Musician Tom Ameen is quietly becoming a bit of a hero to theme park fans. He has a knack for turning Disney attraction tunes into beautiful, relaxing piano performances. His album, Piano and Pixie Dust, is a must-own for any park music collector, and especially for Epcot fans.
Take a look at this track list:
Tapestry of Nations
One Little Spark
Main Street Electrical Parade
Magic Journeys
Epcot Medley: Beneath the Waterfall/The Land/Canada
Illuminations
It's a Small World
There's a Great, Big Beautiful Tomorrow
Universe of Energy
Horizons
Tomorrow's Child
Now, combine that with his three earlier tracks from the EP Solo Piano Moments...
Golden Dream
Fantasmic
The Wonderful World of Color
...and you've got an amazing collection of quality piano tunes to play while relaxing, reading, working, dreaming or dining. All tracks are available to purchase online from iTunes and Amazon MP3. Highly Recommended!
Who says safety can't be fun? In addition to informational signage, most Disney attractions feature audio warnings to discourage riders from doing incredibly stupid things such as standing up and/or sticking their legs out of a moving vehicle.
Fortunately, Disney injects a lot of character and humor into their audio safety spiels. Some, such as "Hang on to them hats and glasses" and "The spirits will materialize only if you remain quietly seated" have become classics. I'm not including those most famous lines on this list; Consider them forever enshrined in the Great Ride Warnings Hall of Fame.
Although four of these five come from my "home" parks (Disneyland & DCA), the top prize goes to a Walt Disney World ride I haven't even experienced yet! I have Internet Radio and YouTube to thank for my exposure to the joys of WDW attraction audio!
Here we go! Oh--and be sure to remain seated and...well, you know the drill...
TOP FIVE FAVORITE SAFETY SPIELS!
5) Snow White's Scary Adventures as spoken by the Wicked Witch:
"Looking for Snow White, Deary? Then SIT STILL!"
4) Mr. Toad's Wild Ride as spoken by Ratty:
"Welcome to Toad Hall! To be sure of a safe and glorious drive in your motorcar, remain firmly seated with your hands, arms, feet and legs inside. Watch your children--and do try to drive more carefully than Toad." 3) Radiator Springs Racers as spoken by Sheriff over the car radio:
"All right. You be sure to remain seated with your seat belt buckled! Don't make me come after you. Sheriff out."
2) California Screamin'as spoken by The Barker
"Second thoughts? TOO LATE! Head back! Face forward! And hold on like ya mean it! And away you go in five, four, three, two, ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
And, here we are: My current favorite ride safety audio:
Video by wdwfacts1
1) TriceraTop Spin as spoken by Chester:
"Hey, spinners! It's Chester here, reminding you for your safety ta stay seated with that seatbelt fastened good n' tight as you spin. Whilst yer spinning, keep your hands, arms, feet and legs inside--and be sure to watch your children."
It's the "whilst yer spinning" part that busts me up and crowns this as number one. I haven't been to Dino-Rama in person yet, and I had mixed feelings about the area's concept--until I heard this awesome performance that tells me all I need to know about the land's backstory in one simple, great delivery of a safety warning. Suddenly, I really, really like Chester and Hester. Dino-Rama has become a must-see for me.
What are your current favorites? Do you find the ever-present safety spiels annoying, or is Disney doing a good job of working the warnings into the story?
Epcot's original Journey Into Imagination quickly became one of my top three favorite attractions in all of Walt Disney World when my family visited the resort in 1993 (it tied with Horizons and Cranium Command). I couldn't get enough of Dreamfinder and Figment, and took several trips through the ride during our stay.
Journey Into Imagination astonished me with its ingenious little vehicle trains as they swiveled sideways to follow the revolving stage for the song One Little Spark -- what a brilliant way to stage a full-length musical number on a ride!
The musical and dramatic interplay between Dreamfinder and his newly-created friend Figment throughout the remainder of the ride made the adventure a warm-hearted, unforgettable experience. I'm very glad Figment still exists on the reworked version of the ride, and I hope someday Dreamfinder returns to the park as well. They're too good as a team to keep apart forever!
I love Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, and I'm very glad I got a chance to ride both tracks of the Walt Disney World version several times before it went away.
Why is a Disneyland-centric website posting this? Well, I just found all the photos from Mouse Troop's 1993 Walt Disney World trip. I think fans on both coasts might enjoy some views of World of Motion, Cranium Command, the original Journey Into Imagination and a lot of other wonderful attractions as they existed back then.
Look for Walt Disney World 1993 popping up a couple of times a week on Mouse Troop. These photos bring back some incredible memories for us; we hope you'll enjoy them.
By the way, of the two Mr. Toad tracks, the one with the farm, the weasels and the cops was my favorite.
It's friendly, it's honest and it's 100% free! Mouse Troop presents a quick and easy guide to Disneyland Resort specifically aimed at Walt Disney World regulars making their first West Coast trip to check out Cars Land and Buena Vista Street!
Disneyland and Walt Disney World -- Have there ever been two resort destinations sharing so many attractions, yet offering such vastly different vacation experiences? We're here to help WDW experts hone in on Disneyland's best qualities in a short stretch of vacation time!
So, if you're a Walt Disney World fan -- or a Disneyland regular wondering why on earth we'd recommend Mr. Toad's Wild Ride over Splash Mountain -- your guide is one click away!
