Timon and Pumbaa Bring Park Safety to iPhone

Here's a nice little freebie that popped up recently: Disney's taken those funny little Timon and Pumbaa safety signs from the park security stations and turned them into an iPhone app.

Wild About Safety presents the signage as a light-hearted little safety course. It takes you through about 16 tips--some animated, some not--with voice overs.

The art's unfortunately rather low-res, but it still looks great on a phone screen. No word on the home site about an Android version, but I wouldn't be surprised to see one turn up soon.

LImited Time Magic We'd Really Like to See

Limited-Time Magic is the oddest campaign Disney's ever rolled out. It's something few people can take advantage of, and its here-today-gone-tomorrow events leave virtually no impression. While it's a sweet concept, I'm sure most fans would rather have gotten a simple C-Ticket dark ride. Rides, Disney, please don't forget: The rides pull guests in.

That said, there are certainly some concepts that could make this strange promotion a headline grabber. Mouse Troop presents a list of Limited-Time Magic ideas we'd go nuts for:

TUBE THE JUNGLE CRUISE DAY

Maybe turn off the piranha attack for this one.

AUTOPIA UNLEASHED DAY

Apparently these little cars can get up to 45 or 50 M.P.H. without the installed speed governors. Around the Autopia track in one minute!
 
DISNEY EXECS IN CHARACTER COSTUMES DAY

I've heard stories that, once, long ago, every new Disneyland Exec had to work a brief stint as a character to get a sense of how important the "magic" element of Disney really is. Time to bring that idea back, retroactively, for every Disney Executive on Earth for just one day.

And how about:

PUNK ROCK SMALL WORLD DAY
MATTERHORN ZIP-LINE DAY
NO PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES  DAY
NO SPREADING ANY BLANKETS TO HOLD A SPOT FOR A PARADE OR SHOW DAY
ROLLER SKATE DAY
PEOPLE-DRAWN HORSE CAR DAY (It's only fair).
ORIGINAL SINGLE CAR BOBSLEDS DAY
PERSONALLY-TELL-THE-COMMITTEE-THAT-DESIGNED-THE-NEW-BOBSLEDS-EXACTLY- HOW-YOU-FEEL-ABOUT-HOW-THEY'VE-RUINED-THE-RIDE-DAY
NO FASTPASS DAY (let everyone see how much quicker the lines move)

and finally...


ALL FOOD FREE DAY (There's as much a chance of this last one happening as a horror film being filmed in Walt Disney World without the company's knowledge...oh, wait...)

Those are a few Limited Time Magic events we'd actually hop on a plane to experience. How abut you? What special day at the parks would really pull you in?

Haunted Mansion Holiday Materializes on iTunes

What's this? What's this? There's good news for all fans!

The park music digital download scene continues to flourish; The soundtrack to Disneyland's Haunted Mansion Holiday has creeped delightfully onto iTunes and Amazon MP3. For $7.99, you can add the world's most astonishing once-a-year ride metamorphosis to your playlist.

The album's stretched out with nine cute/creepy Halloween-themed parodies of Christmas carols, but--of course--the reason anyone would buy this is saved for the final track: a terrific and energetic 16 minute ride-through mix of the entire Nightmare Before Christmas-themed attraction. Even if you've never actually visited Haunted Mansion Holiday, this soundtrack completely captures the spirit of the experience. The wonderful music and voice work make it an audio celebration you'll want to listen to again and again.

This has been a great year for park music fans! Please Click here for a complete list of all the Disney park albums currently available on iTunes and Amazon MP3.

Infinity's Soundtrack Includes Peter Pan's Flight, Toontown and Condorman

Abu, Mike and Luigi enjoy some classic Danny Elfman

The creators of Disney Infinity recognized the importance of having their game sound like a Disney universe as well as look the part. Players encounter an eclectic and colorful soundscape ranging from the light-hearted jazz of Monsters University to the pulsing electronic beats of Tron. One particular game item enables the option to select the background music.

The Radio Disney Boombox is a vault item every player should try to unlock as soon as possible for use in the world-building Toybox mode. Thankfully, what you hear is not taken from today's real-life Radio Disney, but from the company's films, theme parks and one certain show with a platypus. The selections include:

"Steamboat Willie" - The track fom Mickey's Toontown (listed simply as "Mickey Mouse")
"Peter Pan's Flight" - The queue medley from Disneyland
"Cinderella's Castle" - Music from Cinderella's movie score.
"Alice in Wonderland"- Loops the trial, chase, final scene and closing credits song.
"Nightmare Before Christmas" - The film's closing credit music.
"The Incredibles" - Features "Saving Metroville" from the film score.
"Jessie" - The Toy Story character's western theme.
"Condorman" - Henry Mancini's theme song for Disney's campy, legendary flop.
"Phineas and Ferb" - A remix of "Gitchee Gitchee Goo" plus an instrumental of "Ain't Got Rhythm."
"Finding Nemo" -Plays the "Wow" opening score from the film.
"Tangled" -  A pop instrumental of "Something that I Want."
"Emperor Zurg" - From Toy Story 2
"Sugar Rush" and "Suger Rush Showdown" from Wreck-It Ralph.
"Recognizer" and "Derezzed" from Tron: Legacy.
"Wall-E"- Music from the score. 
"Frankenweenie" - The "Re-Animation" track.

The boombox doesn't include all the game's music: Other tracks are triggered when a particular item is activated, and many are exclusive to the character adventures. Overall, it adds up to a soundtrack as diverse and entertaining as Infinity's anything-goes gameplay.

Lilo and Kuzco Arrive on Netflix

The Netflix library of Disney classics just got a great dose of later-era comedy. Lilo and Stitch and The Emperor's New Groove have arrived for instant streaming.

Two of the best-received films of Disney's post-Lion King hand-drawn lineup, they certainly seem to belong together in one release. Both are extremely funny, sharply directed, and much-loved by fans of all ages. The Emperor's New Groove is one of the most-quotable films Disney's ever released. Lilo and Stitch, despite the company's later over-exposure of the little alien, remains an incredibly original and imaginative story (its directors would go on to create the best Dreamworks film ever: How to Train Your Dragon).

It's good to see these two added to the streaming mix, they're the perfect films to watch on a brisk nearly-autumn evening!

Which Line Didn't Make it to Wonderland?

Disney's animated Alice in Wonderland isn't perfect, but its unique and unforgettable style makes it my favorite Disney film (or, at least tied for first place with Peter Pan).

The movie's sharp, off-the-wall lyrics and dialogue are quite unlike anything in any other Disney feature. Here's a list of some gems, but can you spot the line that didn't make it into the final film? The answer sits under the next pic.

1) What it is, it wouldn't be--and what it wouldn't be, it would.

2) Not aquamarine!

3) I never, never ever do a thing about the weather, 'cause the weather never, ever does a thing for me.

4) Doh something, Doo-doo!

5) Started it tomorrow, but we'll finish yesterday.
 
6)  How cheerfully he seems to grin, how neatly spreads his claws--and welcomes little fishes in with gently smiling jaws.

7) Follow the directions and directly you'll be directed in the right direction.

8) We don't want weeds in our bed!

9) If you'll believe that I believe that you believe in me, then I'll believe that you believe that I believe in you.
 
10) Start at the beginning, and when you get to the end...stop!

11) Don't tell the Queen what you have seen, nor say that's what we said.

12) This watch is full of wheels!

Disney Infinity: A Park Fan's Review

Disney Infinity will delight you, inspire you, challenge you and cheerfully empty your wallet. Its methods for coaxing you to buy more and more of its world could be considered ruthless, except for one important factor: Like a Disney park, it gives you more than your money's worth.

In that respect, you could easily think of Infinity, the company's toys-come-to-life-in-a-video-game juggernaut, as Disney Parks: The Home Edition. If you laid it out in theme park terms, the experience would look something like this:

The game is stuffed with elements geared specifically toward park fans, from actual park music and vintage sound effects to an impressive Matterhorn complete with a working bobsled rail slide. Epcot fans will love the inclusion of Spaceship Earth, plus the game's introductory sequence that casts you in the role of One Little Spark of inspiration.

Mrs. Incredible parks her Tron Recognizer in Tulgey Wood.

The clever design sends you into a vast, anything-goes "toybox" world where you can combine themes and characters in any way you wish, selecting from hundreds and hundreds of parts to build your own games with your own rules--anything from racetracks and shootouts to pinball machines, obstacle courses and soccer fields. You don't have many parts available at the start, however. To get them, you have to venture from the toybox "hub" into the Playset worlds, which are large, scripted film-specific adventures (Infinity's version of E-Ticket attractions).