Top 6 Scrapped Disney Parks Pojects

Okay, I've counted down my Top 6 Most Disappointing Attractions and all of them were from Disney World. That's mostly because that is the park I've been to the most. Today's Top 6 is a bit different in that, I'll be counting down the Top 6 Disney Parks Projects that sadly never came to be but I think that they would've been great, had they been seen through.  With that out of the way, let's begin.

6.  The Great Muppet Movie Ride -  MGM Studios

The Great Movie Ride is the ride that I consider the heart and soul of Hollywood Studios or when the park first opened, MGM Studios.   Why do I bring this up? Well, you see there were plans to make a Muppet parody of the ride in the planned section of the park that just as with this attraction never came to be, known as Muppet Studios.  The only thing the park has to show for it is Muppet*Vision 3D.   Now that's a fun show, even if it's age is showing.   The concept for this ride is something that I love, as stated above, it would've been a parody of the park's own Great Movie Ride.  Something about the idea of having a ride that parodies another ride in the same park tickles me.   Now for those who may not know, The Great Movie Ride takes you through movie scenes and herewith The Great Muppet Movie Ride, the Muppets would be the ones taking us through those classic movie albeit in Muppet fashion. So you know something would go wrong.  According to the Muppet Wiki, one film as seen in the picture I chose that would have been parodied is Frankenstein.   I just love the whole idea behind this ride and like a lot of other things on this list, if given the proper treatment, I think it could've been a classic. Now there were also plans for a Disney Villains variant of The Great Movie Ride that would have been in 3D but I actually like the Muppet one better. Here's the main reason this attraction never came to be.  Thanks in part to The Neverland Files and the biggest reason was sadly because of Jim Henson's untimely departure from our world.

In the mid to late eighties, Jim Henson was very willing to sell the Muppets to the Disney Company, but each time negotiations seemed to get somewhere, they fell apart. By 1990, things were ready to progress to the next step, but, sadly, Jim Henson passed away and the deal fell apart.

5. Toontown Trolley -  Disneyland/MGM Studios

I love the Dumbo cameo in this picture.  Hmm, we have our first attraction that was planned for not but two parks.  Anyways back to the attraction, this would have been a simulator ride. One of my favorite types of  rides are simulator rides and I really like the idea of having Roger Rabbit taking the guests  through Toontown on a trolley hence the name.   Now I couldn't find why this one was scrapped but still, the idea of Roger Rabbit taking these guests through Toontown. Can you imagine all of the cartoon cameos?  The picture gives you one of them and of course as with any great rides something would have gone awry. But that's to be expected when Roger Rabbit is involved.    Just this image alone convinces me that this ride could've been awesome.


4.  Western River Expedition - The Magic Kingdom

This is one of the most often talked about Disney rides that was never built.  As you can see by the name, it would have been themed to the old west and guests would ride on a boat that would have taken them through scenes in the town o Dry Gulch.  It would be similar to another Disney ride that kind of helped this attraction not being built. We'll get to that in a sec.   I may not be the biggest Western fan but I like the idea of this attraction. It's simple but a whole lot of fun with going through these different scenes and seeing the lives of people in the old west.  Now I mentioned earlier that there was a ride that helped to play a part in this ride not seeing the light of day. Well that ride was Pirates of The Caribbean as you see one of the biggest complaints when The Magic Kingdom first opened was that there was no Pirates ride and to please the masses, this ride was scrapped and replaced with Pirates.   Now I get it, Pirates was a Disneyland staple and I could see why guests would want it at The Magic Kingdom.  It's a great ride, I'm not trying to take anything away from it but I'm of the belief that not all of the rides in Disneyland and The Magic Kingdom need to be the same.  Just because they are the same parks just on different coasts does not mean they need the same rides.   And yes,   they do have rides that are unique to themselves and I think that it would have been fine if this ride had been built but at the end of the day,  guests wanted Pirates and Disney gave them pirates but I still wish this had been built because it would have been great.



3.  Beastly Kingdom - Animal Kingdom

For # 3, we aren't talking about one attraction here. Oh no! Rather an entire land that was planned for Animal Kingdom. Now Animal Kingdom as the park's name suggests focuses on the animals of our world but Beastly Kingdom would have  been about the fantastical and mythical creatures such as the unicorns and dragons.   That concept art right there is gorgeous and I really do think that this land would've been great. I mean the Tree of Life, the centerpiece of the park still has mythical creatures on it.   I mean it would have musical boat centered around Fantasia. That would have been cool. Now why wasn't it built. Again, I turn to The Neverland Files and according to them, it was because of budgeting issues.   Having the live animal exhibits cost a lot of money and there was very little left over to go towards this land.  So instead of this land, Eisner who was still in charge at the time directed the Imagineers to build a temporary land that kinda became permanent being Camp Minnie-Mickey.   Now I like to believe that Expedition Everest, which focuses on  the Yeti is a way to pay homage to this land that never came to be.   It's sad, this land would've been really cool.


2. WestCOT  -  Disneyland Resort

Now this name to Disney Parks fans should be a clue as to what this was going to be.  Basically this was going to be a west coast version of EPCOT located at Disneyland Resort.  Now the idea of having a second park did come to life with Disney's California Adventure but I don't know the idea of having a west coast EPCOT seems really cool to me.  It's centerpiece would have been similar to Spaceship Earth. The centerpiece of EPCOT but it would've been called Space Station Earth and would have stood at 300 ft. tall until people complained about the height as they could see it from their backyards.  (I don't see a problem there.)    Now it's true a lot of the stuff would have been cloned from EPCOT but that doesn't bug me and yes I know what I said up top but EPCOT is a park where I'm willing to make an exception because  it is just so unique that I think having two of them would've been awesome.   It would have World Showcase just like the one in Florida but instead of being grouped by nations, the countries would've been grouped by regions.   I really think that this would've been great and sadly,  I believe the reason   that this one never came to be was because of budgeting.  They didn't plans things out the right way and this was one of the more expensive projects that was taken on.   It's ashame too because I think that it would have been great.   Now I know it may look I'm contradicting myself with what I said about fourth entry on the list but I stand by what I said in earlier in that, EPCOT is such a unique concept that having two of them would have been awesome.










1.  Disney's America  - Haymarket, Virginia

As you may have noticed Number 2 & 1 on this list go beyond even being a land as they're both proposed theme parks.  Disney's America would have been the first US Disney theme park not in Florida or California.   It's hard to explain what Disney's America would have been. For that check out this article.   To put it simply , it would have been a walk through our nation's history and go into rich detail about America. The hub would have been themed around the Civil War. Now while the emphasis would have been on history, the same way EPCOT originally started with having emphasis on science, there would have been rides and attractions there such as The Hall of Presidents and a river rapid ride themed around Lewis and Clark.  Take a look.

Man that look like it would've been a lot of fun. Now why wasn't this built. There were protests from citizen's groups that Disney putting this in Virginia (the state I currently live in as well).  It's hard to say why it was protested. But this one pains me the most, probably because I live in Virginia and I would love to have a Disney park in my backyard. I mean who wouldn't want that. Now this land was eventually used for something else, Camp Snyder.  The nations' first national Cub Scout camp. That's great,  I was a Scout for a long as  I can remember and I think it's awesome that we're looking after the Cub Scouts but I'd rather have Disney's America.  I know it sounds petty and look Scouting was a huge part of my life but this is just  that idea of having a Disney park so close to where I live is the stuff that dreams are made of and add in the fact that I love that US history, I think I would have loved this park.   Sadly, it's one of those things that'll never be. I've been to Camp Snyder and it's nice and cute but each time I step foot on that land, I can't help but think what it would've been like if it had become Disney's America.  Make sure you check out that article  because it goes into greater detail about Disney's America than I do and plus, it talks about all of the lands at great length.


There you have it, the Top 6 Scrapped Disney Parks Projects that I would have love to seen see the light of day. Now there are many other great Disney projects that never came to be such as ride based around Baby Herman from Roger Rabbit or a Dick Tracy ride but thee 6 are the ones that intrigued me the most.  To close this out, check out this old video that talks about some of the aforementioned projects.

Top 6 Most Disappointing Attractions

I love Disney World and all the parks but sometimes, you come across an attraction that just disappoints you.  Now I'll make no attempt to hide the fact that this was inspired by WDW News Today's Not Top 10. In which they counted down their Top 10 worst Disney World attractions and you may see some of the same attractions on this list. Anyways, let's get started.


6.   The Studio Backlot Tour  (In It's Current State) - Hollywood Studios

Now some of you may be wondering why with a picture as awesome looking at that, why I would put this attraction on here. Simple, it was taken out! In it's heyday before Lights, Motor, Action came along The Studio Backlot Tour was one of the greatest things to do at MGM Studios (now Hollywood Studios).  It was so much fun, not only would you get to see how they make movie but you'd get to watch some scenes and interact along with it and during this scene that I used for it would soak the passengers in the trams.  I loved that. Oh and I'd be remiss if I forgot to mention that it involved  a certain director of a film known as Revenge of The Fallen. Yes,  Michael Bay was involved with this attraction.  I'll let Wikipedia explain.

A film also loops with director Michael Bay telling guests how some of the special effects scenes from Pearl Harbor were filmed. While guests are waiting, four volunteers are chosen to be used in the first part of the attraction.

Honestly, when I first went on this, I didn't even know who Bay was and that was probably for the better.   Though I do see his influence with that picture up top. Even though I don't think he was involved.    This is an attraction I loved and always loved it when you got wet on this thing but when that taken out, it just didn't feel the same.   Still, for all the qualms I have with it, it isn't as bad as the others on this list.  It just feels like it's a former shell of what it once was.



5.  The Magic Carpets of Aladdin - The Magic Kingdom

What is it that disappointed me about this attraction? Well that can be summed in three words: Dumbo rip off.   Just as with Dumbo The Flying Elephant you control the carpet and how you want to fly it.  It just feels unneeded when you have  a classic attraction such as Dumbo that already does this. Don't get wrong, I'm not saying that there shouldn't be an Aladdin attraction but why not make it a dark ride or a rollercoaster?  It just seems lazy to copy a pre-existing attraction. Of course Disney knew the formula would work but again I just go back to it feeling lazy.  Also why do you have Genie do the Spanish voice over for the safety tips? That seems odd.   I don't know.   At the end of the day, it just seems like a cop out on Disney's part to take the easy route. Now I can see why they'd choose to make a ride based around Carpet such as this because he flies. But still, I can't wrap my head around this one.


4.  Tomorrowland Speedway -  The Magic Kingdom

Now I've talked about this attraction in the past and I said that it was a letdown when I went on it and I still stand by that. I don't care that it's an opening day attraction, it's not a very good one.  I mean I can get the appeal of driving around a speedway but it's so controlled that it does not feel like the real thing and let's not forget that the steering wheel is so stiff that it's hard to use.   This one is just boring, really and when you come off an attraction bored. There is something wrong.   The best Disney attraction like their films  are able to get some kind of emotion out of their audience be it happiness or anger but when your bored on an attraction, that is just sad.


3.   Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management -  The Magic Kingdom

Go figure, 2 attractions that have elements of Aladdin in them. I like Aladdin and I like The Lion King but I'm not the biggest fan of Iago or Zazu.  Enchanted Tiki Room was and is to this day a classic  Disney Parks attraction but Under New Management. Yeah, not so much.  I wanted to like this and I liked it the first time I saw it but each trip after the first time I saw it, it just became clear that it didn't work. I get the idea of pairing Zazu and Iago together as they are two opposing personalities but they don't gel off of each other and the more that I learned about Enchanted Tiki Room, it felt as though this incarnation was mocking classic Disney and that feels more like something that would be done by DreamWorks and not Disney.  Also the Iago and Zazu  audio-animatronics did not age well.

Iago looks creepy in this close up.

Thankfully, the  original show was brought back in time for Disney World's 40th anniversary and no more Iago and Zazu. Even if they got rid of Iago and Zazu due to Iago catching on fire.  This is one of those attractions that in this form that I feel like it does  not work.  Now I'll admit that I haven't seen the show since it reopened but I just hope that it's better than this.


2.  Sounds Dangerous!  - MGM Studios (Hollywood Studios)

Oh,  I should've known  better regarding this one. This attraction is often considered the worst thing that Disney World had to  offer.  I'm not even sure why I decided to do this.  It was probably Drew Carey that drew me in.   I love Whose Line Is It Anyway but this didn't have any of the humor that made that show work.  It's really just an audio show where you hear all these random noises if you choose to put on the RaidoShack headphones they supply.   I think the big problem here is that Disney was using a star in the wrong way, which they have done before numerous times.  I don't know if any retooling could have worked to make this thing better.   The plot is that your watching a test pilot for some new undercover show starring Drew Carey as the fictional character of Foster but majority of the time, the screen is blank because as stated this is an audio show. On paper, this seems like a concept that could have worked but something went wrong along the way. I don't know what but something just didn't gel. There is one nice thing that  I can say about this attraction, it was a great place to go and take a nap.





1.  Kali River Rapids - Animal Kingdom

My favorite type of rides are water rides. I especially love river rapid rides and each time I saw an ad for this one, people were soaked. I was excited to go on it. Well, I went on it and let's just say that I got more water on me from a water bottle than this ride.   It also doesn't help that with all the turning and supposed splashing that the story is hard to follow. I like Disney doing stories but this one just seems incomplete and while this isn't the worst ride that I've been on, it was the most disappointing for a lot of reasons and I stated the big one at the top of this paragraph.


Now while these rides disappointed me, that does not mean I'd discourage others from giving them a try. While yes this is a negative countdown, this is me recanting my experiences on these attractions. Who knows, maybe someone else out there had a great time on these rides.  Still,  there so many other great things that the parks have to offer.  Peace!

Classic Shorts Showcase: Casey Bats Again

Hello and welcome back to Classic Shorts Showcase and if you recall one of the earlier Showcases that I did back when these were posted on Saturdays was Casey at The Bat.   I enjoyed that short very much, of course this was the short I watched right after Ben and Me and really, anything was better than that short. Moving on to today's short though. This is a sequel to Casey at The Bat and from my understanding, this is an original story that Disney came up with for this short. Is it as good as the first?  No, not really and you'll find out why in this review.


The Plot




This short picks up right at the end of the first Casey short, when Casey's wife comes to tell him that she's pregnant and Casey thinks that he is going to have a son and even when when the baby is born, he thinks it's a boy. It isn't until Casey goes to change the baby's diaper that he finds out, it's a girl and as life goes on, Casey's wife gives birth to more girls and because of this Casey refuses to pay the doctor that he delivered his daughters.  It took Casey's baseball friends to show him that his daughters could be great baseball players. That's the main reason, why Casey wanted to have a son because he wanted a baseball player to carry on his legacy. Now this is my first problem with this short comes in.  I say the because while the first one did have some semblance of a plot, it was a simple plot and Casey works better with a simplified plot, where you can laugh at his actions because of his attitude and it made his downfall so much funnier. Now I normally would not say this but I don't think fleshing out his character more than what he was in the first short was a good idea.



Narration


Narrator -  Not Listed


For those of you read that my read my review of  the first Casey short,  you may recall that I compared the narration in that short to that of a an old time sportscaster on the radio talking about the game.  Sadly, I did not get the same feeling with this short. Which is part of what gave the first short so much charm, here instead, it felt average and that's really disappointing because the narration in  this short just felt average. That's almost worst than bad narration, if you ask me. This is probably the first short that I've come across where the narration while fitting the short was disappointing and at best forgettable. I mean I may not have cared for Basil Rathbone's narration for Wind In The Willows but at least it was memorable.  Now I'm not saying that there shouldn't have been any narration because the essence of narration helps the short to flow but they could   have used someone with a more memorable voice. In all honesty, the person narrating this short felt as though they were reading straight off a script and yeah, they probably were but with all the other narrations, it never felt so obvious or forced. That's the other thing in certain points in this short, the narration felt forced.



Characters




Casey - Not Voiced save for one line

In the original Casey short, Casey was a likable jerk but fleshing out his character in my opinion was a mistake because instead of being a jerk you could laugh at, he came across a pig and someone that hated women. I may have disliked Fifer and Fiddler but at least that was consistent with all the shorts but with Casey, yeah he was cocky in the first but at least I was able to laugh at him and in this one, I felt like I was suppose to laugh at his circumstance but instead of laughing at it, his personality in this short infuriated me because his actions came across as though he did not care about his daughters until he saw that they could baseball. Really? I mean, yeah I get that is what Casey's passion and love is but really? Way to take a character that was somewhat likable and turn him into completely distant character that I want nothing to do with.


Casey's Daughters - Not Voiced.

Y'know as much I want to defend Casey's daughters because of their father's attitude, I can't because they come across more as part of a recurring gag that Casey's wife will never have a son. This is not a hit on the daughters but at the same time, I feel as though that is the only reason, there are so many.  None of the individual daughters have a personality that they can claim as their own.   In the long run, they're flat characters.  Now as seen in this picture, Casey does eventually form a baseball team with his daughters and we do get to see them play a championship game and they do win but Casey feels the need to help his daughters and go out on the field dressed as a girl to hit the ball. Hence the title but it was actually his eldest daughter that hit it and she is actually better at the game, then her pop.   That was probably the only funny part in this otherwise bad short.



My Final Thoughts




At the end of the day, more than anything else, this short is disappointing.  I loved Casey at The Bat, it was funny, to this day I have not laughed so hard at a Disney short as I did with Casey at The Bat but this one, I was honestly excited to watch it and it  started out wonderfully but as the short progressed, I came to despise Casey. If this were the only Casey short and the first one did not exist, Casey would be one of my most despised Disney characters. Thankfully, the first short saves him from that. This short has a similar problem as Ben and Me in that one character ruined the entire short for me.  Now this short is not as bad as Ben and Me (nothing can be) but it certainly comes close.  Folks, just skip this short and stick to the first one.  Join me next week as I take a look at

Three Blind Mouseketeers

A Talk About Wikia: Disney Wiki

Lindren: Welcome everyone to the fourth edition of A Talk About Wikia! This is where we discuss on the most interesting and helpful Wikia around, and the last edition was about Muppet Wikia.


Disney has not only a vast history in animated films, but also that for live action films, parks, and so much more; thus what could be a better system than Wikia to show people the world of wonders in detail? Today we are going to talk about another large Wikia: Disney Wikia.

Logo

I am so happy to intruduce you to our very special guest star, Moviefan12! Tim, thanks a million for joining today.



Tim: Thanks for having me here today. The Disney Wiki is something that I use a lot seeing as I review Disney. As a matter of fact, you'll find a link to it on my site. It is perhaps one of the most detailed wikis I've ever used.




Lingren: Indeed. With a studio with a rich history, there should be a number of films, songs, characters, and parks, yet I rarely saw a neglected page with a single explanatory line, which is extremely common in other old Wikias such as TARDIS Index File.


Tim: It goes to great length to cover everything Disney from the well known to rather obscure such Dumbo's Circus. Besides the detailed breakdown of everything I'm floored at the design of the wiki. Mostly the background. This may be a cheesy thing to say but the look of this wiki truly encompasses the magic of Disney.

                                                 The magical look of this Wikia



Besides the background, they're a great site to find pictures off of. Especially for my articles because they have shots from a scene or some obscure films that would be harder to find elsewhere. Take for example, I have an upcoming Top 6 and for this particular Top 6, I needed a picture of Rapunzel"s hair. I just had to go to her bio and there I was able to find said picture.


Lindgren: I couldn't agree more. It's also interesting that for main page of this wiki, the title fonts are in the style of Walt Disney's signature. It's such a clever homage


The picutre are of high-quality, and some of them capture very funny moments that we sometimes can't catch from films, such as the one below. It is the scene where Basil the Mouse Detective swiftly removes his disguises to get onto action. This scene was only a second so everyone missed this funny shot.

                                      Standing ovation for the person who captured this shot!



Let's talk about the best thing we liked from this wiki.




Tim: It's hard to pin down what I like most about this wiki but I think it goes to variety and selection. You want to read about characters, you can do that. You want to read about parks, no problem. I also like the fact that it touches on little things that otherwise would not seem important. Take for instance, the Mr. Stork page. In its picture section, it has a picture of a baby store in Tokyo Disney called Baby Mine.

                                                       Pretty Baby Mine store

I think another thing that I really like about this wiki is how inviting it feels. Unlike other wikis that I've used, this one feels friendly from the look and not closed off.



Lindgren: I couldn't agree more, and some articles have great humour in it. For instance, my favourite part of this wiki was the character boxes. When I first visited this wiki, I spend the majority of the time looking at the them. They have a surprising amount of detail and humour. I liked Judge Claude Frollo's box best. In his box of the section "Likes", we have: Serving God, fireplaces, "Justice", Destroying Gypsies, People judging others for their looks, Punishing Quasimodo.

As you have been writing about Disney for a long time, have you edited in this wiki while using it?

Tim: Now I've never edited on the wiki but I will say for the most part, they are rather reliable. I've rareley come across any factual errors. Yes, in my recent review of Lady and the Tramp, I made a snide comment about them listing Sterling Holloway as Joe's voice actor. For this article, I went back and checked again, the correct actor was listed. That being Bill Thompson. Now I'm big enough to admit that perhaps it was a reading error on my part but when looking at his character page, I could've sworn that they listed Sterling. Either way the correct actor is now listed. Really, that is the only quibble I have with the site and to me it isn't even a big deal looking at it.


Lindgren: The editing of this wiki is new to me too, but after editing a few articles, it seemed like a very friendly enviroment. The policy was rather straighforward and easy to follow unlike that of massive Doctor Who wikia. There was also a surprise present for the editors: Badges!

Um, no. But that would be cool. I mean THESE badges!

It's more interesting when you know the title of the badge you earned. (e.g. The blue one has the name "Rapunzel's Tower".) The currently active admin of this wikia is Isabella and Lego Liker. She is making sure that everyone reads DisneyWiki:Do's and Don'ts before editing. I would really love to stay in this wiki one day and explore the editing system more.


Tim: At the end of the day, I believe that the Disney Wiki is a useful tool for any Disney fan or Disney blogger. It is a very detailed wiki as it it goes to great lengths to cover everything about Disney. As stated above it's covers the well known to the obscure.

The infamous puppet show, Dumbo's Cirus is well explained in the wiki.



This wiki is certainly ran by fans of Disney and people who take the fandom seriously and want to make sure that people know as much as possible about Disney. It is such a great resource for Disney fans alike and I would suggest to it anyone who wishes to look up info on Disney, be it for a review or just for fun.

Lindgren: I couldn't agree more. Disney wiki overall is not only very helpful, but also really enjoyable. The wiki seems like a peaceful and beautiful town with friendly neighbors. Some articles are written so beautifully with great detail that it even feels as it I'm reading a good storybook.



Tim, thank you so much for joining here today, and it was a lot of fun.


Related Links
The Disney Wiki: http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/The_DisneyWiki
The Disney Wiki Twitter page: http://twitter.com/disneywiki
Previous A Talk About Wikia: http://manicexpression.webs.com/apps/blog/show/12574298-a-talk-about-wikia-muppet-wiki


P.S. Stay tuned for our next A Talk About Wikia, Phineas and Ferb Wiki.

The Case of The Cola Cult (Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers Episode Review)

A while back I went on a nostalgia spree and ended up buying the old Disney cartoons such as Darkwing Duck and DuckTales on DVD.  Or in today's case, Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers, which I'll admit was the first of these I bought.  Now there was one episode that stayed with me out of all the Rescue Rangers episode, mostly because of the subject and the title. That being today's episode, The Case of The Cola Cult


Episode Title


The Case of  The Cola Cult

Admittedly, the title is what drew me to this episode, due in part because I was surprised that they were able to get away with using cult in the title. Call me crazy but I don't think would fly over today but the title doesn't hide what the episode is about and it's the better for it.



The Plot


The plot of this short is rather simple, the Rescue Rangers while out on a test run of their newest vehicle, they crash into the Cola Cult, a cult that worships the fictional soda Coo-Koo Cola (a parody of coca cola).  This is where things get weird, it's not because the cult are represented in a negative light. Not at all, they're shown to people  err mice that seem to have a common interest that'll take anyone in who wishes to feel that they belong and that's where things really pick up because Gadget's inventions start to break on her and she doesn't feel as though she be any help to the Rescue Rangers. She leaves the team and heads out onto the street, she later comes across the Cola Cult and they take her in. There Gadget discovers that one of the mice has been stealing all of the donations from the other mice.  I have to say I really like this plot as it feels simple yet complex at same time.  It feels very real and the subject is treated with respect.  


Characters

I'll be breaking this down into Important, Supporting, and Villain.



Important Character


Gadget voiced by Tress MacNeille

Gadget was the star of this short and she shined through. You could really feel her emotions in this short as a roller coaster.  I felt bad for her when she felt down and there were some great humorous moments such as  when she joined the cult.  Though once she found what was really happening, she stood up and kicked butt. She was the hero of this short and saved the day.  By the way that shot of Gadget with her inventions is just awesome.


Supporting Characters

Chip 'n' Dale voiced by Corey Burton & Tress MacNeille

Now I know that Chip 'n' Dale had more personality in this show than in their past shorts and if I were reviewing a different episode, I would've talked about them individually.  I'm lumping them together here because in all honesty they're  important but they are over shined by both Gadget and the storyline.   Both of them along with the rest of Rescue Rangers feel more like background characters. That's one of the biggest problems, the characters and the story feel off kilter.


Monterrey Jack voiced by Peter Cullen

Monty was fun in this episode but again, he was a background character if nothing else as if that was for all intent and purposes, a Gadget centric episode and there's nothing wrong with that. Seeing as I like Gadget but as stated above, it felt of balance and now I'm just repeating myself.  So I'll stop here and I won't bring Zipper because I'd being saying the same thing. I do apologize for this.


Pop Top - Voice Unlisted

Pop Top was the leader of The Cola Cult and at one point, he's believed to be the villain of the episode as the clues lead the Rangers to think that he was the one stealing from the other members.  Though that wasn't the case. He was an okay character and pretty funny.  A little goofy but he worked well enough.





Villain


Bubbles - Voice Unlisted

Now the reveal of who the villain actually was seemed a bit odd because I mean it almost came out of nowhere. Yes, there were clues to show that it was him but they were so minimal and that's another problem with this episode.  It feels like three different stories but they do work.  The first part of the story is about the cult, the second part is about Gadget quitting the team and then there is Bubbles.  Though while the stories work, Bubble isn't much of a threat and I can see why he was a one time villain. Because it doesn't that much else could be done with him.  While I couldn't find his voice actor, he certainly sounded like Jim Cummings.


My Final Thoughts




At the end of the day, this was a decent episode even though there three different stories spread over this episode that seem like hey shouldn't blend together but they do and this was a fun episode, even if it felt different from some of the other episodes of Rescue Rangers.   

Average Internet Reviews: Phineas and Ferb across the 2nd dimension with a very unwanted guest...

Hello everyone!!! Welcome to average internet reviews! Thats right!!! After an extended duration of me having absolutely no name for my blog, I have come up with something!!! To celebrate the occasion I have decided to review the greatest animated show to ever appear on television *whispers* what? I already covered that? Shit. Uh...hm...did I cover the movie? *whispers*. Phew! Fantastic! Okay everyone, without further ado lets take a look at a movie Ive come to know as, dun dun dun, a godsend. But most of you probably know it a Phineas and Ferb: Across the second dimension!

Before I begin, let me give you a basic premise of the show. *deep breath*



2 boys named phineas and Ferb build city-wide roller coasters and portals to mars(or anthing of the like, while they're stereotypical 16 year old sister attempt to stop them. All while they're pet Platypus named Perry is a secret agent who regularly battles for the soul of the tri-state-area against an evil scientist with a cool accent. Mind. Blown.

Now unlike most Disney cannel shows, this one doesn't suck, far from it actually...







(Meanwhile in the evil lair of Darkfan21)

Darkfan21: I've grown tired of waiting to attack Moviefan12. I should go after some fresh meat. But who? This must be done in a scientific manner. Eenie menine, miny, mo. Ha, it appears that I've landed on Fusionater. What is he up to? Reviewing that wretched Phineas and Ferb film. Doesn't he know Moviefan already did a review of it and oh, it appears that he has made a generalization about other Disney Channel shows saying that they suck. That little ingrate is doing my job. I am the one that attacks things not him. I should pay him a visit.



(leaves lair)






Fusionater: And that's why everyone on TGWTG will get 1 million dollars if they answer my next question corrrectly. *takes a drink*



Darkfan21: Fusionater,











HOW DARE YOU try to do my job? Don't you know I'm the one who makes snide comments about all things Disney. All of these shows may suck and that they do but it is MY job to point that out. Your beloved little kiddie's show about these two brothers is no better than the rest. I'd go far as to say this is the worst show on Disney Channel since Kim Possible, It's too bright and happy. Now if you want a good animated show on Disney Channel, watch Fish Hooks instead. Such blandness and boring characters in that show. It's so much than this wretched piece of animation. Fusionater, come and face me if you dare.

Fusionater: Whah...huh...I'm sory I missed most of that, you can not just jump on a guy like that...*inhale*, *exhale*,phew. Okay lets see...I took your job yada yada and *gasp!* W-what did y-you say ab b bout that show? heheeheehe ehe eheheheheheehhehehehhhehehhee...

you little fool. You think you can just waltz over to my blog and insult me like like this? You think you'le just be able to walk away from this without some form of torture? I hope your prepared for a world of hurt.






Darkfan21: You Insolent child, do you not think after my battles with Moviefan, I would not prepare myself what any of his friends have in store? I'm sure he's told you how to defeat me. Go ahead and try, this should be delightful, Oh and if your going to evil laugh, make it sound dignified like this.

Fusionater: Huh? You want we to sound like an asthmatic 4th grader? Hm, very well, I will try it.

ha ha...hmm??? Gah! Very well, you shall remain, but know this, there is no chance you will leave now, or ever again. *clicks button* hahahahahhah!



Darkfan21: You should have known that I would've brought a pair of headphones.



https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFJCQ8HCdD6Sw6df_vR3i2S78YNaUPrw3JtUbJygg_sijSWEsnY9CAKEX22fL6M6QyXUtc7n6wPe_L6rErfbDfL-OZO9Auuahtz6MFLgMSEOMvNh-zzAFFm58fUmHKz8RY2UKypXUOCZ4/s1600/headphones.jpg



I'll give you this much, you have been proven to be much stronger than the last nuance I dealt with. I will give you that much. Do not misunderstand me though because I will not back down, boy. I shall escape from this pathetic trap you've enclosed me in.

Fusionater: You don't seem to understand who's in control here. I control the collaborations around here. I'm the one who approves them. Ordinarily your kind slips past me do to your less than collaby nature of the average trolls appearences. But you in MY dwelling. But I'm not unreasonable, if you me my demands, you shall go free. All you have to do is read this on a broadcast that I'll set up.






Darkfan21: You think you can tell ME what to do. You fool, you really think I'm just a troll, have you not seen what I did to Moviefan12? I once tookver his body! Tell me has any troll ever done that?! Very well, if it'll get me out of here, hand me the script.



Fusionater: Hm, your right, your a supertroll, you have the ability to be twice as annoying as the regular troll. And here's your script.



*dials number*, Moviefan12, you may want to tune into my latest broadcast.






Darkfan21: You child, I am no troll. Let's get this over with.






Darkfan21: ladies and gentlemen, this is darkfan21, I do indeed fear fusionater, he is the ultimate representation of all things(to fusionater) this isn't a word?






Fusionater: say it.



Darkfan21:*sigh*, badassitude.






Fusionater: now the back.






Darkfan21: *flips page over*






Darkfan21: *glances at script* Okay, there is no way I'm saying this about Moviefan12 *Fusionater stares at Darkfan* Fine, Moviefan12 is the greatest Disney blogger on the web and I bow down to him. His talent knows no bounds. (Gag) He is the kindest and sweetest person on the web (and also the most naive) *another stare from Fusionater* Okay, I'll finish it the way, you wrote it, Moviefan12 defeated me fair and square. He is the smartest of all Disney bloggers (Geese, did you have Moviefan write this?) *Fusionater stares again* Sorry, sorry, that appears to be all on here. Am I done reading this inane script?

Fusionater: Yes, yes you are. Now all we have to do is finish the review. WHAT? You thought you could just interrupt me halfway through this thing and just get out of it??? Don't worry, I won't be expecting much from you.






Darkfan21: Very well, child! What is it you want from me? I have not suffered enough? You may think you'll win but just like your pathetic friend, you are wrong. For you see since I last attacked Moviefan, I've grown stronger and wiser. You wish to finish your review, I'll let you do that but mark my words. By the end of this review, there will be no more Fusionater.






Fusionater: While technically there will still be a fusionater, unless if you somehow manage to get rid of all of my accounts all over the internet. Oh and that ass hole on youtube who got to the name before me. Anyway...all you have to do is give your (brief) thoughts on a subject after I have given my sypnosis. Surely you know how to offer a real opinion on something? Oh that's right! You devoted so much time and effort to ruining other peoples lives that you've most likely lost the capacity for any REAL human emotion.






Darkfan21: Emotions are for the weak. I'll give my thoughts on this film, it's not very good, now let me GO!






Fusionater: Oh spare me the bravado, and let me continue this thing. ah hem!



So...if you go back and read the plot sypnosis I gave for the show, you'le get the gist of it.

Darkfan21: You certainly put on a brave mask but deep down just like Moviefan, your scared! Aren't you? You know your scared because you know what I can do. Finish This review but do know that I stand by what I said and don't try to act tough. I've caught onto your act.






Fusionater: Yes I'm terrified. I'm terrified of the guy who cowers at the site of its a small world. Why do people hate that song? I love it! But fair enough. I'll stop being mr tough guy if it will make YOU happy.






Darkfan21: Foolish child, you should know that I no longer cower at that terrible song. Not since I have found a way to stop the music from defeating me.






Fusionater: Thats the point, you were so weak that a SONG defeated you. I can't even bring myself to respect you on a man to man level because of that. I mean it sounds like a cop out plot hole from the 70's.

Darkfan21: I have grown stronger since then. That song stood happiness and innocence, something I was once vulnerable to. But since then my anger and hatred have grown stronger. Forging those headphones, you see before you. They are no ordinary headphones, they can block out the sound of happiness. Which is why your song didn't work on ME! Tell me, Fusionater why do you fight on the side of good? When you have the makings of a great villain, join me and we could take down the others such as Dawn-Heart, CunningRunt, DisneyOtoko and perhaps even Positive Troll. Why if the two of us join forces we could take over Channel Awesome! Won't you join me, Fuisonater. Join me as my second in command and I'll spare anyone of your friends' lives.

Fusionater: you know what. Your right! Who needs those whining little imbecils when WE! Yes we, will be the ones in charge! And once the mediocrity of channel awesome has been conquered, we will move on to the bigger fish! Such as youtube, and than(naturally) T.G.I Fridays!!! Hey I've seen the movies, we conquer that place and we rule the universe!!!






Darkfan21: Excellent!!!






Fusionater: Now than, my liege, we must go and plan our conquest!!!:lol:






Darkfan21: We prepare for the attack on T.G.I Fridays and then the blogs.

Fusionater: First, I'll lock up the site collaborations so they can't ban together and stop us. And we can both procure that key from moviefan12!!!






Darkfan21: I truly like your thinking and if we do take over that eatery make sure we get the recipie for their Jack Daniels Burger.






Fusionater: I'll make a note of that...



*Both walk off to plot*

Moviefan12: Oh looks like Fusionater tried to call me. What, how did Darkfan escape? This isn't good, I don't think he can be defeated with a song. Wait, what's this, Fusionater has teamed up with Darkfan? This can't be right. Something feels off about this. I need to call him. *dials number*






Fusionater, it's Moviefan. What are you doing teaming up with my arch enemy? I thought you were one of the good guys. This doesn't add up. Please tell me this is just a ruse and you haven't actually turned to the side of evil.



Fusionater: In the end, what is good? *hangs up*.







Huh, soon as I get a title I get a storyline, what are the odds? Wait, I think I forgot to review the movie, NOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Music Fridays # 44: More Country Covers

Hello and welcome back to Music Fridays.  I have made it known that my favorite genre of music growing up was Country, now mostly Modern Country because that is what I grew up listening to and I use to have a cassette tape (anyone remember those)  called  The Best of Country Sing The Best of Disney.  One of the earliest Music Fridays I did, I believe it was # 5 was all about Country Covers and at the time, I could not find many Country Covers online but over time, I've come across some more Country Covers and I've decided to talk about them on today's installment of Music Fridays.



Beauty and The Beast - Diamond Rio




I gotta say that I really like this cover.  It may have a different sound than the classic but it works and it has that timeless feel to it that this song needs.  The band Diamond Rio does a beautiful job with this song. Though nothing can ever compare to Mrs. Potts but all the same, everything about this covers works to sell me on it from the chords to the vocals, it is just perfect.


Kiss The Girl - Little Texas




This cover takes the song and really dashes Country all over it and I couldn't love it more for that. I'm biased, I love Country music. Honestly, I think Country is the best genre for Disney covers. Again, this is my bias coming out. Anyways, this song it's funny while the image of Ariel and Eric in the boat is so ingrained in my head,  when listening to this cover, a picture an older couple at a bar or somewhere else and no it's no just because this is a Country song and honestly, I think Little Texas really had a lot with this cover.


Someday -  Lee Roy Parnell




Before working on this Music Fridays, I didn't even know what film this song originally came from. By the way, it comes from Hunchback.  This cover in many ways reminds me of Allison Krauss' cover of Baby Mine in how they're both beautifully simple covers.  It really feels as though Lee Roy poured his heart into this cover and I believe that he believes every word he's singing and there is just something about the way he sings the word "someday", that I find emotionally powerful.  I've seen people say that this is the best version of this song, well I haven't heard the original in a long time but I do imagine that this cover could give it a run for it's money.


If I Never Knew You - Hal Ketchum & Shelby Lynne



This is a great song to close out on and this is such a good cover of this song. Is it just me or does anyone else feel that these covers make the characters seem older?  Probably just me but all the same, I love this cover and  just as I said with Kiss The Girl, I picture something different than the film for this song too.  With this one, I actually see it as a story of an older couple who had fallen out of love and they were each other's first love and they will always hold that flame for each other but in their heart of hearts, they know that it is time to move on because there is nothing left for them but they'll have the memories of being together to look back on. I'll let you in on a secret, this one of the few covers I prefer over the original.



Well, I hope you enjoyed this look at Country Covers of Disney songs.  Now I know that not everyone likes this genre but it's my favorite genre and we all have to indulge ourselves every once in awhile. Join me next week as I take a look at Theme Songs of TV Shows Based On Classic Disney Films.

Disney Podcasts That I Enjoy

If there is one thing that I find very relaxing while working on either on a blog or homework, it would be listening to a podcast and well seeing as I like Disney,  I tend to search for some Disney podcasts to enjoy.  Many have come and gone and as right now, there are currently three that I'm listening to that there are a ton of fun.   Today, I want to share my thoughts on these three podcasts with ya.  I'll also make sure to include links to where you can find these podcasts along with links to their Facebook pages. I'll also be listing the main hosts alongside the podcast names and just as a sidenote besides the sites I'll be listing, you can find these podcasts on ITunes.


Mousterpiece Cinema -  Josh Speigel

For all the Disney podcasts, that I've listened to, most of them have been about the parks and while I love the parks. That does get old and then all of the sudden  on some random Disney fan blog, I discovered this Disney podcast that was not about the parks but rather the movies.   Now this podcast is still young but it is still a blast to listen to.  As of this blog, they're on episode 33 and the film of choice was Herbie Rides Again. Sorry to say but he wasn't a fan but I still respect his opinion.  I should mention that the first episode that I ever listened to was that of his review of Dumbo.    That was just a pure coincidence but I enjoyed it and decided to stick around and that was episode 14.  Now as I said, there have been times when I did not agree with his opinions such as Josh's utter bashing of The Santa Clause but I could understand some of his complaints but I'll admit that podcast was hard to listen to.  Now it is still fun to listen to and recently 2 new co-hosts have joined in a rotated seat and I think that it has only made the podcast better. Also be sure to check out Josh's and the other's  Extended Thoughts on the films that they talk about on the podcast.    You can find Mousterpiece Cinema at these following sites.


http://mousterpiececinema.blogspot.com/


http://www.soundonsight.org/category/radio/mousterpiece-cinema-podcast/


Here's the Facebook page


http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mousterpiece-Cinema/157216357680394



The WDW News Today Podcast - Tom Corless

Now if you want a good time with a great cast of fans, check out The WDW News Today Podcast. These podcasts can last a while but it is always a good time.  They have a lot of great segments such as their News & Rumor Reports,  Back to The Future (yeah, I realize the irony in that title but so do they).  Really, there are  so many segments on here that it's hard to go over but the best part about this podcast is the cast.  These are the kinds of fans that love Disney and especially the parks but at the same time, they're willing to poke fun at some of Disney's decisions that they don't agree with. This podcast is not informative but a whole lot of fun to listen to. By the way, if you do listen this podcast, make sure it's the Enhanced Edition as with that one you get pictures that relate to what the cast is talking about and it serves as a nice visual cue.

Here's a link to their site

http://wdwnewstoday.com/blog/

Here's a link to their Facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/WDWNTNetwork?ref=ts


The Disneyland News Today Podcast  - Sean Dickey

Now this podcast is the sister show of WDW News Today podcasts.   Now that does not mean it is a clone of  WDW as they have their own style to them. Yes, they have history segments and the news & rumor report segment too but this one has it's own personality to it.  Plus being the sister show of WDW News Today means that sometimes you get  cross overs between the cast. Just as with WDW News Today, make sure to check out the Enhanced Edition of the podcast.


Here's a link to their site

http://www.disneylandnewstoday.com/blog/



Here's a link to their Facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Disneyland-News-Today/45845146510?sk=wall&filter=2


I hope you take the time to check out these great podcasts.

Classic Shorts Showcase: Lambert The sheepish Lion

Well after two rather dark and grim shorts, how about, a short of lighter fare.   Join me today as I take a look at Lambert The Sheepish Lion.  Fun fact for ya, Mr. Stork from Dumbo appears in this short with Sterling Holloway reprising the role and he is also the narrator.


The Plot




The plot of this short is rather simple,  during Mr. Stork's delivery run, he accidentally gets Lambert a lion mixed in with a herd of sheep and realizes this mistake too late as Lambert grows attached to a female sheep that becomes his mother and over the years, Lambert is the but of the others' jokes because he is different until he saves his mother from being eaten by a wolf. The plot while simple, I like and I always enjoy these stories of overcoming and adapting to your differences.


Narration


Narrator - Sterling Holloway


Oh, Sterling, how I've missed your voice?   Without a doubt, Sterling Holloway is my favorite Disney voice actor.  His narration here as always is excellent.  Now it's never said outright in the short but I like to believe that it was Mr. Stork narrating the short but that mainly comes from the fact that Mr. Stork was also in this short and unlike the dreadful Ben and Me, the narration was done from a third person perspective.  Which was the common format of narrating for Disney shorts and as always, it worked to a great effect.


Characters




This'll be broken down into Main, Supporting, and Villain. With that out of the way, let's begin. Also for Lambert, I'll be focusing on both his young and adult years.


Main Character




Young Lambert - Voice Unlisted

Young Lambert is adoarable and quite fun. He may not fit in and be the but of all the jokes but he doesn't let that get him down. He always looks for the positive  but I think part of that comes from the fact that he doesn't understand that he's difference.


Adult Lambert  - Voice Unlisted

Adult Lambert is a bit of a scaredy cat because he never had a lion to raise to teach him how to be a lion.  He's still pretty funny but he does finally come into his own when his mama is about to be eaten by a wolf. He finally becomes a lion and gives out a big old roar that scares away the wolf and he gains respect from the rest of the herd for saving them.     Again, he was fun to watch but I don't know, I think I liked young Lambert better.



Supporting Characters




Mr. Stork voiced by Sterling Holloway

This short came out nearly a decade after Dumbo but Sterling Holloway came back to reprise his role as Mr. Stork and it was so cool seeing Mr. Stork in another piece of animation.  Just as with Dumbo he wasn't in the short very long but unlike, Dumbo he got things mixed up and that's how Lambert ended up with the lambs(sheep). Now even though he wasn't in the short too much, he was still fun to watch.


Mama - Voice Unlisted

Lambert's mama loves him dearly and will do anything to protect him As with all good Disney moms, she doesn't care that her son is different.  She can look past his differences and see a beautiful little boy.


The Other Sheep

As stated out throughout the entire short,  Lambert is ridiculed by the other children of the herd.  He is the butt of all their jokes.   Every opportunity, they got they'd make fun of him but that changed once he saved them from the wolf.  They were reminiscent of the other elephants in Dumbo but this felt to be a much more realistic take because having children pick on other children is something that actually happens.


Music


Lambert The Sheepish Lion (Song)







This video right here contains all of the song parts and it is really cute.  Again with this song, we see how poorly Lambert is treated by everyone else. That is until the Wolf comes along and they change their tune. Again, a nice song and I like it but probably the least memorable thing from this short.



Villain


Wolf - Voice Unlisted

Unlike The Big Bad Wolf,  this wolf is depicted in a much more realistic manner. He is ferocious, vicious and most importantly hungry.  He wants to eat Lambert's mama and nothing will stop him save for Lambert's roar.   Now he wasn't in the short too much but he was a good character and I did enjoy his screen time.


My Final Thoughts


This was a decent short and one that I'd suggest. It's a fun watch and Lambert is just so funny.   Plus you can rarely go wrong with Sterling Holloway. Join me next time when we go visit our pal, Casey in


Casey Bats Again