The Owl Guard Never Sleeps

This wonderful little statue guards the equally wonderful Sleeping Beauty Castle. Overlooked by most guests, he's a fan favorite and a must-visit character for those who know he's there.

Some folks understandably believe him to be Archimedes, Merilin's grumpy sidekick from the Sword in the Stone...but he's not. He's the playful and nameless owl from Sleeping Beauty. Stop by the next time you're in Disneyland; he loves to pose.

What if Disney added Kingdom Hearts to Fantasyland?

Never. Gonna. Happen.

Now that Disney California Adventure has finished its multi-year makeover, rumors naturally turn to "What's next For Disneyland Park?" The most likely candidate for renovation is Tomorrowland, and an expansion for Frontierland could also be in the works.

I'm no Imagineer, but there's a franchise out there that Disney could -- and should -- bring into Fantasyland in one form or another. It's called Kingdom Hearts. If you don't know what Kingdom Hearts is, ask your children, your teenagers, or your resident game player. Full of Disney characters, yet darker and edgier than we're used to seeing, it's a world that could potentially be as popular and profitable for the park as the Nightmare Before Christmas.

Click below for more about Kingdom Hearts and why it could make a great addition to Disneyland. Please keep in mind that this is all wishful thinking on my part; Disney has announced no plans to build a Kingdom Hearts attraction.

A Cars Land Song List Update

We'd sure love to hear some actual Motorama Girls music, but until Pixar, the Imagineers and Jenifer Lewis decide to create these tunes in the studio, we'll just have to make do with the wonderful selection of Motown hits playing in Flo's V8 Cafe.

A lot of Mouse Troop readers have been checking out our Cars Land Song List; it's good to know there are so many Cars music fans out there!

We just realized that, when we updated the stand-alone page for our list, we neglected to add the new songs to the original archived post. That's been fixed; both links now carry the same updated list of Cars Land Songs.

If you've visited Radiator Springs recently and enjoyed any tunes we haven't noted yet, please drop us a comment, and we'll add the information. The internet certainly has turned out to be an info cornucopia for Disney park fans!

Inside the Cavernous Radiator Springs Racers Loading Station

Cars head out into sunlight as the adventure begins

All journeys start with a single step -- or, in the case of Disney attractions, with a "remain seated" warning and a launch from a colorful boarding platform. Disneyland Resort's full of terrific loading stations; my favorites include the library of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and the incredible Lafitte's Landing at Pirates of the Caribbean.

At 7:00 A.M., all's quiet and calm as the queue awaits the day's first riders

My new top favorite is the fantastic loading zone at Radiator Springs Racers. Once you've made your way through the scenic queue, you arrive at the sprawling stone entry to Comfy Caverns Motor Court, serving as your start and end point for the adventure.

All the railings and lights have been intentionally "rusted" to appear decades old!

The place is a whirlwind of colorful sights and sounds. The smiling vehicles, each one unique, roll up to the eager guests. As Cast Members efficiently direct folks to the next available row, the cavern air echoes with the ride's sounds -- a mixture of the actual vehicle noises, enhanced "revving motor" sound effects, and Sheriff's seat belt advisories.

To your left, cars return from the adventure. The ride begins and ends on a single track, splitting into two lanes for the outdoor race.

A side track leads to a customized load area for guests in wheelchairs.

As you step into your row, the excitement builds; these vehicles look amazing! Before you know it, the gate swings open and it's time to step into the car and strap on the seat belt. You have mere seconds to consider how comfortable the seats are before the engine revs, the car moves forward and Sheriff advises you to remain seated. The real fun's about to begin!

Not even the blurriness of this pic can hide the vehicles' charm!

Red Welcomes Visitors to Radiator Springs

At 7:03 A.M., it's a typically overcast Southern California summer morning. Although blue skies won't show up for a couple of hours, the scene's instantly brightened by Red the Fire Engine as he welcomes the first guests of the day to Radiator Springs.

You can tell from the "awww"s and cries of "Red!!!" that everyone wants to stop, but we're all caught in the quick-walk rush to ride Radiator Springs Racers. Our own meet-and-greet with the town's heroic truck of few words will have to wait a bit.

But, man, Red looks great. I can't think of a more cheerful sight to wake up several thousand groggy, coffee-craving parents staggering toward the ride entry. And he looks so perfectly at home.

There's something truly "magical" about Cars Land. Everything works. The town's completely convincing, and the characters couldn't look more natural in the setting. It feels as if you've literally been dropped into the movie, and the view stretches as far as your eyes can see. It's amazing.

Why You Need to Arrive at Cars Land Early

Some folks hate to get out of bed early on vacation, and when we advise them to get to the park gate by 6:30 A.M., they'll stare at us like we've lost our mouse-ear-wearing minds. As a public service, we present this photo comparison to show the difference between early arrival at the parks and late arrival -- and by "late," we mean 8:30 in the morning.

Above, you see a lovely, welcome sight; this is Radiator Springs Racers in the early morning -- about 7:15 a.m.. We've just taken two trips on the ride (the second go-round using the single rider line, which is a walk-on at this hour). Other early-birds are in the ride's sheltered queue area, which now holds about a thirty minute wait. Needless to say, this serene situation won't last.

The photos below (four shots clumsily stitched into a two-part panorama, but we think they get the point across), show the line for Radiator Springs Racers at 8:30 A.M. The now three-hour line snakes all the way through the ride's main queue and down Cross Street...

...toward the Pacific Wharf entry point and back again.

Fortunately for these late-arrivals who don't heed good travel advice, Radiator Springs Racers is the most entertaining ride to watch on Earth, and this extended stretch of queue provides a great view. Note that we're also enjoying the view, but we're sitting at Flo's having breakfast, because we arrived early and rode the Racers with minimal wait.

The moral? Have your clothes picked out, set the alarm, determine the earliest entry time your ticket/hotel package grants and get to the gate a half-hour earlier than that. Seriously, the object is to be one of the first few hundred people through the park turnstyle. Getting your family onto Radiator Springs Racers early and then relaxing together over breakfast at Flo's, with a whole day of fun ahead -- well, there's no better way to start a day at the resort.

Maleficent on the Castle

As you pass through Sleeping Beauty Castle into the main Fantasyland courtyard, it's natural to immediately focus your attention on the great rides ahead. If, however, you slow down a moment and look to the left, you'll spot this wonderful painting on the castle wall depicting one of the best moments in Disney animation: Prince Phillip's confrontation with the dragon Maleficent. Look at that great use of color, pulling your eyes to the flame's impact on the shield.

No doubt about it, that dragon is one of the best film monsters of all time. When I finally took the time to really get a good look at this painting, however, one element made me smile most. Let's zoom in on the real star of Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty.

Yes, Samson the horse is one of Disney's great unsung heroes. Sleeping Beauty's happy ending couldn't happen without this stalwart, long-suffering trooper -- and all he gets is a carrot. I think the artist in charge of this great painting felt the same way; he took the time to capture the humor and determination in the character. I mean, compare the horse's face to Prince Phillip's; who got the most flattering portrait?

Disneyland contains a bazillion great little details. This painting, quietly tucked to the side, is just one of them.