Did You Know? - Offstage WDW

The Coolest Tree at Disney World!

offstagewdw — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 18:06:50 +0000

The Liberty Tree is the oldest tree in the park! This 100-year old Oak tree was found on the property about 8 miles from it’s current location, it it the largest tree ever to be transplanted at Walt Disney World. It took careful planning and months of prepping to get this 38-ton tree to its new home. Bill Evans was one of Walt Disney’s personal landscapers, he was handpicked by Walt himself to oversee the landscape projects at Disneyworld; he was in charge of this huge project and came up with the innovative way to move this oak. Holes were drilled through the hardwood center of the trunk and steel rods were inserted to create a support for hoisting and hauling the tree with a 100-ton crane.

This tree now stands tall and grand in the middle of Liberty Square. It is decorated with thirteen hanging lamps which represent the original thirteen American colonies. The story of the Liberty tree dates back to Colonial Boston at the beginning of the American Revolution. It is said that the Sons of Liberty gathered under a large elm tree to protest the British Stamp Act. From that day forward, the tree became known as the “Liberty Tree.” It became a meeting place and was often decorated with lanterns and a yellow flags were raised to call people to meetings

At the base of the tree there is a plaque that reads: “The Liberty Tree – Under the boughs of the original Liberty Tree in Boston in 1765, Patriots, calling themselves The Sons Of Liberty, gathered to protest the imposition of the Stamp Act. In the years that followed, almost every American town had a Liberty Tree — A Living Symbol Of The American Freedom of Speech and Assembly.”

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Behind the Scenes with Nemo the Musical

offstagewdw — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 17:32:11 +0000

Let’s dive into the Big Blue World, to learn some fascinating details about the Broadway styled musical which was located at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Before it was “Finding Nemo” the Theater in the Wild was home to Journey into Jungle Book followed by Tarzan Rocks!

The musical’s soft opening began November 5, 2006 and its grand opening was January 24, 2007.

©Disney

All 14 songs are original music composed by husband-and-wife duo, Robert Lopez & Kristen Anderson-Lopez, the lyricists for Frozen, Coco, and more!

Photo Credit: Janet Susan R. Nepales/HFPA

The show was directed by award-winning Broadway director, Peter Brosius. and the puppet designer for The Lion King on Broadway. Michael Curry.

©Disney

Some of the puppets are the size of a standard car and requite multiple puppeteers.

©Disney

During the live performance, the actors sang, acted, and controlled the puppets; however, on the official musical soundtrack, the parts of Marling and Dory are sang by Robert and Kristen Lopez!

©Disney

The song, “Big Blue World” is also heard at the end of the attraction, The Seas with Nemo & Friends in Epcot.

©Disney

Closed since the Covid pandemic hit in March 2020, the beloved musical is getting a revamp. “Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!” is scheduled to open sometime this year with a new storyline. The show will center on the friends at The Marine Life Institute with a focus on Dory’s timeframe in Finding Dory. I cannot wait to see it! Stay tuned for more opening information = )

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The Details of The Madrigal’s Family Gifts Tie in with Their Clothes!

offstagewdw — Fri, 14 Jan 2022 02:24:11 +0000

With Disney, everything is in the details. Today we focus on The Madrigal’s clothing. Did you know that each member’s gift is represented somehow within their outfits?!

Pepa’s Family

Pepa

Pepa’s gift controls the weather so her outfit is reflective of the sun.

Check out her sun shaped earrings and the ruffles on her dress that represent the sun’s rays.

Dolores

There is no hiding from Dolores, as she can hear a pin drop from a mile away.

Incorporating the yellow sun element’s from her mother, you can also find various sound waves along her shirt and skirt.

Camilo

Camilo can shapeshift into anyone he sees.

This amazing ability allows him to basically blend in anywhere, which is why chameleons are found on his poncho.

Antonio

Sweet Antonio, the youngest of the family is also the latest Madrigal to receive a gift- he can understand animals.

You can see a tribute to his abilities on the little vest he wears, after he receives his gift! There are various animals embroidered along the sides.

Bruno

I’m just going to say it. We don’t talk about Bruno… because of his gift of prophecy that most people view as a curse.

Bruno uses sand in his casting ritual, which is why an hour glass can be viewed on his clothing.

Julieta’s Family

Julieta

Caring and nurturing, this momma has the ability to heal other’s with her cooking.

Rooted in the kitchen, Julieta’s gift is represented with a mortar & pestle.

Isabela

The perfect golden child, Isabela has the ability to conjure gorgeous flowers where ever she wishes.

Isabela’s dress is covered in flowers and as her gift evolves, the color of her dress changes to reflect the vibrant colors of her new plants & flowers.

Luisa

The brawn of the family, Luisa is gifted with super strength, which she uses to help all those in need.

Luisa’s muscles are the show stealer; therefore, her gift representation is a bit harder to spot. Barbells can be seen sewn at the hem of her skirt.

Mirabel

The main protagonist of the film has a deep love of her family and a special connection to her house, which she calls ‘Casita’.

Her empathy, love, and loyalty is reflective of the different gifts from each of her family members that are sewn onto her clothing.

She has a candle for her Abuela and flowers for Isabela.

A sun for her Aunt Pepa and a toucan & jaguar for her little cousin, Antonio.

On the lower half of her skirt she has a chameleon for Camilo and a dumbbell for Luisa.

I have heard that she also has a basket of food for her mother, but for the life of me, I could not find it. Of course, butterflies are a huge part of Mirabel persona, which also symbolizes her grandparents love for one another.

While I easily spotted the butterflies on Mirabel’s clothing, I was not aware of the embroidery of everyone’s gift. These details just make me love this movie even more!

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Disney’s Robin Hood- Oo-de-lally, Oo-de-lally, golly, what a day!

offstagewdw — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 14:36:02 +0000

In celebration of it’s 48th anniversary, we take a look at some of the coolest facts about the beloved film!

It has one of the best opening songs-

“Robin Hood and Little John, walking through the forest, laughing back and forth at what the other one has to say. Reminiscing this and that and having such a good time, oo-de-lally, oo-de-lally, golly, what a day.

Never ever thinking there was danger in the water, they were drinking, they just guzzled it down. Never dreaming that s scheming sheriff and his posse was a-watching them and gathering around.

Robin Hood and Little John, running through the forest, jumping fences, dodging trees and trying to get away. Contemplating nothing but escape and finally making it, oo-de-lally, oo-de-lally- golly, what a day.

Oo-de-lally, oo-de-lally, golly, what a day.”

Rooster Allan-a-Dale: the narrator of the story was voiced by Roger Miller, a country singer-songwriter. Not only did he sing all Allan-a-Dale’s songs, but he wrote them as well!

Robin Hood: the red fox was voiced by classically trained, Tony Award-winning stage actor Brian Bedford. Did you know- the type of hat Robin wears is called a bycocket.

Little John: Little John and Baloo are almost identical! They are even voiced by the same actor, Phil Harris.

Rotoscoping: an animation technique where animators reuse old frames by tracing over them and adding to a different background. This technique was used as a money saving strategy.

Check out rotoscoping footage used in the film!

Maid Marian: also a red fox, she was voiced by Monica Evans. The dance scene during “The Phony King of England” is rotoscoped from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Source: ©Disney

Love: the song was nominated for a 1974 Oscar! The song written by George Bruns and Floyd Huddleston, was song by Huddleston’s wife, Nancy Adams, awwwww!

Prince John: The main antagonist in the film, Prince John is portrayed as immature and greedy. His character was inspired by the real King John aka “The Fool” King of England.

Sir Hiss: Prince John’s right hand henchsnake was voiced by the legendary Terry-Thomas. Animators used Terry’s famous gap in Sir Hiss’ character design.

Friar Tuck: the sweet friar was originally designed as a pig. Speaking of redesigns, the Sheriff of Nottingham was first written as a…. goat, which is not as villainous as a wolf!

Lady Kluck: Maid Marian’s Lady in Waiting (personal assistant) has a hilarious scene when she takes on the rhino guards to the University of Wisconsin’s fight song. Forget Maid Marian, I want to be Lady Kluck!

Robin Hood was the second Disney movie to feature an all animal cast. The first being Bambi in 1942.

I hope you enjoyed this throwback to a Disney classic. Now please excuse me while I go watch it!

*All clipart was colored and clipped by Disneyclips.com

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Which Disney Park is the Largest?

offstagewdw — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 14:55:32 +0000

With 12 theme parks located around the world, Disney Parks are a sought out destination! How do they rank in size? Do you know which of the 12 is the largest? Let’s break it down from smallest to largest!

Walt Disney Studios Park

Source: Disney©

Location: Chessy, France Size: 44 acres Did you know- Walt Disney Studios Park is the much smaller sister park of Disney’s Hollywood Studios!

Disney California Adventure Park

Location: Anaheim, California Size: 72 acres Did you know- There is a reason it is so small. The park was built on Disneyland’s former parking lot!

Disneyland

Source: Disney©

Location: Anaheim, California Size: 85 acres Did you know: The very first park to be open in 1955, it cost $17 million to build. That would be approximately $174,002,611 today!

Shanghai Disneyland Park

Source: Disney©

Location: Shanghai, China Size: 100 acres Did you know: It’s Enchanted Storybook Castle is the tallest and largest castle at any Disney park.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Source: Disney©

Location: Lake Buena Vista, Florida Size: 103 acres Did you know: The Studios was initially going to be a land in Epcot, but Imagineers felt they had enough to create an independent park. The announcement of Universal Studios building a theme park didn’t hurt either.

Magic Kingdom Park

Source: D23

Location: Lake Buena Vista, Florida Size: 107 acres Did you know: At 124 acres it’s parking lot is actually larger then the park itself!

Tokyo DisneySea

Source: Disney©

Location: Urayasu, Japan Size: 122 acres Did you know: The two Tokyo Disney parks are not actually owned by the Walt Disney World Company. They are owned and operated by The Oriental Land Company who licensed the Disney name, attractions, and characters from the Disney Company.

Hong Kong Disneyland

Source: Disney©

Location: Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China Size: 123 acres Did you know: It was originally a small 68 acres, but the addition of Toy Story Land, Grizzly Gulch, and Mystic Point on the other side of the park’s railroad would add much needed space, almost doubling the park in size.

Tokyo Disneyland

Source: ©Disney

Location: Urayasu, Japan Size: 126 acres Did you know: Opening on April 15, 1983, Tokyo Disneyland was the first international Disney park to be built.

Disneyland Paris

Source: ©Disney

Location: Coupvray, France Size: 127 acres Did you know: France happens to be a hot spot for castles, averaging more than 40,000 so when it came time to build a Disney castle, Imagineers had to think outside of the box. That is why their castle is more fairytale like in appearance than the others!

Epcot

Source: ©Disney

Location: Lake Buena Vista, Florida Size: 200 acres Did you know: The iconic Spaceship Earth (pictured above) weighs 15 million pounds and is 165 feet in diameter.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park

Source: ©Disney

Location: Lake Buena Vista, Florida Size: 300 acres Did you know: When including the animal care/backstage area, the massive park actually encompasses 500 acres!

There you have it! I hope you learned some fascinating new facts today about the incredible Disney parks. I don’t know about you, but this makes me want to visit all the parks even more! Let’s plan a trip, who’s with me?!

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Haunted Mansion Lore: Portraits Edition

offstagewdw — Thu, 14 Oct 2021 19:29:35 +0000

Welcome Foolish Mortals to the Haunted Mansion Lore- Portraits Edition.

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“Our tour begins here in this gallery. Here, where you see paintings of some of our guests as they appeared in their corruptible, mortal state.”

The Stretching Room

When we enter the room, the portraits look ordinary until the room and paintings begin to stretch!

Lore provided is according to The Ghost Gallery, Cast Members who have created unofficial backstories for ghosts in the Mansion. Let us begin with the most important portrait…

Mary Gracey

September 30, 1859 to Unknown

This nice? old lady is Mary Gilbert Gracey the mother of Master George Gracey Jr. (owner of the mansion).

Nicknamed The Black Widow, Mary was manipulated into a loveless marriage with George Gracey. She became rightfully salty after her husband left her to raise their son solo. Eventually, George Sr came home and told his wife that he had an affair. In anger she murdered him with a hatchet to the head, stating it was a “crime of passion.” She was let off for her crime, took her inheritance and fled the country leaving her son, George Gracey Jr, the master of the mansion.

Lillian Gracey

August 3, 1896 to June 14, 1937

This lovely lady is Lillian O’Malley Gracey. She is the first wife of Master George Gracey Jr.. At the age of 15, Lillian ran away from her wealthy family to be with her circus performer boyfriend. After he died in a freak accident with a lion, Lillian joined the same circus as a tightrope walker.

Lillian eventually left the circus to marry Master Gracey but the apple didn’t fall far from the tree and George Jr cheated on his wife with his clairvoyant Madame Leota! (p.s. I want my own clairvoyant) Madame Leota became fed up with Lillian, convinced her to do a tightrope act for the family and then summoned an alligator to kill her. Furiously crosses ‘want my own clairvoyant’ off my list.

Edward Gracey

November 9, 1877 to May 1, 1937

This pompous looking fellow is Ambassador Edward Gracey, Master Gracey’s paternal Uncle. Edward never married and entered the diplomatic corps after college.

He was working in Burma as an ambassador when insurgents burst into the embassy.

The Dynamite Gentleman died after he caught the insurgents lighting the dynamite barrel. “But where are his pants?” you ask? Edward was in the middle of ironing them before his big speech when he found the insurgents.

Quicksand Men

unknown to November 1, 1942

The top man with the bowler hat was Master Gracey’s liveryman (stable attendant) & illegitimate half-brother. Remember that affair George Sr had?!

The middle man was Asa Gilbert, the mansion’s handyman and half-brother of Master Gracey’s mother, The Black Widow.

Eddie Foster, the unfortunate man on the bottom was the mansion’s gardener and illegitimated son of Master Gracey’s uncle, Edward Gracey. Ambassador Gracey never married but that didn’t stop him from getting around.

All three men were reportedly in love with Mistress Lillian Gracey and devastated by her traumatic death, via alligator. They were tricked into the mansion’s quicksand pit by Little Leota (Madame Leota’s daughter) after her failed attempts to seduce ALL THREE OF THEM (presumably not at the same time). Quite the love triangle…

Source: dystopika on reddit

In all my times inside the Haunted Mansion, I never knew the portrait’s backstory or how they were all connected to one another!

I hope you enjoyed this detailed look at the stretching room’s portraits. Stay tuned next week for Haunted Mansion Lore: The Madame Leota Edition.

The post Haunted Mansion Lore: Portraits Edition first appeared on Offstage WDW.

The Dread Family Mystery- The Murders Unveiled

offstagewdw — Wed, 13 Oct 2021 23:57:38 +0000

The family located at the start of the mansion’s cemetery has a sinister secret…they all murdered each other for Uncle Jacob’s money! Under each bust is the person’s name and how they died. Imagineers have given guests all the information that they need to solve the ghastly murders.

Busts & Clues

Read the clues to see if you can unveil the order that each person died:

Bertie: “Avid hunter and expert shot, in the end that’s what he got.”

Aunt Florence McGriffin Dread: “Never did a dishonorable deed, yet found face down in canary seed.”

Uncle Jacob Dread: “Greed was the poison he had swallowed. He went first, the others followed. His killer’s face he surely knew. Now try to discover who killed who.”

Wellington and Forsythia Dread: “Departed life while in their beds, with identical bumps on their heads.”

Cousin Maude: “Our sleeping beauty, who never awoke the night her dreams went up in smoke.”

Extra Clues

A sack of Canary Seeds can be found back between the twins.

Source: DisneyWiki

Cousin Maude appears to use matches as hairpins.

Source: DisneyWiki

Answer

Do you think you figured out the order of the deaths? Read on to find out…

Uncle Jacob was clearly the first to go. He was greedy and his crazy family wanted his fortune. He was poisoned by….

Bertie Dread, Jacob’s brother, was super crafty and used venom from his pet snake to poison Uncle Jacob. Once he inherited the fortune Bertie was shot by….

Aunt Florence ironically killed the avid hunter & expert shot with a pistol. I guess killing a murderer isn’t considered dishonorable? Happy to have her husband Jacob’s money, she met her end when she suffocated in canary seed by…

Wellington & Forsythia Dread. These two lovely children put a sack of canary seed over their aunts head and suffocated her…how they did it is speculation on my part. The canary seed between their busts is evidence against their awful deed. The twins were then killed in their sleep with a mallet by…

Cousin Maude. Wow, talk about cold hearted. So how did Cousin Maude pass? You know what they say about karma…Cousin Maude met a horrendous end as she burned to death in her sleep from the matches in her hair.

It is unknown what became of the family fortune. Perhaps it burned with Cousin Maude. I would not be surprised if she slept with the money beneath her mattress or as an unconventional blanket. Some people like to swim in money while Mad Maude liked to sleep in it!

Easter Egg

Check out the Dread Family Easter Egg within the mansion. In the very last scene with the Hitchhiking Ghost, there is a portrait of Cousin Maude surrounded by flames!

Source: DisneyWiki

How did you do? Did you solve the mystery?! I hope you had as much fun as I did trying to figure it out. Next time you visit the Haunted Mansion, make sure to stop and take a closer look at the deranged Dread Family!

The post The Dread Family Mystery- The Murders Unveiled first appeared on Offstage WDW.

What Makes a Dark Ride, a Dark Ride?

offstagewdw — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 19:59:40 +0000

True or False? A ride must take place in the dark to be considered a Dark Ride… FALSE!! What the what?! Then why in the world are they called “Dark” Rides?! There are a few important elements that make an attraction a Dark Ride:

The attraction is more or less contained inside a building.
Guests are moved from room to room.
Lighting and show elements control the narrative.
The attraction tells a story!

Some of the most beloved attractions are considered Dark Rides.

Example: The Haunted Mansion

1.The attraction is contained inside a building

Fun Fact- This is only the façade of the attraction. The building that houses the ride is located behind it!

2. Guests are moved from room to room.

Guests are taken through each scene on a “Doom Buggy”. The track is in continuous motion (unless they have to stop it to aid passengers getting on/off). The Buggies are programmed to turn and face specific scenes, another example of how Imagineers drive the story.

“Doom Buggy”

3. Lighting and show elements control the narrative.

Ominous music fills the air, the sound of an organ. What’s this? Who is playing the dreadful tune? The Doom Buggy turns to face the organ. With the help of effects and lighting, guests can see it is one of the ghosts who live at the mansion.

4. The attraction tells a story!

Welcome to Master Gracey’s home. Here you will be greeted by a Ghost Host (he is not Master Gracey) who will take you on a tour of the spooky estate. You will meet the 999 ghosts who call the mansion home. As you leave you will be reminded that there is always room for one more!

Now that you know how to identify a Dark Ride, let’s test your skills! Check out each picture and determine if it is considered a Dark Ride-

QUIZ START

Which Dark Ride is your favorite? Were there any rides on the quiz you were surprised about? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

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Disney Wedding Cakes to Blow Your Mind

offstagewdw — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 12:00:19 +0000

Disney Weddings are not just limited to the Grand Floridian Wedding Pavilion. There are four destinations (Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Aulani, and Disney Cruise Line), with 50 venue sites at Walt Disney World alone. But we are not here to talk about the endless wedding possibilities…we are here to talk about CAKE.

A team of dedicated pastry chefs work exclusively on wedding cakes to create specially designed cakes to bring a wedding to life.

There are the simple, classic designs:

[See image gallery at offstagewdw.com]

A step further with a little flair or embellishment:

[See image gallery at offstagewdw.com]

Then there are the mack daddy themed cakes:

[See image gallery at offstagewdw.com]

It seems when it comes to cake design, if you can dream it, they can do it!

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Six Psychological Disorders Nicknamed for Disney Characters

offstagewdw — Tue, 27 Jul 2021 13:39:11 +0000

There are six psychological disorders/personality traits that have been given nicknames based off of Disney characters:

Please note that we are not making fun or light of any of these conditions. Mental health should not be shamed or viewed negatively. Education, treatment, and support are positive ways that we can end mental health stigmas. Take care of yourself and remember to be kind to others…you never know what they are battling on the inside.

The Bambi Effect: this describes people who are sympathetic towards specifically adorable wildlife, their habitats, and any inhumane treatment towards them.

Sorry Blobfish, you’re out of luck!

Rapunzel Syndrome: is the nickname for trichophagia. This very serious disorder cause people to eat hair. The human body is unable to process the hair, causing a trichobezoar, or giant hairball, to form in their stomach or small intestines, which can only be removed surgically. If untreated, the years worth of accumulation can cause perforations after wrapping around organs. This syndrome is very rare with only 24 reported cases.

The Cinderella Complex: specifically describes women who depend on men for financial & emotional support. An unofficial disorder, the term is also used to describe women who dream of being “swept” away by their own Prince Charming.

Sleeping Beauty Syndrome: or Kleine-Levin Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that causes the affected to sleep for excessive amounts of the day, i.e. 20 hours, waking to eat and use the bathroom. An episode can last for months, resulting in excessive food intake and behavioral changes. Despite the nickname, Sleeping Beauty Syndrome primarily affects adolescent males.

The Peter Pan Syndrome: is for the ones who never seem to grow up. Emotional Immaturity & the reluctance to take responsibility are common characteristics. It s often seen in men more than women.

On the flip side there is…

The Wendy Syndrome: refers to people who mother their partners and/or others. They often put the needs of others above their own and tend to attach themselves to a partner with Peter Pan Syndrome.

This goes beyond “normal” maternal instincts, often causing the affected to neglect themselves, resulting in low self-esteem and depression.

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