The Cursed Treasure and the Lost Story Point

"No fear have ye of evil curses, says you. Properly warned ye be, says I. Who knows when that evil curse will strike the greedy beholders of this bewitched treasure!"

It's hard to believe, but there's a whole new generation of Disneyland fans who have never heard those classic lines on Pirates of the Caribbean!

Consider this messed-up scenario: Ride inspires movie. Movie focuses on the ride's cursed treasure plot point. Ride is altered to incorporate the movie, but the plot point that inspired the movie in the first place is completely removed from the ride!

Atlantis Surfaces on Netflix

Netflix has just added Atlantis: The Lost Empire to its lineup of Disney films available for digital streaming.

Released in 2001, Atlantis has quite a bit in common with Treasure Planet (also on Netflix): It's a non-musical, straightforward science fiction/fantasy adventure about a fatherless young man on a quest to make a name for himself.

Also, like Treasure Planet, this film is greatly under-appreciated. If you've never seen Atlantis, now's your chance to embark on a terrific adventure that unfolds like an animated spiritual successor to live-action Disney adventures such as 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea and In Search of the Castaways. Its unique blend of Jules Verne-inspired settings and hand drawn animation gives it a unique and very effective style. Highly recommended.

Disneyland City Hall

Good old City Hall sits on the left side of Town Square as you enter Disneyland. What an incredibly inviting little structure; I'd love to grab an ice cream cone and just relax and people-watch from one of its front porch benches -- and not get up until the next horse-drawn streetcar ambles around to take me to the castle.

City Hall is your one-stop helpful spot to ask a question, pick up a show schedule, find a lost parent...

or -- heaven forbid -- lodge a complaint. In the many years I've been visiting Disneyland, I've been tempted to leave a complaint a grand total of twice...and both times I started having fun again within about five minutes and forgot what I was irked about.

Best Non-Disney Dark Ride Ever: Lost Dutchman Mine

Disney's Fantasyland dark rides invented a new language of storytelling, where the motions of the ride vehicle became as important to the story as the sights and sounds. Of all the non-Disney dark rides I experienced growing up, only one told a story as creatively as Disneyland's adventures.

Back before Sally Corporation started creating quality dark rides (such as their popluar Ghost-Blaster series), most indoor adventures off Disney property didn't seek to go beyond random collections of haunted house "scare" gags. But, back in the 60's and 70's, a wonderful park near San Jose, California, operated the finest non-Disney dark ride on the planet.