Fillmore's Windmill Watchamacallit

Welded together from cast-off oil barrels, this odd, quirky bit of Cars Land kinetic sculpture sits in a quiet corner of Fillmore's yard, just a few yards away from the hippy van's geodesic garage home.

The horizontal windmill might simply represent the aging VW's artistic leanings. I wouldn't be surprised, however, to find it playing a role in the manufacturing of Fillmore's organic, non-petroleum home-brewed fuel.

In the upper right, we can glimpse the top of Grizzly Peak, looking as if it's trying to take one tiny nibble of folk art.

Lego Genie in Downtown Disney

Today we're back at Downtown Disney's amazing Lego Store. The place is loaded with great brick sculptures, but even among such masterpieces as Maleficent and Beast, this model of Genie is jaw-droppingly amazing. At first, you'd swear the model-builders must have cheated and used something besides Lego to create this character's curving, smoke-like shape...

 But, no, it really is all Lego bricks. I'd love to know how much this thing weighs.

In the first shot, you can see Lego's mascot, Brickley the sea serpent, peaking out and looking as though he knows he's being upstaged. For more about Brickley, including a great shot of his perfect location at Walt Disney World's Lego Store, check out this March post from Ryan P. Wilson's Main Street Gazette!

Lego Maleficent at Night

Evening at Disneyland Resort's Downtown Disney means live music, great food and a life-or-death struggle atop the Lego Store. I've posted about Lego Maleficent before, but the amazing sculpture is even better after dark. I can't get over how perfect the color and lighting is on that creature.

Lego remains one of the most perfect products on Earth, and Maleficent is one of Disney's most perfect creations. The powerful combination of the two can make passerby stop, stare and forget about the passage of time as they're overcome with a perfect storm of awe and delight.

Note to Disney: Sleeping Beauty dark ride. Please.

The Roger Rabbit Fountain

Toontown's Roger Rabbit fountain sits just a few yards from the entrance to the character's popular dark ride, Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin.

Robert Zemeckis, Richard Williams, and the other creators of Who Framed Roger Rabbit found an original niche for their title character -- a personality that didn't simple copy any previous major cartoon star. Roger's a good-hearted, enthusiastic, can-do optimist...who also happens to be a hyperactive disaster magnet.

The fountain sculpture sums him up perfectly, having him strike a happy show-biz pose seconds after a major automotive mishap--completely unaware he's got fire hydrant water spouting from his ears.

Pluto in the Park

Pluto is perhaps the most joyful little statue in all of Disneyland. He's certainly claimed a prime location in Central Plaza, a spot many DL fans love as a place to relax while still being surrounded by park activity -- not to mention the wonderful sounds of the Horse-Drawn Streetcars and other Main Street Vehicles.

Pluto's just one of many, many great little details most guests only notice once they've slowed down after rushing from ride to ride for half the day. When folks finally start relaxing and looking around at Disneyland, that's when the park's charms truly come into focus.