We'll see haha. I have a synopsis down for the show itself but I haven't started writing the script just yet, so I'll take it into consideration for sure. I know that the Animazement Trio will have something to do with the show, as for what, I'm not sure.
Today, we'll continue on with Beastly Kingdom and dive right into Small World Plaza...my apologies for the big gap between the two updates... Once I've completed Fantasyland, we'll be diving right into Pixar Place, so keep an eye out for that later on this week as well. As mentioned before, my posts will be somewhat irregular as a lot is going on behind-the-scenes in my real-life, haha. But never fear, this project will be completed! As long as there is imagination left in my brain, that is.
Also, a quick reminder that at the end of this project, I will be doing one final draft of everything altogether, so as usual, things may or may not be subject to change. As I type this, new ideas continue to pop into my head
(such as pulling Carl's House from Adventureland; although I have yet to make this decision).
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The forests of medieval Europe naturally transition into rolling green hills, trickling streams, and endless, patchwork fields of multi-colored flowers and temperate trees bathed in the colors of autumn. The remainder of Beastly Kingdom represents that of Ancient Greece, land of heroes and monsters, gods and goddesses, adventure and magic, a natural fit in the realm of mythical beasts. It seems only appropriate that Mount Olympus serves as the focal point of this ancient realm, the hilltop homestead of Zeus, Hera, Hermes, Bacchus, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Apollo, and...well, you know the rest. Grecian temples and homes line the surrounding plains, a bit odd, considering one of the first locations we see is a giant bronze head representing what appears to be that of a Grecian soldier...
This is respectively the humble abode of Philoctetes, the short and stubby trainer of the one and only Hercules, not to mention several other legendary warriors throughout Grecian history. Although humans are far-too-short to step inside the giant head, Phil, Hercules, and Megara alike all make meet-n-greet appearances just outside among several other fountains and statues typical of Grecian ruins. Phil's Hero Training, the ultimate training session for any would-be hero is held just outside Phil's house. Here, trainees of a young age are given first-hand tips from both Phil and Hercules, as well as some hands-on "swordplay." The unexpected arrival of Hades and several of his Underworld creatures turns the training session into an actual free-for-all where we find our young heroes more victorious than Achilles's heel...sorry, too soon?
Proceeding further into Greece, we find a small farming community living under the shadow of Mount Olympus, the town itself centered around a flower-entangled wishing well. The Hercules Store (as seen in "Hercules"), sells all the wares of any Hercules fan, including the ever-iconic Hercules action figure with "chest-bulging" action and better yet, the infamous "Air-Herc" sandals legitimately being sold for the first time ever, and yes, they are very comfortable. It's only fair that these comfortable sandals are advertised in a giant mosaic of Hercules on the outside of the building. Κήπος του Βάκχου, which translates to "Garden of Bacchus," is an authentic Mediterranean and Greek restaurant held within a fanciful Greek temple, all centered around a giddy fountain of Bacchus atop his drunken unicorn, as seen in Fantasia. Fine wines, gyros, and kebabs are all on the menu, and oddly enough, the purple liquid pouring out of the Bacchus fountain is actually wine...just kidding, it's water with purple dye in it. An outside window for the restaurant sells items that require less preparation, mostly the truly delicious "Herculade," served in the appropriate glassware. Think of this as Beastly Kingdom's own version of butterbeer, but really sweet and really fruity. The Temple of Zeus, while not an official place of worship sits as a gift shop selling authentic and less-cartoony items from Greece, such as statuettes, paintings, miniature mosaics, etc. Of course the giant statue of Zeus inside the shop occasionally comes to life to say a few words before warping back into a quiet statue.
Η παραγωγή του κρασιού ("The Making of Wine") is connected to the Garden of Bacchus, showing us how authentic wine is made in the past, present, and possibly even in the future. While not a true "beastly" attraction, the Making of Wine features wine tasting (at a cost), wine-flavored ice cream, wine-flavored candy, and wine-flavored...well, I'm gonna stop whining about it and just let you put the rest together for yourself. Amphitryon & Alcmene's, the cozy home of Hercules's adoptive parents sells pottery and interior home decor with a Grecian flare, including "fun" decor like the vase or v-ah-se with the baffled likeliness of everyone's favorite hero.
Bacchus isn't the only one with a garden in this part of the country. In fact, the other garden in town is visited via a slow boat ride through a magical, moonlit, romantic paradise. Pain and Panic, the dim-witted employees of Hades have their own dark ride, believe it or not, and boy is it a doozy. Pain and Panic's Tunnel of Love. Yep. This is a thing.
Boarding a Swan-shaped boat, we slowly set sail through a curtain of vines (crafted to resemble a heart) and calmly drift through the quaint scenery and magic of the garden where Megara once sang that famous song, "I Won't Say I'm in Love." Despite the romantic music and perfect atmosphere to steal a kiss from that special someone, Pain and Panic show up to crash the party, providing witty banter and mood-killing gags. According to Pain, it is their goal to keep anyone from experiencing the tunnel of love's magic, as Disneyland is a "family theme park," not Las Vegas. What ensues next is a wacky and tacky adventure straight from Timon and Pumbaa's Virtual Safaris (anyone remember those?), only this time, Pain and Panic are in charge. With tacky cutouts of monsters, purposely-awful special effects, and a musical number or two, Megara's Tunnel of Love is the perfect dark ride for any fan of slapstick comedy and cheap magic tricks.
The real attraction in this part of Beastly Kingdom is found in the form of Hercules: Zero to Hero, an E-Ticket thrill ride through the world of Hercules. Rather than being a sequel, prequel, or recap of the movie, we join Hercules on an adventure not seen in the film, an adventure that feels a little similar to Tokyo's Journey to the Center of the Earth. Hopping aboard a Greek chariot, a la Ben-Hur, we journey off towards Olympus to embark on a tour of paradise led by Hermes. Suddenly, Hades decides that he cannot wait any longer for the planets to align, so he unleashes a slew of foul beasts (some not even seen in the film) upon Olympus to take the throne that is "rightfully his." The unexpected arrival of Hercules and Pegasus leads us to join the demigod in battle, with plenty of sight gags, too-close-for-comfort-encounters, a trip through the multiple gullets of the Hydra, and a climactic drop down Mount Olympus itself with a post-finale celebration led by the soulful Muses and some rather musical spectators.
Having completed our tour of Beastly Kingdom, we meander back to the Enchanted Forest where we come upon the realization that Fantasyland is nowhere close to having been fully-explored yet. So much so that we still have three sub-areas left: Small World Plaza, Halloween Town, and Christmas Town, not to mention the parade route...
In a manner similar to the original Disneyland, the central parade route begins in Fantasyland and makes its way down a "Main Street" before quietly tucking away backstage in a corner of Town Square. In the case of Disneyland Australia, the parade garage is located beyond the park's northwestern berm directly behind the westernmost berm of Pixar Place and northernmost berm of Fantasyland. The route itself starts in between the sub-areas of Halloween Town and Christmas Town, then proceeds to make its way in between Small World Plaza and the Enchanted Forest, past the western wing of Snow White Castle, across a cement bridge over Fantasy Lagoon, through the western side of the Hub, down Main Street, around Town Square, and out through a backstage entrance near Oswald's Gas in the northeastern portion of the Hub. As expected, the floats rest in a backstage area in between the Jungle River Cruise and Town Square. Since many of the floats are rather tall, the ground in this backstage area is lowered down a few pegs, carefully hiding the floats from the jungle sightlines as they enter a secondary parade garage which is also hidden from sight via lower ground and tall palm trees.
Since Small World Plaza is just a short distance away to the western side of the Enchanted Forest, we decide to pay the children of the world a quick visit before journeying into the dark imagination of a Mr. Tim Burton.
The golden spires and fanciful shapes of a magnificent palace protrude high above the treetops of the Enchanted Forest, setting the scene for Small World Plaza, the "happiest" sub-area thus far. Buildings and structural formations of an odd variety, almost "Mary Blair" in style, line the pristine pathways and pastel-colored plaza. Topiaries in the shape of animals from around the world fill the colorful gardens and planters, while quirky instrumentals of that ever-famous tune, "It's a Small World" constantly fill the air, each time portrayed in a different form of instrumental from a different culture. As Olympus and Dragon's Keep were to Beastly Kingdom, Small World Palace is the appropriate focal point of Small World Plaza, a glistening, abstract castle representing various symbols from around the world, from the Eiffel Tower to the Golden Gate Bridge. In the center of it all is the smiling face of a googly-eyed clock tower that rings off every fifteen minutes with a parade of "dancing" dolls representing a different country of the world. Inside this magnificent palace is the "happiest cruise that ever sailed," the 1964-1965 World's Fair classic, It's a Small World.
Boarding a brightly-painted boat, we set sail across the entire globe and visit the various countries and continents where children in cultural garbs and settings perform the titular song in their respective language. Better yet, the entirety of the cruise appears to be composed of toys and materials accessible to children, making this appear to be a trip of the world as seen through the eyes of a child. Along the way, various Disney characters portrayed in the style of Mary Blair (the key Imagineer behind the original attraction) appear throughout the attraction, hidden within their respective countries of origin. No trip around the world is complete without a trip through Small World Imports, a Mary Blair-esque toy store that specializes in dolls, appropriate considering that It's a Small World itself is filled with dolls.
Unlike other versions of the famous "Small World" facade, the colors of Disneyland Australia's facade are that of a "cool" tone, meaning that rather than having a structure painted with pastels and whites, we find a palace colored with hues of green, blue, and purple, the face of the clock itself being a cool shade of lavender. Every Christmas, the glistening spires begin to glisten even more with the seasonal addition of It's a Small World Holiday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzMYP1Bg2tM
As mid-November rolls around, the children of the world begin to sing the songs of the season and celebrate their respective holidays, all within a heavily-lit and decorated Small World Palace. Thousands of multicolored Christmas lights create a beacon of holiday cheer, not to mention peace on earth and goodwill towards men, the message of the ride not just during the holidays, but all year-round. It's only fair that the lights of It's a Small World Holiday blend in with the not-too-distant realm of Christmas Town, the next stop on our list...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9vtMAB09FA
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More to come! Almost done with Fantasyland!
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