Review: Disney Magical World is a Blast

What a great surprise: Disney Magical World, against all reasonable expectations for a licensed handheld title, has turned out to be one of the most enjoyable games ever to carry the Disney name.

In this deceptively simple-looking game, you create an avatar (you can also use any Mii character saved to your 3DS) and move into the Disney-character-filled town of Castleton, where Fantasia sorcerer Yen Sid takes you under his wing as apprentice magician. The King, meanwhile, entrusts you with ownership of the town Cafe. All seems rosy, except for one nagging problem: The lands outside your village are plagued by ghost attacks--and you're the only candidate for hero (apparently, Prince Charming and Beast are too busy planning banquets and balls to lend a hand).

I think Beast is getting ticked at me....

It’s a breezy, fast-paced fusion of Kingdom Hearts and Animal Crossing where you juggle ghost hunting (the quests become very challenging as the game progresses), card collecting, fishing, item crafting, farming, rhythm-game ballroom dancing and cafe management (which is a lot more fun than it sounds).

The tasks are fun and, most importantly, it all works together perfectly. After a very linear prologue section, the game opens up and leaves you to spend your sessions however you please, whether it's just kicking back in Castleton, helping the gentle citizens of the 100 Acre Wood or battling ghosts in Agrabah, Wonderland and the dark woods around Cinderella's palace. Eventually, you'll also unlock the card-trading mini-game--by far the game's most addictive activity.

There are 300 cards to collect in the game. The celebrity citizens will offer you cards themed to their franchise, but most cards can only be won through trading with the Royal Chancellor. So, in the game's early stages, don't be dismayed by all the duplicate Fab Five and Huey/Dewey/Louie cards you'll accumulate; You'll need those extra cards for trading later on.

The cards cover just about every era in Disney animation and use a variety of art styles. “Vintage” cards appear to be damaged from years of handling, and many obscure characters made the cut, including Clarice (lower right).

The game also features online cafe-sharing and scan-able AR cards on the website that send Tinkerbell flying into your 3DS bearing gifts. A download feature gives you access to a small online shop where additional items can be bought (the shop also features free items). If you dislike the whole idea of paying for extra content, the feature can be easily ignored, though an additional world (rumored to be pirate-themed) might be offered in the near future.

Taken as a whole, Disney Magical World delivers an incredible amount of entertainment and content. It's packed with excellent character animation, fun music (though, surprisingly, not a single classic Disney tune) and an unexpectedly keen attention to detail and company history.

If you’re a 3DS-owning Disney fan, you can’t go wrong with this one.

How MagicBands Unlock Disney Infinity's Hidden Dragon

Attention Walt Disney World vacationers: Don't throw away those MagicBands! You or a game-loving friend can use them to unlock a world of Dragons hidden within Disney's popular videogame universe.

Disney Infinity remains one of the most creative and joyful games my family and I have ever played. It's made Disney's accountants happy, too.

When the game debuted, featuring such park icons as Spaceship Earth, the Matterhorn, Parking Lot Trams and flying Dumbos, many fans wondered if the actual, physical parks would ever play a role in providing exclusive content. It didn't take long to find out: WDW's MagicBands unlock Infinity's hidden world--one based around the New Fantasyland Dragon that graced Orlando skies for a press event a while back.

With no Florida trip in my immediate future, this West-Coaster faced a Dragon-less Infinity until Melissa Sue at Mouse on the Mind came to my rescue by sending me a MagicBand! It can't be said enough: Disney fans are the nicest people on the planet. Thanks, Melissa!!!!

If you're still wondering what the heck Disney Infinity actually is, please check out our review. In a nutshell, however, it's amazing. It excels at three particular things: 1) Encouraging creativity 2) Pouring on the Disney charm 3) Emptying your wallet, but giving you your money's worth -- much like a Disney vacation.

So, if you have a MagicBand, the game and a figure ready to go (today's guest star: Sorcerer Mickey!) here's how you go about finding that elusive dragon:

Create Your Own Ultimate Disney Christmas Playlist

Disney didn't release a new character Christmas album this year, but 2012's Jingle Bell Fun was so entertaining, it deserves another winter in the spotlight. Plus, this is a great year to revisit Disney Christmas albums from the past and add some gems to your music player.

Looking over what's available to purchase digitally from iTunes and Amazon MP3, it's easy to create a fantastic Disney Christmas playlist. Here are Mouse Troop's picks for the best of the best, but we encourage you to sample all the available tracks and make your own personal Disney Musical Winter Holiday Extravaganza!

Netflix Delivers a Holiday Mouse-Fest

I wasn't planning on another Netflix post so soon, but the service has just added a quartet of Mouse Flix, all direct-to-video productions, to their instant streaming service.

The highlight of the bunch is the wonderful, hilarious and very under-appreciated  Three Musketeers, which places the Disney Fab Five in a fast-paced, fan-pleasing feature-length send-up of the classic tale. In-jokes, great animation and unique character moments abound, plus Pete gets his peg leg back! If you haven't caught this beauty, you're in for a treat. This could have (and should have) been a theatrical release.

Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas is a trio of well-done tales. In the first, Huey, Dewey and Louie wish every day was Christmas and soon realize not all wishes should be granted. The second finds Goofy trying to give young Max a perfect Christmas in spite of a belief crisis. In the finale, Mickey and Minnie play out their own version of Gift of the Magi. Watch for Mortimer Mouse and an animated version of Firehouse Five Plus Two!

I'd love to see the entire run of the wonderful House of Mouse series show up on Netflix someday. In the meantime, the two compilation specials, Snowed In at the House of Mouse and Mickey's House of Villains will do. Both combine new animation with classic clips to create entertaining hour-long Disney mash-ups.

Gather the family, cook up some Mickey pasta and settle back for a good time. What a great way to start the Holiday video season!

Mickey Rides the Red Car

Mickey, newly arrived in Southern California, takes in the sights and sounds of Hollywood Boulevard on his way to Buena Vista Street. At least, that's his backstory in the Red Car Newsboys show at DCA.

It's refreshing to see The Mouse portrayed as an average Joe instead of a global superstar, and it's one of the many charming elements that's begun forming DCA's unique atmosphere. After the park's original 2001 grating attempts to distiniguish itself by being "edgy" and banning Disney characters from the grounds, it turned out that presenting the characters in unexpected, period-appropriate roles was a much better way to go.

Photo by Lana Whitham

Fifty-Eight Years Ago...

Review: The Mouse Goes Mobile in Where's My Mickey?

This could be a case where I enjoy a game more than the TV source it's based on. Aside from the fresh, fun art style, I'm not a big fan of what I've seen so far of the new Mickey Mouse cartoons coming to the Disney Channel. I'm hoping future installments are more charming and less mean-spirited, because I love the new visual approach.

 

Those snappy character designs and art direction have been incorporated into the mostly-excellent mobile game Where's My Mickey? now available for iPhone and Android. Despite one very inappropriate, unfunny, nasty and out-of-character sight gag in one of the game's chapters (more on that later), this is a fun, clever upgrade of the popular Where's My Water? series--which was top-notch to begin with

Classic Mickey in Both Parks

Mickey's been drawn, sculpted and digitized in many different styles over the decades, but my favorite versions of Walt's superstar graced the studio's early years. Here's a shot of the terrific old-fashioned promo art beckoning guests into the Main Street Cinema at Disneyland.

Meanwhile, across the Esplanade...

This cheerful poster enlivens the base of  DCA's Silly Symphony Swings. This may be my favorite bit of Mouse art ever. I know Mickey's not the tallest character on Earth, but--man, those are big seals.

Review: Mickey and the Magical Map is a Winner

Fast-paced, wonderfully performed and technically dazzling, Mickey and the Magical Map is one of the most solid and crowd-pleasing live shows Disneyland's ever presented.

It's an unusual production, featuring very few Disney characters on stage and putting more focus on an ensemble choir performing on, around and in front of the show's enormous three-tiered high-def video screen centerpiece. The screen assumes the role of the map, and it is indeed a magical sight to behold as it creates an ever-changing environment of wildly animated sets and outstanding illusions.

Memories HD Review: Best Free Disney App Ever

Memories HD, a free App now available for iPhone and Android, creates a brilliant win-win situation: The Disney Parks get free publicity and fans get to have a blast.

And Then Mickey Showed Up

There are moments at Disneyland when the place seems to forget it's one of the planet's most famous and crowded tourist destinations...and it suddenly unveils its heart as Walt's little park of 1955.

I was sitting on a bench in Town Square, waiting for the rest of my group to finish shopping on Main Street. The park was fairly crowded, as usual, but most guests were off in the other lands, and Town Square was nicely calm.

And then Mickey showed up. Unannounced, unscheduled and without a bit of fanfare, he strolled through the square as if he was simply enjoying the park himself. It actually took a moment for folks to notice him, and then a small, happy, polite group of fans gathered around to take turns posing for photos (Mickey's on the group's right, facing away from us).

About five minutes later, he continued on his way, waving at delighted passerby. There were no FastPasses or reservations involved. No ridiculously long lines or added fees. It was simply the kind of pleasant, whimsical moment that makes Disneyland so much more than the sum of its parts.

Spontaneity still happens at Disneyland. The fact that this took place just outside Walt's firehouse apartment made it all the more awesome.

The Matterhorn's a Movie Star

The Award for Best Performance by a Theme Park Attraction in a 90's Tom Hanks Movie goes to....Matterhorn Bobsleds in That Thing You Do!

Written and directed by Hanks, the joyous, light-on-its-feet 1996 musical comedy follows the stunningly brief career of The Wonders, a fictional small town pop group who form, rise to stardom, and dissolve all in the course of a single amazing summer in 1964. The film stars Hanks (as the manager), Tom Everett Scott, Liv Tyler, and the world's first tubular steel roller coaster.

Okay, the Matterhorn only gets one scene--But it's a great one! It involves the band's unnamed (even in the credits!) Bass Player who enlisted in the Marines right before the group's record became a hit and who wants to see Disneyland more than anything. Toward the end of the film, he fails to show up for a live television broadcast in Los Angeles. Hanks and the rest of the band are frantic. "Where IS he ???"

The camera CUTS TO the answer:

Now, of course, Disney geeks know the Matterhorn had a different style of bobsled (and single sleds, not tandem) running on the ride in the 60's. But Hanks & crew went to the trouble of repainting the on-camera bobsleds to match a recognizable color scheme from that era of the ride's history. It's a great nod toward accuracy.

If you haven't seen the film, give it a go if you're in the mood for a great, breezy, fun flick full of enjoyable songs and one of Liv Tyler's most powerful scenes ever. If you actually grew up in the 60's, it'll make your jaw drop open at some of the period touches it gets just right: I do remember buying phonograph needles at the local mom n' pop appliance store!

Keep an eye out for the next Tom Hanks/60's Disneyland movie pairing as Hanks plays Walt Disney in the upcoming Saving Mr. Banks!

Advantages & Quirks of the Paradise Pier Hotel

At Disneyland Resort, the Paradise Pier Hotel has become my family's favorite lodgings choice for several reasons. Price, of course, has a lot to do with it; Paradise Pier is the least expensive of the three Disney-owned hotels in Anaheim, which translates to the least expensive way to get Extra Magic Hour at the parks. Over many visits, however, other factors have endeared this hotel to our group.

I'll be perfectly honest with this recommendation: If you can afford to stay at the Disneyland Hotel or the Grand Californian, by all means go for it. Disneyland Hotel has better theming, grounds, shopping and dining than Paradise Pier. The Grand Californian has superb dining, an awesome lobby that's practically an attraction in itself and incredible convenience with its direct gate into DCA. Both hotels have fancier pool options than Paradise Pier (though Paradise Pier's pool is a shorter walk from the rooms).

If you do choose Paradise Pier, however, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by its many excellent features. Here's a quick rundown of what to expect:

Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide Rail (with Fish Heads & Crumbs)

I'm staring at this photo, taken inside Trolley Treats on Buena Vista Street, and all I can think is, "I should've bought more peanut brittle."

One of the few perks about traveling on a tight budget is the built-in moderation factor: I can't afford to over-indulge (much). End of story. If I lived close enough to the resort to visit the parks more often -- and without the hotel and travel expenditure -- I'm afraid to imagine how many park goodies I'd wolf down on a typical visit. If I wasn't careful, I might wind up in a situation a walrus friend of mine recently -- ouch! Sorry, I just tripped over the segue...

A Slight Disruption in Theming

On our recent Disneyland trip, something seemed a bit...off...in Frontierland. I dunno, I can't quite put my finger on it...

Eeesh, look at that thing! Now we've got a better idea of what a complete track replacement at Big Thunder involves. It sure isn't just a couple of guys with screwdrivers.

Wouldn't it be awesome to get up there for some photos? Wouldn't this be a great concept for a new Mickey/Donald/Goofy cartoon?

The Best Souvenirs Don't Last Long

What does Disneyland taste like? Pocorn, ice cream sundaes and the world's best corn dogs? French toast and fritters? Gumbo and lemonade? For me, fresh peanut brittle from Main Street is my current favorite taste-bud memory of the park, and a great souvenir for keeping that part of Disneyland alive at home long after the suitcases are unpacked and put away.

Disneyland's peanut brittle isn't just amazingly delicious , it's a souvenir bargain (by theme park pricing standards, anway) at just under five dollars for a decent-sized bag of jagged, old-fashioned candy wonderment.

One great thing about peanut brittle in general is that you can't eat it quickly (without risking minor injury), so one could potentially extend this bit of vacation magic for weeks -- ah, who am I kidding, I ate all the brittle in a day and a half.

But how can I resist? Disneyland Peanut Brittle is made with magic! I don't know what the nutritional value of magic is, but I'll bet it's off the charts...

The Broom That Wouldn't Leave

When you wander through Mickey's House in Toontown, making your way toward his backyard movie studio barn, you run across all kinds of memorabilia from the mouse's life.

My favorite is this lonely little guy, still hanging around hoping for another role in an animated feature. He's still ticked off about the live-action Nicolas Cage film.

That surreal lamp post seems to have escaped from the Roger Rabbit ride.

Man and Mouse: The Storytellers Statue

The Storytellers statue, portraying a young Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse arriving in California, has turned out to be one of DCA's real treasures. Its placement -- right on the sidewalk among the guests -- was an inspired decision that couldn't have worked out any better.

Guests love seeing Walt portrayed as "one of us," and there are often crowds around the statue as guests take turns standing alongside the duo for a photo.

While the famous Partners statue over in Disneyland is a tribute, Storytellers is a celebration of opportunity and possibilities. It adds a subtle but important touch of energy and optimism to the reborn California Adventure.

Happy Thanksgiving to Disney Fans Everywhere!

Happy Thanksgiving! We don't usually post recipes on Mouse Troop, but I'd like to share my secret for these delicious Turkey Brownies:

1. Drive to local market's bakery section.
2. Slide debit card.
3, Transport Turkey Brownies home.

I am a disaster in the kitchen. If I'd tried to create the above little turkeys on my own, each and every one would've turned out like this:

I'm the guy who's always assigned "chips and soda" for office parties.

Have a great Holiday, everyone!

Strange Things 4: More Offbeat (and Epic!) Disney Tunes

Welcome to another crazy off-ramp on the Disney Music Highway! We've got banjos, dragons, Mickey Rooney as Pinocchio and amazing park music...but our first pick actually makes Disney history!

Track:  THAT'S WHAT HEROES DO
Album: Epic Mickey 2

Mickey and Oswald perform in a song together for the first time! Sure, they only get one line each (most of this song is performed by the Mad Doctor), but -- What a cool little moment in animation history! Spoiler alert: the lyrics give away the game's ending.

You don't need to play the games to enjoy the music of the Epic Mickey world; Jim Dooley wrote fun, atmospheric scores for both the games, and part 2 has the additional kick of being a semi-musical. With track titles like "Skeleton Dance" and "Autopia Exploration," this album's going to make a lot of Disney fans smile.

And now, Dragon meets Steel Drums...