Is Star Wars Land Worthy of Discovery Bay?
I finally figured out why I am not as broken up as my friends about losing Big Thunder Ranch, the Festival Arena etc. It’s because it angered and disappointed me for years. That feeling faded, but still hung out in my subconscious; the entrance to what will be Star Wars Land from Big Thunder Trail was, at one time, going to be the entrance to Discovery Bay; of all of Disney’s Never Lands, it is the dearest to me. Little parts of it are all around, including Professor Marvel and his pet dragon, who later became The Dreamfinder and Figment. To me, a petting zoo was not a worthy replacement for everything that Discovery Bay promised to be. Star Wars Land is much closer, an immersive land of wonder, fantasy, imagination and good storytelling. What do you think?
I Dreamed I Dined with a Legend in My Maidenform Bra*
And speaking of Discovery Bay (and The Dreamfinder and Figment), their creator, and the man I consider the father of modern steampunk (along with the late Tom Schermann) is Tony Baxter. You may have heard of him. He is both a towering legendary Disney luminary and a total geeky Disney fan like you and me and I adore him. He’s also doing something really nice to raise money for the Walt Disney Birthplace: if you make a great big beautiful donation, he’ll regale you with tales of Joseph Chandler at Discovery Bay or any other cool stuff he knows about (Ask about Smallville!), over dinner at one of Walt’s favorite restaurants, the legendary Tam O’Shanter – probably at Walt’s favorite table, if I would hazard a guess – you have to get yourself to California, but this trip will be more than worth it. Go here for more details.
If the dinner with Tony is out of your budget but you still want to help pay Walt back by paying it forward to the kids in his old neighborhood, here is where you go – there’s some really cool rewards, too!
A Very Fabulous Tea?
I’m sure everyone knows about the Tea coming to Steakhouse 55 starting January 22. What I’d like to know is, who’d like to get all dolled up and go with me on opening day – or would another day be better to get a group of MiceChatters together? Looks like Mid-Century rather than Victorian, so would be swanky. Let me know!
A Beautiful Watch for a Beautiful Price
While each pocket watch device is impressive in itself, STARLING is more than just an accessory. STARLING is a free Steampunk-styled novel that tells its story through 6 wonderfully designed Victorian styled pocket watches, each endowed with special powers. Follow the time travel adventures of Jeff and Allisandra, people from different time periods that meet through the power of the STARLING watch. Adventure with them as they outwit the watch’s evil inventor and find a love that spans across time. Purchase any of the actual pocket watches and dig into the entire free novel.
STARLING watches are a precision quartz watch movement with a glowing Chillovean(TM) light effect. The Chillovean glow comes from four high tech light processors capable of 67 million color combinations. STARLING’s artistic and calming effect is a perfect accessory to your Steampunk style.
Please note that this special offer includes a blue bag for the watch and not the Terri Hardin-sculpted box. The one with the three hidden Mickeys is called Inception and is available through the same link, but with the box and at a higher price, as the box is a meticulously-sculpted work of fine art.
A Fresh Look at Disney Classics with Joe Yakovetic
Speaking of fine art, Joe Yakovetic will be at the Disney Gallery this coming weekend, both January 16 and 17, from 11AM to 7PM. He started out as a portrait/caricature artist at the Disneyland Hotel, under the direction of Charles Boyer, Mickey Mouse’s official portrait artist, Boyer spotted Yakovetic’s amazing talent and hired Joe to work at Disneyland Magazine. From there, Joe moved to the Disney Stores, then to Disney Publishing, working on The Little Mermaid’s Treasure Chest and Disney’s Golden Books. He makes personal appearances for the company as a sketch artist, recently commanding five-hour waits for his work with Disney Interactive. His Disney Fine Art is wildly popular, selling out quickly at The D23 EXPO this year, some within seconds of hitting the shelves. These delightful pieces are both classic and classy, evoking beloved Disney stories with a touch of subtlety not often seen in Disney fine art:
Jerrod Murayama Debuts Hipster Mickey
So anyway, Jerrod says:
The 9″ Hipster Mickey Vinylmation will be released on Saturday, February 6th at WonderGround Gallery located in the Downtown Disney® Disntrict at the Disneyland® Resort. I’ll be at the gallery from 11:00am – 1:00pm. Hope to see you there. Disneyland Downtown Disney WonderGround Gallery
Never Thought I’d Like It
Speaking of cute, I received a free copy of Captain Jake and the Neverland Pirates: The Great Neversea Conquest to review, and I prepared to become awash in a sea of preschool pablum and tot treacle. It never happened. It’s a lot of fun, especially when you watch it with a little kid, because they jump up and yell at the screen when they see the STRAKE! (You’ll see.) It is on shelves, online and everywhere else NOW.
If I was four, I’d be totally yelling at that, too.
Join newly promoted Captain Jake as he unites Never Land’s all-time greatest pirates! When evil mer-witch Ezmeralda tries to take over the Never Sea by awakening the Strake, a legendary three-headed sea serpent, Jake and his crew try to intervene but encounter Lord Fathom and his sidekick Sinker. Jake forms a team of “Never Land League of Pirate Captains” to battle them all and in the process, outfitted with a magical new sword and a powerful new ship, (the Mighty Colossus), he becomes a Captain himself. Loaded with excitement, additional adventures and a powerful message about believing in yourself, this high-stakes, high-seas adventure is oceans of swashbuckling fun for everyone!
I see 8000 DisneyBounds of this in the future:
For those of you with kids, or those of you who like to do activity sheets when you’re supposed to be working, they have provided some cool printable activity sheets. Just click on the giant button below!
Thanks DVCResaleMarket.com!
Fab News is sponsored by DVCResaleMarket.com.
Without a doubt, you would call my family Disney fanatics, as we have visited Walt Disney World (WDW) nearly 30 times in the last 10 years! I have always been interested in the Disney Vacation Club (DVC) and finally made my dream a reality by purchasing a membership at Animal Kingdom Lodge in 2011. For us, it was a way to be a greater part of the Disney family which we love, and allowed us the opportunity to stay at the beautiful Deluxe Resorts which at times would be unavailable to us without membership. My 12 year old daughter plans on visiting WDW for many more years to come, and owning this DVC membership is definitely an investment in her future. The DVC staff are wonderful to deal with and set the gold standard for professionalism, customer service, and simply making us feel at home. “Welcome home” it is! We purchased our membership while sailing on the Disney Dream. The DVC representative on the ship was a wonderful person by the name of Nick Cotton. Nick is trustworthy, knowledgeable, and very personable. From the very beginning of our relationship, my family’s best interests have been his top priority. Nick’s knowledge of all things DVC and the level of integrity he displayed during our purchasing process are second to none. What I truly appreciate is Nick’s continued interest in ensuring that we are completely satisfied with our DVC experience. Nick and I have kept in touch over the years, and I think of him as a friend. My daughter and I enjoy our many visits with him when we are in Orlando.Not once have I ever regretted my decision to purchase a Disney Vacation Club membership and feel very fortunate to have had Nick guide me through the process. In fact, I wish I had done this many years sooner! I highly recommend Nick Cotton and the Disney Vacation Club. You will not be disappointed!!”
MiceChat’s 11th Anniversary Weekend!
SAVE THE DATE
MICECHAT ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND
JANUARY 29th through 31st!
Have you been waiting to hear more about the upcoming MiceChat Anniversary celebration? We have some VERY exciting things planned for you! I won’t spoil the surprise announcement, but I can tease you a bit. There will be a regal dinner on the 29th which will have you cheering. There will be a breakfast at ESPN Zone with maple pepper bacon and Disney mega-legends . . . OH . . . and stars. And then there’s all the meet ups, meals, group photos, contests and other fun stuff. I really can’t wait to see you all. Sign up for our event alert newsletter HERE:
Hope to see you there!
Thanks to all the supporters, readers, commenters, and all the swell people who sent me emails and messages this week. It blew my mind and melted my heart. If you want to reach me I’m on Twitter, on Facebook, and also available at [email protected] . If you’d like to support Fab News, I’d appreciate it. You can pledge a dollar or more a month through Patreon or you can make a one-time donation of a dollar or more through Square. Just click on the banners below. Thanks!