Animal Kingdom

Animal kingdom, we had been told, was the smallest and probably least attractive of the theme parks, but we knew there would be some wonderful attractions considering some great movies in the past have been created by Disney revolving around animals ... Lion King anybody?

We had already learnt that the best way to prepare for a Disney theme park was to sit down the night before with a map and list of attractions and plan your day, marking a route and scheduling the show times. Knowing that each day there is at least 100,000 people in a park at any given time, you really want to know where you are going, how to get there and by what time to get the most out of your day. I know this sounds very anal, but trust me, you can lose a week wondering around these places.

So having a day setup already we got on a bus and took the half an hour ride to Animal Kingdom ready to head straight towards the safari before the lines got too long. Now even though I said it is best to have a plan to and get going on your mission, sometimes attractions grab you at the right time and you find yourself ad libbing a bit. As we were walking to the safari, a Disney cast member grabbed us and led us into a huge auditorium where they were about to start the Lion King show. We were situated front and centre and had a great view of the show.

As we had come to expect, the performers were incredible, the costumes stunning and the sets, puppets, props etc etc, were top notch. The animatronic's of Simba and Pumba were very clever and very believable. They make the characters at Fairy Park, back home, look pretty ordinary.

After the show we 'Hakuna Matata'd' all the way to the back of the theme park to where the Kilimanjaro Safari was. Once again we were whisked up a side path bypassing the hour-long line straight up to where they loaded the wheelchairs on to the trucks. And when I say trucks I mean full Safari 4x4's!

Once loaded and strapped in the driver took off in a mad rush and we knew straight away this was not going to be your average slow drive through an outdoor savanna. The theme of the trip was to actually catch some 'poachers' that were hunting animals in the area and it was our job to spot them along our way. It was a fun element but I'm pretty sure it was mainly used to educate people about the dangers of poachers and the extinction of animals. All of that aside we were able to get amazingly close to some beautiful animals. Roxy behaved very well considering she could smell the animals all around her but she stayed low on the truck floor as to not be seen by one of the big cats!

 

 

Off the Maharajah Jungle Trek where we ventured into the wilds of the mystical forests of Southeast Asia. We encountered majestic tigers, Komodo dragons, wild bats, deer and tons of exotic birds amid ancient ruins and murals. Climbing around these ruins were these tiny South American cotton-top tamarinds. Very cute and curious.

A little further along the path we came to the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. Here we took a stroll through a lush, tropical forest and saw gorillas, hippos, okapi, naked mole rats and our favourite, meerkats.

Next we boarded a rustic African train that took us behind-the-scenes to see some of the animals housing and care areas. It is incredible how the animals look so natural in the Safari Park amongst vegetation, and then amazingly how unnatural they look when you have the same rhinoceros or elephant behind a massive metal fence and gate penned in. We are always reminded though that all of the animals are a part of breeding programs to continue the species out in the wild. And let's face it, if a 5 tonne animal did not want to be kept in an enclosure it would certainly let you know!

The train took us to an area that had a petting zoo, a discovery centre, as well as our first opportunity to take Roxy to one of the many designated service animal relief stations situated around the parks. Disney are so well organised that they are more than happy for service animals to come into their property, but they have special areas which they would like to us to relieve our animals, so to not destroy that the grass and gardens. How thoughtful of them.

By this stage we had seen enough animals and it was time for Mel to do a ride. Expedition Everest was the latest attraction at Animal Kingdom and it had been advertised as a high altitude, high-speed roller coaster train with daring drops, hairpin turns and a close encounter with the hospitable inhabitant of the Forbidden Mountain, the infamous Yeti. This ride was no match for Mel, as she disembarked the train, brushed off the shoulders and said 'Sasquatch ... Melsquashed!'

A drink and a bite to eat as well is a walk around the park led us to the amusement area, with all kinds of carnival games and rides that were based on an animal theme. The mad mouse would not be out of place here. Knowing we were off to Vegas in a week, we didn't bother wasting our coins with these carnies.

We then hung around for Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade. These types of parades happen in every park either in the afternoon or at night and features all the popular Disney characters. This one at Animal Kingdom had elaborate animal puppets, stiltwalkers, drummers, safari vehicles, and cast members dancing to the jungle beats. There was prime real estate viewing for us in a cordoned off area for wheelchair users, such as myself, so we had a great spot to take it all in. Here is a HD quality version from Disney with the whole parade.

Hollywood Studios

Mel and I were really looking forward to this Disney park as we both have such an affinity with movies, we couldn't wait to see how and where they were made, experience the rides and see some great action shows. Once again we laid out our plan overnight and we were set to take on Mickey and his film crew at the home of movies.

We thought we would try something different on this day as Mel wanted to head straight to the Rock 'n' Rollercoaster that was inspired by Aerosmith. She loved this ride, as the high-speed rollercoaster stormed around to the beats of a pretty powerful Aerosmith soundtrack. Unfortunately she was not feeling up to tackling the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror' which is a huge apartment like building in which you are inside an elevator which drops 13 stories and stops at different intervals opening up to outside views or scary inside twilight haunts. You could hear the screams from this ride from a mile away.

We were heading towards the backlot tour when we passed the American Idol Experience stage and offices. Such is the impact this show has had on worldwide audiences, Disney decided to buy the set that was built in Los Angeles, ship it to Florida, and set it up as an experience for the park goers to attend as either an audience member or a participant in an exact replica of an American Idol filming. check out the next Blog to see how I went in my quest for idol glory.

We found our way to a building that looked very similar to the famous Grauman's Chinese Theatre in LA, and inside this building was the Great Movie Ride. As the carriage took off we found ourselves smack bang the middle of some of the greatest movie scenes in history. From gangster flicks to Westerns, sci-fi to children's classics. The driver of our vehicle started off as your normal tour guide and then all of a sudden, was killed off in gunslinging sequence as we were hijacked by a cowboy who continued the journey with us. It was very clever and some of the scenes that were set up where exactly like they were out of the movies.

(does this scene look familiar?)

The Muppet 3-D experience was calling us next as we were seated in this beautiful Victorian style theatre. The movie itself was very funny, and of course the characters that would come out of the theatre made us feel like we were in a filming of a Muppet episode. My favourite was Waldorf and Statler, the two old blokes set up in their private box bagged out the show at different intervals. The jokes never get old.

I think of one or the the most clever attractions we saw at this park was the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. It is Mel's favourite Disney animated film and this 15 minute live show recreated the story, music and magical underwater world that is Ariel's. The use of puppetry and animatronics made it a very surreal experience, as the steady stream of bubbles and mist made you feel like you were underwater.

Time to get our car fix! The next show on the agenda was the 'Lights, Motors, Action' stunt show. I don't really need to describe this as we were able to capture it on film. So enjoy this jampacked little video of stunt car madness.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaF7ls8S8Qs

While our adrenaline was pumping we continued on with the action as we took our seats at the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! We watched in awe as some of the most captivating scenes from the first Indiana Jones film are recreated like the giant rolling rock and the aeroplane fight scene. We didn't capture this one on film but Mel took some great pics. Amazing stunts, sets and effects.

 

 

Time to take all that testosterone and put it into action in the Toy Story Mania ride. This was a 4D ride that took us through a gallery of Midway style games where we would use a special airgun to shoot at objects on the 3-D screens. It was amazing how well they had adapted this ride for a wheelchair person to ride it. The car I was strapped into would spin 360° as we would fly around these corners to the next sideshow alley of games. We laughed our heads off as Roxy lay patiently on the floor below us probably wondering what the raucous sounds and ground jerking movements were.

I felt a strange force in the area and low and behold, just around the corner, my fellow Jedi were dealing with one Darth Vader.

As long as we didn't have to deal with this Tim Burton monster. Thank goodness she was behind glass. We wanted to keep our HHHEEEEAAAADDDDDSSSSS!!

Around each park there were designated areas and times where you could have your photo taken with specific characters. A fun opportunity arose to have ours with these strange creatures. Roxy was so intrigued with Mike Wazowski's feet. We were intrigued as to how old the person inside must have been!

The Studio Backlot Tour was next and this was a behind-the-scenes guided walk and tram ride that showed us how some of the most spectacular special effects in movies are made. In this video there are props and sets used on many films that you will recognise. The big plane at the start of the tour was one of 10 that was used in the filming of Pearl Harbor. It's amazing how fake it looks up close, but so real in the movie. Good old photoshop I suppose. Enjoy our journey around the backlot.

The more I write about these parks, the more I am amazed at how much is actually in them. There were five of six other different attractions and rides that we didn't even do in this park. By the time we got through all the things above it was getting close to dusk and we couldn't wait to see the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.

As the story goes, Arkansas resident Jennings Osborne and his family were very big on the Holidays. In 1986, Jennings asked his youngest daughter Breezy what her Christmas wish was. She replied that she would like to see their whole house covered in lights. They had quite a large house but Jennings was determined to make his daughter's Christmas dream come true. That first year the Osborne family covered their home with a modest 1000 red lights. With each passing year, the family wanted to do more. The Osbornes eventually purchased property adjacent to their own in order to expand on their newfound hobby.

The display grew to millions of lights. There were flashing lights, multi-colored lights, custom-made light sculptures and a 75-foot Christmas tree adorned by lights. This drew onlookers from all over Arkansas. Displeased by the resulting traffic jams, the local residents asked that the Osborne family stop the annual display. Legal intervention was sought, and it appeared that the Osborne's beloved tradition was about to come to an end. When Mickey Mouse got word of this, he offered a venue where the Osborne lights could be shared with visitors from around the globe. The Streets of America (formerly New York Street) is now hosting the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. Approximately 80% of the lights that are on display come from the original Osborne collection.

Once evening descends, this amazing display springs to life. Formerly drab buildings become twinkling light sculptures, while a host of angels fly overhead.  With over 4 Million Christmas lights, Florida "snow" flutters down from the rooftops while Christmas tunes fill the air. Check this out.

To cap off an awesome day, we then headed to Fantasmic! Its a nightime spectacular with fireworks and water show starring Mickey Mouse and a bevy of  characters which features classic Disney music and songs, laser lights and amazing hydrotechnic effects.  What a great way to finish an amazing Disney park. Here is the full show.

American Idol - the experience

This had to be a separate blog, as it really was a lengthy experience. We did not realise how long this process would take and unfortunately it took up half of our day at Hollywood studios, so we did have to come back to this park and finish somethings off on our last day.

Back to our Idol experience though, As we were on our way past the American Idol studio we saw a gentleman standing out the front with a 'come and audition' sign. Not one to shy away from this kind of opportunity, we gathered some information off the gentleman and then was quickly whisked around the back of the studio to go through the full process of auditioning for a real live American Idol show that was going to be filmed later that day. Now I'm not sure if many of you know, but I auditioned for the very first season of Australian Idol years ago and after a lot of effort from people waiting in line for hours overnight, I sang a great addition in front of these two ladies that did not take their eyes off the wheelchair and when I had finished they looked up at me and said "sorry you're not what we are looking for". So maybe it is that I still hold this little grudge inside of me about my Idol experience and I thought that I might be able to change it around here in the States.

It was a 2 tiered audition process. The first audition was in front of a lovely lady who was very enthusiastic and welcoming where I had to sing 30 seconds of my favourite song a cappella. I decided to belt out my favourite karaoke song "Don't let the sun go down on me" and I gave it my absolute all in this small 4x4 interview room. She liked what she heard and took me off to sing in front of the so-called professional music producer. His room was set up with a giant flatscreen TV, studio speakers in every corner as well as cameras in certain positions to film this part of the audition to see if I had the right qualities to perform on the American Idol stage in front of a real live audience. Once again I sang the same song but to a backing track and I tried to shmooze up to the cameras as much as possible. He was also mightily impressed with tears in his eyes. The producer before letting us go explained why it was such an emotional moment for him. You see this producer used to be the producer of the stunt show at Hollywood studios and one of his stunt men had an accident during a practice run that left him with a severe spinal cord injury and sadly he didn't pull through it. He said that watching me make something of my life after this kind of accident was such a personal inspiration to him. Then with a Cheshire cat smile on his face he played the official Ryan Secrest invitation to perform in the American Idol filming for that day. Mel and I were both very excited (especially me because I had got further than I did in the Australian version). We had to come back later in the day to do make-up and hair (alright, I know I'm bald!), have a singing lesson with a professional vocal coach and then get prepared for the live performance show.

We came back at the call time and we decided that Mel should watch from the audience and I will do the backstage stuff. So Mel took off with Roxy and I was given the 'royal performer' treatment. They did a very good job in recreating what it is like to perform in this kind of competition format. There were two other singers that I was performing against in this heat and the winner would come back later that evening to perform in the finalists show. We each had 10 minutes with the voice coach and the hair and make up ladies, and then we were taken on to the stage for a full dress rehearsal to practice our song and get used to the lights and cameras.

I felt pretty comfortable with everything in regards to the technical elements as well as the performance, but the young girl that was also performing was nervous and scared out of her brains. It probably didn't help that she had quite the stage mum by her side everywhere she went, but there seemed to be a lot of pressure for her to perform and succeed. The other lady had actually done this a couple of years earlier so she knew what to expect at least.

This was going to be a lot of fun. The set was great, and it was kind of cool knowing I was going to be singing on the same set as the past American Idol winners had performed on. And I love a bit of a competition to get the blood going. This was my kind of ride.

After about half an hour of sitting in the green room nervously chatting to each other we were introduced to the Ryan Secrest impersonator/host of the show, and then we were ready to go. We could hear the live audience start to shuffle in to the auditorium. Mel was meant to be sitting in the front row in the VIP section because I was in the show and unbeknownst to me, they would not allow her and Roxy to sit in the front row because of the moving cameras so she was put right up the back, which was a shame.

The show began and the other two competitors sang first. It ran exactly the way Idol does, with the three judges giving their opinions at the end of the songs. These judges were cast very similar to those you see on Idols around the world, with one mean one and the other two trying to add in their whimsical comments. They had even gone out into the audience prior to the show and recorded a group of audience members shouting my name and sending me a good luck message. The young girl contestant even filmed a the 30 sec 'journry' clip that played before she went on.

I was introduced onto the stage, I found my mark on the floor and once again tried to belt out my best Elton John/George Michael version of 'Don't let the sun go down on me'.

I got a great response from the audience and even the judge's comments were very kind and constructive. The Simon Cowell impersonator tried to make a joke about " if there was a musical of the X-Men, you would be my first choice as Doctor Xavier".

The three competitors stood in the middle of the stage while the audience got to vote for a winner on their own personal keypads on their seats. I even saw a some cheeky kids running to empty seats and pressing numbers to get some more votes in. Just as long as they were my number I was thinking.

The host went through the whole schpeel of recapping what the judges said, and played quickly edited versions of our performance. Then it was time to open the envelope and read the results.

"The person with the most votes and the winner of American Idol is .................. Tim McCallum"

YEEEEEEEHHAAAAA. A quick shake of the hands to the other contestants then it is off to centrestage spotlight to enjoy the applause from the audience and dance with the judges as the credits roled behind us and the lights came down.

I must admit that it still was very nerve racking being up there, and I was hoping that I would win, but at the end of the day it really was a fun experience and one that I can highly recommend to any of you out there who visit Hollywood Studios to either audition or attend as an audience member.

I decided not to go back later that night to perform in the finalists show as 1) it wouldn't have been fair if I had won the evening show, as the winner got a gold ticket to be able to jump the queue at any American Idol audition in the States, so I wouldn't have been eligible anyway. and 2) this had already taken a whole chunk out of our day and I really wanted to see the rest of the theme park.

What a ride though!