Sleeping Beauty's Castle

Once upon a time in 1955, Walt Disney decided that Disneyland needed a centerpiece, so naturally, he went with a castle—because nothing screams "happiest place on Earth" like medieval fortifications. Sleeping Beauty's Castle, as it's known, was designed to be 77 feet tall, which in theme park terms means “we’ll just mess with your sense of scale.” Thanks to Disney magic (and a bit of forced perspective), it looks like it's towering over Main Street even though it’s shorter than most water slides.






Rumor has it that the drawbridge actually works, but it’s only been lowered twice: once on opening day and once for a major refurbishment—because, apparently, using it for dramatic escapes from ogres just isn’t part of the daily itinerary.



Over the years, the castle has been home to many things, including Mickey Mouse, Christmas lights, fireworks, and countless marriage proposals. No one’s ever actually slept there (except maybe Tinker Bell on her break), but it remains an iconic photo op for tourists and the occasional duck who sneaks into the moat.






Okay, that's enough of the castle.  Now the long story: 

Strolling Through Star Wars Land

As the families strolled deeper into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the immersive world of Batuu surrounded them. Every nook and cranny seemed to echo with details from the Star Wars universe, and the group couldn’t help but marvel at how real it all felt.

"I feel like we’re walking through a Star Wars movie," Steve said, eyes wide as he took in the sights. "It’s like we just stepped into Tatooine, minus the twin suns."

"Look at that speeder!" Trevor pointed excitedly. "I think it’s the same one from The Phantom Menace!"

"Man, I wish I could hop on that and race through the galaxy," Zac added wistfully.

"I’m just trying to figure out how to smuggle this cool stuff back home," Jeff joked, eyeing the crates and artifacts scattered around.

The kids were especially excited, pointing out every droid and ship they recognized from the movies. As they walked, they came across a few familiar characters…

Chewbacca’s High-Five Dilemma

Suddenly, towering over the crowd, they spotted Chewbacca, the beloved Wookiee, making his rounds and posing for pictures. His massive frame was hard to miss, and Gage immediately ran up to him.

"Chewie!" Gage shouted, waving excitedly. "Can I get a high-five?"

Chewbacca let out his signature growl and raised his huge furry paw for the requested high-five, but Gage’s hand barely made a dent.

"It’s like hitting a carpet!" Gage laughed, shaking out his hand. "A really soft, angry carpet!"

Brandon tried his luck next. "Let me see if I can do better!"

He went for a high-five but misjudged his timing, and Chewbacca ended up giving him an accidental whack on the shoulder instead.

"Whoa! That’s one strong Wookiee!" Brandon said, rubbing his arm. "I think I just leveled up in toughness!"

"That’s what you get for challenging a co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon," Scot teased.









Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Flash" Mountain

Image
When they first put in Splash Mountain back in 1989 the camera near the top of the big drop was a new and novel idea.  It didn't take long for people to start doing weird things for the camera.  It also didn't take long for people to start doing things like flipping the bird.  One thing that some people did was "flash" the camera.  Now, this started to happen enough that the ride earned the nickname Flash Mountain AND a Disney employee was assigned to review the pictures before they were posted on the TV screens.  The job was to delete any of the pictures with inappropriate images.  Today, Disney has a software program that does the filtering.  Now, I'm not saying Lissa is doing anything inappropriate here (and Disney agrees because they let the picture through) but what the heck is she doing?
Read more

Universal Studios

Image
Remember that time we went to Universal Studios? That was fun. We rode the Mario ride, which was a let down.  How is it that the line for the ride was better than the actual ride? Mario Land was really cool.  I thought it was fun to see all of the different stuff from the Mario video games. I also liked that the music in the bathroom was from the underwater worlds of the original Super Mario Bros game. It's funny, though, because I don't feel that draw to Universal Studios like I feel it for Disneyland. When we went in the late 80s/early 90s that shark was so cool. This time around the "CGI" had definitely aged. Here's more of the long story: Friendly Faces The people inside the park seemed kinder, too. Smiles and waves were exchanged with strangers, and cast members were everywhere, ready to assist with anything. "I swear, everyone here is just happier," Lissa remarked. "Must be the magic of Disney." "Either that, or they’re all in ...
Read more

Driving, Day 2

Image
Today we drive from St. George to Disneyland. Here is the long story, in its entirety. You can read this to pass the time as we drive along today: Family Disneyland Chaos Trip It was a sunny Saturday morning when four families from Utah embarked on an epic journey to the happiest place on Earth: Disneyland. The first stop? St. George, a desert oasis where they would all rendezvous and spend the night before continuing to Anaheim. Each family had a unique adventure on the long drive to St. George, filled with laughter, chaos, and more than a few bathroom breaks. The Christensen Family from Orem Steve and Mandy Christensen packed their minivan with military precision, fitting luggage, snacks, and their four children, Jenna, Zac, Trevor, and Gage, like Tetris pieces. The drive from Orem to St. George was set to be around four hours, but with kids, it felt like planning for a cross-country trek. "Are we there yet?" Gage asked, ten minutes into the drive. "No, buddy, ...
Read more