Sugar Rushing

Who hasn't drawn themselves as a Sugar Rush character from Wreck It Ralph? They are super cute, and so I've drawn myself several times...

 



The Temple of the Forbidden Eye

I'm pretty sure this is the first comic in Marabic...

 

I remember watching Indiana Jones (not understanding much) at a young age, and the imagery and atmosphere struck such a deep cord with me. I think the overall tone heavily influenced the movies I made in my backyard for most of my life.  There was the ever alluring draw of the jungle settings, rotting stone temples, deep forgotten histories and so forth; which of course is something that I find deeply intriguing.

 

So the first time I walked out of the Jungle Cruise and saw the newly opened 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye' I was immediately fascinated. The concept was wonderful, The Temple of Mara has been discovered, offering one of three possible amazing treasures to those brave enough to enter; Visions of the future, Earthly riches, or Eternal youth. There is one condition however, you must not look at the eyes of the god Mara or face your doom. So many have vanished inside the temple that Indiana Jones was called in, but now even he has dissappeared. Guests travel into the Temple of the Forbidden Eye in search of treaures and Indy as well. 

 

 I even love standing in the line.

Outside the temple there are bamboo walls and snake-shaped pillars, plus the excitement of glancing up the line to the dark door leading into the crumbling structure with greenery sprouting up all over the decrepit stone. When it first opened one could spend a lot of time out here, which only added to the growing anticipation.

 

 

Inside the temple is phenomenal!!! My young mind latched onto this aesthetic so fiercely that I still have dreams of decorating my basement in the same style. The soft sound of drums echoing through the darkened passageways, lit only by flickering torches or crudely wired mining lights that gutter and brown out as low rumblings can be heard from ahead. Carefully stepping around the diamond shaped stones in the floor and eyeing the spikes poking out of the holes in the ceiling and floor. The walls are scrolled with messages in "Marabic", a forgotten language Imagineers created just for this attraction. When it first opened they would hand out cards that would help you decifer the writing.  The grand atrium with its murals covering the crown of the room, vines snaking their way down through gaps and cracks, before entering the darkened room with a clicking projector revealing more of the story.

 

 

A Glimpse Behind the Magic:

The area the temple is built on was originally the Eyore parking lot. If you have a moment to pause in the projection room, apparently you can ask a cast member to shine their flashlight on the blue sign that still resides in the dark corners of the room. I haven't seen it myself, I'm usually too shy to ask the frazzled looking cast member.

 

Of course my mind was working overtime at this point and I seem to forget I'm at Disneyland and I stare at the video wide eyed as we are warned not to gaze into the eyes of Mara.. I legitimately panicked because I wasn't quite sure where the statue was that I wasn't allowed to look at. What if I looked by accident? There was no time for clarification however as we were loaded into the waiting jeeps.

 

The car turns a corner and we are presented with three doors. This is one of the more tense moments for me, even now, because to this day I have never been granted visions of the future. Not once. I think Mara is holding out on me. Eternal youth? Sure. Earthly Riches? Ok. But not one peek into the future. Even when I'm the one behind the wheel, I can never seem to get it to turn that way.

 

So either the door to riches or youth open up and you pull ahead, the thunderous voice of Mara announces what gift you are about to recieve.

 

A Glimpse Behind the Magic:

Did you know there is actually only one room? The doors are all on a moving wall that shifts to make it appear as though you are getting a different gift. The room beyond is changed by sound and different lighting.

 

You are pretty much unable to avoid looking into the eyes of Mara in this space, unless you close your eyes (which I did as a child) and where is the fun in that? As you approach the huge carved face, his eyes begin to smoke and he apparently takes back your gift and instead sends you to 'THE GATES OF DOOOOOOM!" (Read that in a booming voice.)

 

The car speeds ahead, lightning shooting through the walls around you as you see Indy himself struggling to hold "THE GATES OF DOOOOOOM" closed. He sends you ahead and as you crest a small hill you see Mara again, however this time half of his face has broken away to reveal a skull-like visage, his one hollow eye full of flames. It's a thrilling moment as the music changes to a gothic choir.

 

You weave your way through darkened passageways, dodging bugs and skeletons (Fun Fact: One of the skeletons is wearing a pair of Mickey Ears, the name 'Bones' embroidered on it. Bones, by complete coincidence, is also the nickname that I was given by a group of friends.) Then you finally get to the rikety bridge that spans a lake of lava and as you speed across, avoiding the fires started by the beam of light emmitted from Mara's eye, Indy says something about snakes.

 

I can remember sitting next to my sister as we noticed the huge snake up ahead. Over all the sounds of fire and hissing I can hear her say; "If that snake comes after me I'm going to freak out." Now, she tortured me constantly when we were younger, so I found great joy in her shrieking and ducking as the snake lunged at her.

 

There are more twists and turns and dangers until you come to a stop under Indy hanging from a rope. The low rumbling sound heralds the approach of the huge boulder from the first Indy movie. As it rolls into view, your car backs up a bit before speeding ahead and down a sudden drop, narrowly avoiding being crushed.

 

A Glimpse Behind the Magic:

Did you know that your car does not actually back up? Apparently having a ride vehicle go in reverse can cause some problems, so instead they just move the whole room around you. The tunnel itself moves forward, giving the illusion of backing up.

 

This ride is still the highlight of my Disney trips, regardless of the length of the line. It is the perfect marriage of technology and story telling. As far as I'm concerned, it's the perfect ride.

 

Lesson Learned;

I am not supposed to see visions of the future...and I'm bitter about that. 



Pausing Peter Pan

So a little while back, I bought Peter Pan, which Disney just released from their infamous 'vault'. I have so many good memories of this movie, it was one that I watched over and over as a kid. Its always fun to watch with adult eyes after a few years, because a lot of the subtlety was lost on me as a child.

 

But this post is a bit of a rant.

 

So as I'm picking up this movie I was scanning the back for special features, which I end up watching more than the movie itself most of the time. (The extra; 'Growing Up With Nine Old Men' was so good!!) As I looked over the  features I noticed one that kind of caught me off guard, this "Disney Intermission". What is this? But what really bothered me was the description; "Press pause and see what happens."

 

Excuse me?

 

Are you threatening me Disney?

 

Apparently this was the threat; Say you are watching Peter Pan very loud on your surround sound and someone calls, you naturally pause to take the call. Instead of the silence of a normal pause you get constant chatter from the characters, completely defeating the purpose of a pause button. I had to get up and leave the room because there is no way to turn it off without just hitting stop. This seems like a bit of a flaw to me. Not only do the characters continue to talk, but their conversations seem to escalate in intensity like they realize you are trying to tune them out and they are just not having that.

 

You know I love Disney as much if not more than most, but this feature elicited a frown from me as I shuffled out of the room while trying to talk loud enough to drown out Captain Hook and Smee arguing about hiding things under coconuts.

 

Lesson Learned:

Someone will always call during the movie that doesn't shut up when you pause it.

The Jungle Cruise

I have always lived a rich fantasy life. My mother will often roll her eyes when I start telling her about my memories of my childhood because I remember things that never happened. I remember people that I have never met, places I've never been and situations that I've never faced. I have always had an overactive imagination and apparently my young mind couldn't quite figure out what thoughts to store and which ones to discard. This, by the way, is a constant problem as my mind latches on to completely useless information and gets rid of things I need to remember. My social security number? It will take me a minute. Words to a jingle from an Outback commercial when I was eleven? Of course I remember every word.

 

As a kid I loved playing in the forested area behind our house, building forts, trekking through the leaves to find streams or mysterious hidden places. My imagination would occasionally get the better of me and I would have to run out of the trees certain that I had seen a wild animal or was being stalked by some sort of native tribe. I loved the allure of gorgeous jungles with its hot steamy weather and exotic wildlife, even if it was just in my backyard.

 

Naturally I blame Disney.

 

I always can remember the first ride that my family would arrive at on our trip to Disneyland. The line wound around a fascinating collection of jungle-themed items, and every now and then I could peek around the crowd and see the trees just beyond the water. The strange sound of birds is intermittently interrupted by the roar of a boat motor and the sounds of crowds being ushered aboard. I think I got so excited about this because it was the first ride and I was on an adrenaline rush about being at Disneyland again, so the Jungle Cruise has always held a little extra magic for me.  

 

A lot of people only seem to remember the corny jokes that the skipper tells as you float past the robotic animals, but most of them went over my head as a kid, so all I remember is the fascination with the imagery around me. I particularly loved the animals that would pop up out of the water, and the elephant bathing pool. (I have a strong obsession with elephants. Again, I blame Disney) Since we got there early in the morning, the sun would be filtering down through the leaves in a magical fashion, bouncing off the greenish water and casting dramatic shadows on the beasts hiding in the trees. I love this ride.

 

 

I had to take it all in fast, because my mother was not fond of going on rides twice in one day. I think this is because we always went in the summer when the lines were the longest and waiting in line with children wasn't the easiest thing to do. I would stare out of the boat and take in every detail that I could, willing myself to store every image. Later on I would recount my journey to my younger neighbors as if I had just gotten back from the Congo and then would spend the rest of the day trying to recreate the Disney experience in my backyard with toys, complete with the semi-jerky movements of the animals.

 

Later in life I had the opportunity to take someone to Disney for their first time, which reignited some of that childlike wonder in me as I got to point out all sorts of things that I loved to someone who wasn't jaded as most adults who had been there as many times as I had. Early in the morning we were near the Jungle Cruise and there were a few cast members blocking the entrance. They smiled and asked us how our day was going, I faked a scowl and said, "Y'all need to wake the animals up so we can go on the cruise!" They chuckled and agreed, but suggested we go get a Dole Whip while we waited. (Touche Disney) It wasn't until we were half way through the ride that my Disney virgin realized that the crack about waking up the animals was a joke.

 

Lesson Learned:

Never lose sight of what makes your inner child smile. 

Passing The Enchanted Tiki Room

 

 

The first thing that my family would pass on our journey into Disneyland was the Enchanted Tiki Room. Notice I said pass. For my entire childhood we would walk past without so much as a glance. I can remember asking about the strange looking attraction with it's thatched roof and wooden carvings and getting the same response; "You just sit there and the birds sing. It's boring." That seemed to satisfy me and we would move on. I never went in past the gate until I was about 28.

 

It's strange how embedded in my head the idea was that this attraction was boring. Even when I went back as an adult I would pass by the Tiki Room with barely a glance. I had heard more about it by this point, but so many other attractions held more magic for me so I made no effort to look into it.

 

Being a bit of a Disney nut I did end up looking more into the attraction as I got older. I had no idea it was the first place that Disney instituted the audio animatronics, that it had originally been planned to be a restaurant, or at the time of it's opening it was one of the most popular attractions because it was air conditioned. After doing a bit of study I looked at the Enchanted Tiki Room with a bit more interest.

 

Another thing that caught my eye was the little shop at the entrance, with its perpetually long line. It was yet another thing our family would pass by, we had a tight schedule to keep and standing in that line just cut into our time way too much. I soon discovered the wonders of the Dole Whip however and I have never regretted standing in that line since. Have you tried these things? They are amazing! I've wondered why they keep the Dole Whips and Dole Floats contained in this one spot, I can only imagine they could make so much more money if they offered them in a few more spots.

 

My first journey into the Enchanted Tiki Room I was intrigued by the moving Tiki gods that fill the open garden area in front of the actual building, which I assume were put there to entertain the Dole Whip line (Which tends to be only just a bit shorter in there) I don't pretend to know much about the culture involved, but they are cleverly presented.

 

Inside, I was fortunate enough to be in a room full of very enthusiastic Tiki Roomers. (As a side note; any and every ride in Disney can be enjoyed by anyone of any age if you have a good attitude. There is nothing more entertaining than seeing a group of adults clapping and singing along with the songs in the attractions) I didn't know the songs, besides the "Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Room" song that everyone knows, but it was fun anyway. The whole room was clapping and singing and reacting to the attraction as if we were all seven years old.

 

While I have no nostalgia for The Enchanted Tiki Room, I've had a blast every time I've gone in, eating my Dole Whip and laughing along with all the people who do have a love for it. And just as a side note; don't get up and run out as soon as the show is over, the parrots hang around (pun intended) and make clever remarks as the people leave.

 

Life Lesson:

It doesn't matter what activity you are doing, a good attitude and good company can make any experience pleasant and memorable. 

The "Happy" Mansion



Just a quick doodle of me in The "Happy Mansion"

 

My earliest memories of Disneyland are tied to my trips there with my mother. Mom was raised in southern California, and according to her; "There is no other Disney." and to this day she still has refused to set foot in the 'other park'. I was very lucky to have Grandparents who loved spoiling their grandchildren and no summer was complete until the trip to Disneyland.

Our day at Disney started (what seemed to a child) obscenely early. My older sister and I were dragged out of bed and shoved into my Grandparents station wagon before the sun was up. Let it be known that I am not, nor ever will be, a morning person. Even now it takes some effort to smile before ten in the morning. Mom's grand plan was to get to the park as early as possible so that we had to stand and wait for them to drop the velvet rope and the crowd would run into the park.

While I'll get into my Mother's OCD Disney routine later, very early in the morning we would end up in front of what my Mom would cheerfully call "The Happy Mansion". Being as oblivious as we were, my older sister and I would stand in the creepy, very un-happy line never questioning. By the time we were in the cobwebbed foyer it was too late to back out and I would spend the rest of the time with eyes screwed tightly shut. I can remember cowering in the doom buggy, clutching whichever adult happened to be close, occasionally mustering up enough courage to peek and see if the ride was almost over. The only part I actually liked was when the ghost sat in the ride with us, not because I thought it was fun, but because it meant I was almost done with this torture.

 

Repeat the same situation EVERY YEAR.

When my sister turned about seven (I would have been five at this point) we were on our trip to Disneyland and we arrived at the metal gates and my mother trilled that it was time for the "Happy Mansion". My sister scowled at the sign on the front of the attraction. She had learned to read pretty well by this point and she practically screamed; "THAT DOESN'T SAY HAPPY!" Panic ensued. I was a very willful child, and when combined with my sister we could dig in our heels pretty well.

Finally Mom put her foot down;

 "You have been on this every year with no problem, you are getting on."

The only thing that can trump combined sibling meltdown; Mom.

I decided right then that reading is very important. Thank you Disney.

Life Lesson:

Don't accept spoon fed answers or knowledge you haven't acquired on your own. Get educated and form your own informed opinions.