Congrats P & F : SIMPin' Ain't Easy!

Last week the 2012 Emmy nominations were announced.  Admittedly I tend to pay little attention past maybe the main 5- 6 categories.  But I, like most Disney fans had special reason to take notice and actually get excited about the awards.

Our boys Phineas & Ferb were nominated for TWO awards this year.  Okay, let's be honest, while Phineas and Ferb are our favorite brothers, the real congratulations go to a couple of other boys, Swampy Marsh and Dan Povenmire.


They're nominated for  Short Format Animated Program and Dan Povenmire is nominated for Voice Over Performance for everybody's favorite (relatively) super villain Dr. Doofenshmirtz! 

If you ask me, Swampy Marsh deserves an individual nomination as well for Best Name . . . "Jeff." 

At the risk of jinxing them, these guys are well-overdue for some shiny tin for their work!  I've been a Phineas & Ferb fan pretty much since season 1.  But I've been a Dan & Swampy fan for nearly 15 years, even though I didn't realize it.  Going back to Rocko's Modern Life which I've loved since I was a kid (meaning my mid-20's.)
From time-to-time I'll still find myself calling out in my best Marsupalian (is that a word?) voice "Heffer!  Heffer!"

But let's face it, Phineas & Ferb might be their masterwork!  It's certainly the one that will likely stand the test of time, cementing it's place in animation inconography (now that's a word!)  Forget that it's been running for 5 years, actually cranking out new episodes every year, and movies like Phineas & Ferb Across the 2nd Dimension and specials like my favorite, Summer Belongs to You! 
Look at how many places you see the boys' faces popping up.  Clothing, lunch boxes, toys (okay, so those Disney Store figures were kinda weak sauce, but eventually they'll crack the code!), and best of all, theme parks!  Whenever an "outside" property becomes so exciting and popular Disney will not only invest in it on their network but give it real estate in their parks, let alone TWO of their parks, it's big!
 

See how I pull it all back to the parks???  Disney's Hollywood Studios features an interactive Phineas & Ferb Meet & Greet, and now at Epcot you can play the interactive game Agent P's World Showcase Adventure.
 

Could we possibly one day see a Phineas & Ferb dark ride at Magic Kingdom for the win?!?

Dan and Swampy's kids are everywhere.  More importantly, their audience has crossed over.  They reside in that rare space where kids like my 5 year-old son love the show, and big kids like my son's 37 year-old father love it.  When I first saw a P&F promo years ago I remember thinking "what weird animation!  I don't want to watch that."
Yeah . . . right.  I can say with zero irony it's one of the greatest things on television still.  And they've never stooped to a Snooki reference!  The writing is whip-smart and clever, and always entertaining and engaging.  No wonder they've pulled in sweet cameos from the likes of Slash, Seth MacFarlane, Clay Aiken (look I can't say I'm a fan but his appearance is awesome), and perhaps the most meaningful to me, another artistic guru & gutsy innovator, Kevin Smith as the great Clive Addison!  Nootch!   
Somehow they've managed to make an emotional connection between these unusually shaped characters and their audience (which, not for nothing, some of us are unusually shaped as well.)

 I tweeted this to the boys but I share it here with no shame that we listen to the Summer Belongs to You soundtrack in the car often.  Every single time, seriously, I listen to the title track and Candace, the boys' long-suffering (though oft self-inflicted sister) sing the lines:


"though I've often thought of you as just a nuisance and a bother
Today I can't imagine having better little brothers!
And you gotta believe in something, so today I believed in you
And you came through, we made it
I've never been so proud (never been so proud!)"
   
I get tears in my eyes.  I swear even now as I looked up the words to make sure I got 'em right, my eyes welled-up.  Am I just cracking up emotionally?  Possibly.  But it's also because the show has been yet another source of connection for my son and I to share, and soon for my little girls as well.  These animated siblings are our family too.  Beyond their fantastical creations and wild adventures, the show is about family.  Even Doof and Perry share this weird, co-dependent relationship where although they're meant to be arch-enemies, they actually dare I say care about each other.

                                                           Excuse me while I go weep!


So yeah, awards don't pay the bills, but this show and these two creators are overdue for some industry recognition.  But for fans like me, they've already won a thousand times over.  Big buckets of win! 

Originally I planned to write this last weekend shortly after the nominations were announced.  I was thinking of all the silly Phineas & Ferb references I could stick throughout the post.  But then last Friday we all woke up to horrific news.  And in the middle of the nightmare, was a movie involving another fantasy hero of mine.
When the initial shock wore off, I began to think a little deeper about heroes.  It became even more evident to me why we need guys like Dan and Swampy.  Yes, you could say "they just make cartoons."  But what they really do is create new mythology.  They have the power to influence the young, the next generations.  And they are doing so in a positive, powerful way especially as their empire grows.  Phineas & Ferb in their own way possess great power, and yet there's not a scrap of malicious intent in any of their actions.  They are completely altruistic, simply wanting to do great things to make everyone's life a little better and a bit more fun!  Even the show's "bully" Buford turns out to be an imposter, as he's actually just a sweetheart.

For that as well, I tip my fedora . . . as should we all.  Bring on the Emmys!       

"Magic Kingdom, baby . . . MAGIC KINGDOM!"

It's been a couple years already since it was announced Jon Favreau was walking away from directing another installment of the Iron Man franchise to instead direct the ultra-ambitious Disney fantasy Magic Kingdom.  


Since then we've seen . . . well, nothing.  And heard almost less.  Described as Night At the Museum in Disneyland, I admit I've been aprehensive about the whole project.  Disney has always been careful not to pull the curtains back too far.  It's probably the best reason the popular Kingdom Keepers book series has never been adapted for the big screen.  They reveal a little too much about the magic.  Or at least people think they do.  I admit I wasn't crazy about seeing a movie that takes place inside my beloved Magic Kingdom.  God forbid it's a hit and the lines get even longer! 

After the crash and burn of Jon's last outing, Cowboys & Aliens, I wondered if the whole Magic Kingdom project might be in jeopardy.

In a recent interview Favreau assured fans that Magic Kingdom is still going ahead full-steam.  But for this project, that doesn't necessarily mean fast.  

“I went back to back to back with three movies in a row, Iron Man, Iron Man 2 and Cowboys & Aliens, all of them with release dates announced as I walked in,” Favreau said. “As I cracked the script for the first time we already knew the date and the poster, in some cases the cast. On this one, Magic Kingdom is a big film. It’s a very special piece of intellectual property with all the characters from the park and the legacy of Walt Disney.”

“Fortunately there’s no rush on it. I’ve been working on it as a writer now and we’re looking forward to beginning that long lead prep as you would on an animated film. Then you work your way to where you know what the whole movie is going to be before you ever roll camera. You actually watch it as the Pixar people do and actually watch it on a screen and evaluate it before you ever roll camera.”

Oh, and did you catch that little studio name drop?  That's right, Pixar is now involved.  Don't get the wrong idea. This still to be a live-action flick, with of course a heaping helping of CG.  The combination of Jon Favreau (very much a personal hero going back to PCU) and John Lasseter certainly boosts my excitement and confidence levels in this movie.  Lasseter is an artistic genius, and while he's the master of their reinvention, he's still something of a curator of Disney animation history and tradition.  And to be quite frank, I think it will be good for Pixar to start looking in new and different directions, but perhaps that's for another discussion.


I will say it's nice to hear someone in Hollywood saying "we're taking our time to get it perfect."

And he's right.  This movie has to be perfect.  This subject matter is precious.  To many of us, it's sacred.  You screw it up . . . the aftermath won't be pretty!

Keep in mind that Favreau recently signed on to direct a big screen version of the hit musical Jersey Boys, which is slated to roll before Magic Kingdom.  Meaning the Disney flick is still a few years away.  
But all this news is nothing but encouraging. 


"That's (gonna make) so (much) money, baby!"

I'm also intrigued by Favreau's comment that he's considering making the vulture in Club 33 a character in the movie.


"I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. Favreau!" 

Check out the full interview here:
 http://www.craveonline.com/film/articles/192815-pixar-is-helping-with-jon-favreaus-magic-kingdom

Let Your Sooooul Glow!

Okay, so that's an obscure 80's movie reference from Coming to America.  But no less obscure it seems than what I consider an amazing technological achievement and game-changer in merchandising that's going on out West at Disneyland.

I read a lot of Disney blogs (okay I skim their headlines just as they do mine!)  J/k. 
I listen to a number of Disney podcasts.
Only one out of all those even mentioned this, which really surprises me.  Perhaps it's because it's so amazing that we, as mostly Walt Disney World fans are incredibly jealous that it hasn't been brought over to Florida yet.  Maybe we're being passive aggressive, not acknowledging it until we can have it too! 

I'm talking about the new "Glow With The Show" ears currently available at Disney's California Adventure park,



What are they, you ask?  These are a new mouse ear hats with lights inside the ears that use RFID technology to make them interactive with World of Color, Cars Land, and even the Mad T Party (Disneyland's very own techno rave party!) 



The ears are programmed to light up in unison at specific moments throughout the shows so that, essentially you the guest become part of the attraction. 

I admit at first even I thought "that sounds like a gimmick.  Not really interested."  Then I heard they even work when you're roaming around Cars Land.  When you're at the Cozy Cone, your ears will glow orange.  When you stop in at Flo's V8 Cafe, they'll change to match the purple & blue neon lighting. 



Yes, I know what you're thinking.  That much technology so close to the head brings back scary images of Halloween 3:  Season of the Witch! 

Oh . . . you weren't . . . never mind. 

I can only imagine that this is a souvenir that can constantly be "plussed."  How hard would it be to add the technology to other attractions, etc?  Think of the possibilities at Walt Disney World.  Imagine Fantasmic with these Glow With the Show ears!  Imagine the entire audience lighting up with the show! 

Check out this video from California Adventure and see for yourself . . .

Ooh-Oooh That Smell!!!

Today is my first day of vacation.  If you know me, you know I'd like nothing more than for it to be my first day at Walt Disney World.  Right now I'd probably be having lunch at Cosmic Ray's, enjoying the silky-smooth tones of my brother from another mother(ship) Sonny Eclipse.

But alas, this year it's a stay-cation for me. 

So it was like a gift from the mouse-eared gods when I saw today's new merchandise story on the Disney Parks Blog!  
Science has proven that our sense of smell is the most directly connected to our memory (okay I don't that for a fact, but roll with me!) 

Nothing is more true than the myriad of smells that immediately transport me to Walt Disney World when they hit my olfactory!  Wet asphalt, fresh popcorn, burning sulfur (WDW fans understand), PVC souvenirs, orange groves, spruce trees, the list goes on from the seemingly normal to the way-out!  My senses are always on high alert when I'm there, recording everything in the memory banks.

I even have a favorite deodorant I only wear on days when I need a little pick-me-up, because I bought it out of desperation the night before I left for Disney.  Now it's immediately linked, at least in my sense memory, to Walt Disney World.

Now you'll actually be able to bring specific smells of the Disney parks home!  Or at least to your car!

The Walt Disney World and Disneyland souvenir department has come up with air fresheners that smell like some of the most popular treats in the parks.  There's the famous Mickey Mouse Ice Cream bar (or as those in the nose . . . err, know call it, the Mickey Premium!) 
There's another star of the confectionery shops, the Minnie Candied Apple (the real things come in numerous designs of course but for this special merchandise, Miss Minnie gets her due!) 

 


Of course For breakfast lovers the Mickey Waffle air freshener which we can only imagine smells like a sweet fresh-from-griddle waffle with maple syrup. 


But for me, the star here . . . the one that gets me salivating is the rear view re-creation of my favorite parks snack.  A treat fit for a king (but not a vegetarian!)  An aroma that should permeate the interior every real man's car, smoked meat!  The Turkey Leg air freshener!

 


For those that haven't ever visited a Disney park (how lost are you if you're reading my blog?!?) and don't know the delight of the barbecued turkey legs available at many a Disney park snack cart, well, first off I weep for you.  Imagine all those images of Henry the VIII or any other Medieval baron hoisting a roasted leg of bird like it's a royal scepter.  At Walt Disney World, you can get in touch with your inner-carnivorous beast by sinking your canines into a smoked, meaty turkey leg the size of a child's leg!

 


And thanks to Disney merchandising, you can hang a replica in your car!  I can only imagine what it smells like . . . but it's bringing a tear to my eye.

One word of caution though, I can imagine if you drive with the windows open, you may find yourself being followed by any number of neighborhood dogs!  




For the full story, check out the link at the Official Disney Parks Blog:
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/07/freshening-the-air-with-disney-parks/