights? Need suggestions for restaurants, entertainment, bars, etc. as well as how to make the most out of our Disney Experience.

Best Cruise for Adult and Kid Fun?

bleucube — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:35:25 -0800

Me and wife would like to take a boat cruise with our three year old in tow. Would Disney cruise be the best choice for maximum entertainment? If so, what's best site for good deals on these? If you've gone on one - what was your experience like? We are not big Disney fans but would like to have the best of both worlds (kid and adult fun). Any tips or tricks? Looking to go in October for 4 or 7 days if that matters. Thanks!

Disney channel movie

leotrotsky — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:55:27 -0800

Movie on Disney channel in late 80s early 90s. Involves boy with crush on girl who turns out to have magical skills, she lives by a lake in cottage with her ?grandmother? who is a witch. Perhaps in England? Anyone? I picture the girl as having long dark, slightly wild hair.

Why does Disney hate your mom?

dinty_moore — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 05:24:59 -0800

Why are there so few living and loving mothers in Disney films? I'm referring mostly to the animated films, but the trend carries over to a lesser extent to live action children's movies. Sure, there's the whole 'orphan on their own' trope in children's stories, but I can think of a number of single but caring fathers and very few moms that aren't dead or evil (I can come up with. . . three). Why is that? Does a strong maternal influence make you boring? Not having a mom makes it easier for you to have a wicked stepmother/fairy godmother? Lots of dead moms in Grimm's Fairy Tales, and the trend carried over? Walt had a weird complex?

How to use The Mouse?

gregvr — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 09:08:53 -0800

Copyright filter, again! There have been lots and lots of threads discussing trademark vs. copyright, etc, but in my searching I did not find the answer to this question: what will happen when Mickey Mouse goes out of copyright? I've read a couple of items, particularly this on Wikipedia.

It says that Mickey Mouse is protected not only by copyright, but also by trademark. I understand the distinction (I think), but what I don't understand is how material in Steamboat Willie could actually be used.

It feels as if I could not use any material from Steamboat Willie in such a way that would violate Disney's trademark. So, for instance, I couldn't open my own movie studio that used images from Steamboat Willie, because it would cause consumer confusion.

And I couldn't open a theme park based around Steamboat Willie.

But.

Could I put something on a shirt? Could I sell a DVD of Steamboat Willie? Could I sample audio and video from the movie and use it in my own work?

Since Disney produces all manner of consumer products with the mouse featured, it seems almost like there is nothing that could be done with Steamboat Willie at all, because of possible consumer confusion.

(one thing, we all probably hate the copyright extension acts, etc, but saying that this question is moot because nothing that Disney has copyrighted will ever expire due to additional extensions... well, that's not a useful answer)

What's the Wall-E music?

Mwongozi — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:48:47 -0800

What is the music used in the Wall-E trailer? I'm sure I've heard it before...

Why do commercials for Disney World have a toll number?

aerotive — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 23:22:04 -0800

Why do commercials for Disney World have a toll number? It's always struck me as odd and stupid that so giant and profitable a company wouldn't spring for an 800 number. Is it just a cost-cutting measure? Have they always done it this way?

Help me be magical in Disney World for under 1300 dollars.

EduTek — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 18:15:46 -0800

My girlfriend and I are thinking about going to Disney World next summer from June 27th to June 30th. We would like to do the on-site hotel, park hopper tickets, and flight from Philly for under $1100 dollars. Is it possible? Does anyone have any suggestions for saving money on park-hopper tickets, or on the on-site hotels? The $1100 doesn't include food and such - only hotel, tickets, and flight. Thanks!

Searching for a Disney Santa Short on DVD

anastasiav — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 08:03:09 -0800

I'm trying to find a copy of a favorite Disney Christmas-themed short (B&W, probably from the '20's or '30's, featuring a very jolly Santa and lots of little kiddies) on DVD. Problem is, we don't know the title or anything else about it -- can you help ID this film? My husband has a well-worn VHS tape full of a wide variety of Christmas-themed animations that he had taped from TV over the years. We've been able to find copies of everything on the tape as DVD -- with one exception. I'm hoping you can help us ID and locate the one.

Its a black and white short animated film, probably from the '20's or '30's. It was produced by Disney, and shown on the Disney channel as part of a holiday special sometime in the '80's.

The film features a very fat, jolly Santa with a bag full of toys. He visits a house where there are a dozen or more quite tiny children, and when he lays the bag down the toys all march out and set themselves up, as well as decorate the tree. There are a lot of toys: some notable ones include a "Little Tramp" wind up walker, and a Dirigible that helps decorate the tree. Santa also fills up the many, many stockings hanging from the mantle -- each stocking has a list inside - one stocking gets a bat and glove, another gets a doll that flops over and Santa straightens her skirt, and another gets an umbrella put inside, opened, and then the now-expanded stocking is filled with other gifts. There is also a puppy in a box under the tree.

I think its possible that this is a section cut from a longer film, because on the copy we have it sort of fades up at the start and fades out at the end, and my husband remembers seeing a segment about elves in Santa's workshop associated with this, but its not on our tape.

What we don't have is the title, date, or any other info other than "its now owned by Disney". Any pointers you have would be helpful.

High School Musical Misgivings?

The Confessor — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 13:23:50 -0800

I loved the movie Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. I sometimes catch myself humming the tune to Adelaide's Lament from Guys and Dolls. Elaine Paige's version of Memory from Cats reduced me to tears the first time I caught it via YouTube. What are the chances I'll enjoy watching the original High School Musical?

Help me identify these old cartoons

HSWilson — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 12:53:07 -0800

I'm trying to identify two clips shown in the Disney video DTV Pop and Rock (from 1984 I think). The first one is a '50s style cartoon shown during the segment for "At the Hop" by Danny and the Juniors. The clip shows a bunch of kids in a hot rod and at a malt shop. The second clip is a black and white cartoon that has dancing skeletons. This is shown in the first video, "Dancing in the Streets" by Martha and the Vandellas. I couldn't find any information on the movie at IMDB and very little on Wikipedia. Thanks for any help.