June 2015 Walt Disney World Bits and Bites

Feature Article

This article appeared in the May 26, 2015 Issue #818 of ALL EARS® (ISSN: 1533-0753)

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STEP BACK IN TIME
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by Debra Martin Koma
AllEars® Editor

Each month, we rummage around in our archives for this featurette, which indulges in a bit of nostalgia, taking you back in history for a glimpse of Walt Disney World and The Walt Disney Company through the ages. This month, we take a look back at June 2002, when a show called SHOCKWAVE debuted at Epcot's America Gardens Theatre for a limited engagement.

SHOCKWAVE was a new musical show that made its world premiere at Epcot on June 15, 2002. It was developed by Jim Mason, the creator of the Tony Award-winning show BLAST. During the show, 40 performers, including both musicians and dancers, took to the stage with high-energy precision drills, modern dance moves and contemporary music, for a solid half-hour of entertainment. Though there was no storyline, the show's clear themes were pop culture and breaking boundaries with an explosion of brass and percussion — plus a five-piece saxophone section.

SHOCKWAVE started with the groups' almost somber entrance to the strains of "God Bless the Child," made popular by singer Billie Holiday. The quiet mood was soon broken, as the performers milled about the stage, striking various poses backed by an impressive trombone solo. Pat Metheny's "First Circle" followed, with a baton-twirling interlude, as well as some flag work.

The show shifted gears with what I considered the highlight, a whimsical rendition of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," complete with tutus and a "Brunhilda" who literally ignited the stage. The show concluded with jazz great Stan Kenton's "Circle One Suite," featuring extended solo breaks by the percussion and an absolutely incredible saxophonist.

The show only ran until the end of August before going on a national tour, but I found it exhilarating and remember it quite clearly to this day.

It seems that there's always something going on at America Gardens Theatre these days. This summer, we can see the amazing a cappella group Voices of Liberty taking the AGT stage on Mondays and Tuesdays, while the new American Music Machine performs there Wednesdays through Sundays. And starting June 7, the annual "Sounds Like Summer" concert series, featuring "tribute" bands begins its run, through July 25.

What memorable performers have you seen at America Gardens Theatre? Who are you most looking forward to seeing there in the coming months?

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RELATED LINKS

Epcot Live Entertainment

Sounds Like Summer Concert Series

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MOUSY MINDBOGGLER
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Think you know Disney inside and out? This AllEars® feature is designed to stump Disney enthusiasts of all kinds and ages. Put on your thinking cap!

Our friend James Dezern (known as "dzneynut" around several Disney discussion forums) is Guest Mindboggler this week, supplying a puzzle of his own design.

James writes: Here's the answer key from the last puzzle, which was about 1953's "Peter Pan."

I was very happy to receive 115 correct responses. Most of you knew the bonus clue was *Nine Old Men,* which was an endearing term that Walt used to describe his core group of animators that had worked on every feature and short in the 1950's. Of course, the term actually came from Franklin D. Roosevelt's Nine Old Men on the Supreme Court. Can you name them? The last animator of this group to pass away was Ollie Johnston in 2008.

The winner of a Tinker Bell collectible pin was Maryann O. of Titusville, NJ.

Congrats and thanks for playing!

This month we continue with the animated feature series, by taking a look at 1955's "Lady & the Tramp." This film was unusual in that the story was based on a short story, not a complete fairytale that would have been already familiar to the public. The animators were free to develop the story as the film was created. There were many interesting, sympathetic characters in this film and, along with a delightful score and songs, it was guaranteed success at the box office. You wouldn't have known that by listening to the film critics of the day!

Here's the new puzzle.

The purpose of this puzzle is just to have a little fun, but if you want to take it a step further, arrange the letters that are circled in the puzzle to come up with the answer to the bonus, which relates to the puzzle theme. Send your resulting answer IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF AN EMAIL addressed to [email protected] Send the bonus term or phrase by email no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on June 26, 2015.

All correct answers will be entered into a random drawing, and the winner will be awarded a Disney pin. The answers and drawing winner will be posted in next month's Bits and Bites newsletter, along with a new puzzle.

Comments/suggestions? Drop me a line at [email protected]!

EDITOR'S NOTE: WIN A PIN! Don't forget to play the Mid-Month Mousy Mindboggler for another chance to win a collectible Disney pin!

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HIDDEN MICKEYS ALERT
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Steve Barrett, author of the Hidden Mickeys books and webmaster of HiddenMickeyGuy.com, encourages you to search for these Hidden Mickeys at Disney's Hollywood Studios. There is a lot going on at the Studios, but Steve hopes these Hidden Mickeys stay in place for a while!

1. Across the track at Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, on a wall across from the front of the loading dock area, various items are hanging from a row of hooks to the left of a wall cabinet and to the right of a garage door. One of the hanging items is a pink hat with the word "Mickey" across the front. (Note: The arrangement of these items changes from time to time.) (Thanks to Tammy Metz, Leanne Taylor, Mary Weaver, Brian Currier, Sheri, Samantha, Caleb Pryor, Adam Fanjoy, Brian Patterson, Jeff Margheim, and Scott.)

2. At Tatooine Traders, the gift shop at Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, look for this great Hidden Mickey. At the left side of the exit doorway from the gift shop, a faint classic Hidden Mickey is stenciled on the wooden wall, to the left of a fire alarm box. (Thanks to Amanda Hertel.)

3. Stroll along the Streets of America and onto San Francisco Street for this Hidden Mickey. Near the office of David L. Davies – Funeral Director, just to the left (as you face the office) of the steps up to the second floor, a small classic Mickey is etched in the cement sidewalk. Find the face of a man etched in the sidewalk near the street curb. The Hidden Mickey is above right of the man's face. (Thanks to Shawn Robertson.)

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You can find a selection of past Hidden Mickey Alerts HERE.

And check out our latest Searching Disney with Steve blog.

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MONTHLY REMIND-EARS
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EVENTS

Disney's Hollywood Studios

Epcot

Check our Events page for a full schedule of upcoming events.

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REHABS AND CLOSINGS

We have updated the way we display Refurbishments and Closings for both Walt Disney World and Disneyland.

Our listings are now organized by theme park and resorts, in order of the start date of the refurbishment projects. You can also customize the page to see those closings that most interest you:

• Search on the TYPE of refurbishment or closing — short-term vs permanent closure, for example.
• Use the Starting Date and Ending Date fields for tailor-made results, showing what's closed during your vacation.
• Choose a particular theme park to get results for just one park.
• Change the way results are displayed by sorting on Project End Date.

Give our new format a try:

— Walt Disney World Refurbishments and Closings

— Disneyland Resort Refurbishments and Closings

Please update your bookmarks with these new URLs!

Animal Kingdom

Epcot

Magic Kingdom

Monorail

Art of Animation

Beach Club

Caribbean Beach Resort

Polynesian Resort

The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin is currently undergoing the largest renovation in its 25-year history. The Swan rooms will be completed in 2015. The first phase of the Dolphin Hotel room renovations will not begin until 2016, with the entire room project currently scheduled to be completed by the end of 2017.

Downtown Disney/Disney Springs

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A complete list of rehabs can be found HERE.

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MAGICAL MOMENTS
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John Hicks: My wife and I celebrated our 45th wedding anniversary at Walt Disney World this spring. It was our sixth trip, but this time it was different because it was just the two of us. No kids or grandkids, although we love it when we are together. We received our "Happy Anniversary" buttons and proudly wore them the entire week. I thought we would get tired of hearing "Happy Anniversary!", but nothing could be farther from the truth. It opened up the door to meeting a lot of cast members and other park guests. So much fun. But one of the "small" perks that came due to our buttons happened at Restaurantosaurus at Animal Kingdom. When we were waiting to get our meal, a sweet and cheerful lady said a hearty, "HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! 45 YEARS? WOW!" It was very cool. She then proceeded to hand us two cheesecake desserts at no charge as a celebration of our 45 years together. THAT was special… and very tasty. Our son was married at WDW eight years ago and that was the very first time we experienced the magic of Disney in person. It is truly the Most Magical Place on Earth.

Peter Cooper: This Magical Moment happened for my daughter before we even arrived at our Disney resort room! My daughter and I have been to Walt Disney World many times in the past, but unfortunately this trip may be our last for a while as she is graduating high school and moving on to university. When I made the reservation I made sure to mention that it was her graduation trip and that note should be added to the reservation. Not really expecting anything special to happen (perhaps just some verbal acknowledgement of the special occasion), we were shocked when we stepped off Disney's Magical Express at Caribbean Beach Resort and were greeted by two cast members, each holding balloons and with "Congrats Kyla" written in Disney font on their iPads! They made a really big deal of the occasion, handing us our Magic Bands and our resort information package and directed us to our room, which was a preferred room in Martinique (Building 26) closest to Old Port Royale. That started a wave of special desserts, preferred restaurant seating and, of course, verbal acknowledgement of her success. Any trip to Walt Disney World is special, however the extra few moments those dedicated cast members take make all the difference in the world. We have special memories from all our trips, but this trip will go down in our Disney History as one of the most special ones we have taken.

Sarah Wilmot from the UK: I just wanted to share a Magical Moment that happened to my family during our Easter visit. One evening early on in our vacation we were hurrying across Liberty Square to get to Big Thunder Mountain before we got stuck on the 'wrong side' of the road, as the Main Street Electrical Parade was due to start. In the rush my 10-year-old son, who was running ahead, stumbled and went flying across the sidewalk. He dropped his popcorn bucket and his glasses flew off to audible gasps from the crowds who were waiting for the parade. Lots of people were calling out to ask if he was OK, and although it clearly smarted, my son jumped up and pretended he was fine. As we continued on our way a cast member came up behind us and inquired if my son was OK. I joked that he was trying to be brave because his pride had been bruised. The CM reassured my son he didn't need to be embarrassed, as the roads leading into the wild frontier were rough and he was always tripping. He asked where we were heading and after we explained the reason for our hurry he encouraged us to follow him. I assumed he was just going to help us navigate the crowds, but when we got to the bridge that shortcuts to Splash Mountain he asked us to wait whilst he borrowed my son's popcorn bucket. He returned a couple of minutes later with a fresh bucket overflowing with the most popcorn I've ever seen in one bucket. My son was grinning from ear to ear, completely forgetting his stinging knees. As his older brother quipped, 'You should fall over more often!' Only at Disney.

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We just bet you have a story to tell about an unforgettable moment during your Disney vacation! Please send your favorite memory for inclusion in a future AllEars® to: [email protected] Thank you all for sharing!

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Editor's Note: This story/information was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all current rates, information and other details before planning your trip.