Hearsay and Rumors 2: Hatbox Ghost

Hatbox Ghost from Doombuggies.com

Time to return to the hearsay and rumor page to fill you in on a subject that "materializes" every so often. This is an elusive apparition found in the attic of the Haunted Mansion, the Hatbox Ghost. This spirit appeared in the Haunted Mansion for only a limited time but it was enough to leave a lasting impression on its guests. One guest in particular was Tony Baxter. You can see Tony talk about it himself in this video and will also tell you about the Hatbox Ghost at length.

Now this rumor in particular is of a return of the Hatbox Ghost. This rumor has gained some steam lately. We begin with the display of the Hatbox Ghost audio animatronic (AA) figure at the D23 Expo 2013. This was made out of an old Lincoln AA figure and was at the Imagineering pavilion at the expo. Sadly, I was unable to attend but here is a great video of what the character looked like and did.

Some more evidence for this has come from a new bit of art that is featured at Disneyland's Disney Gallery. It shows some concept art for the aforementioned Hatbox Ghost and states "rematerializing August 2014." Of course this made fans go crazy. It seemed to be evidence of a return of the Ghostly resident but it seems not to be. As Inside the Magic states, a cast member (CM) stated this is for a cel to be released.

Upsetting, yes, but lets think of what could have been or may still be. I am a proponent of not wasting so it seems odd to me that Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) would waste their time with repurposing an AA for no reason. I also believe in "plussing" when there is good reasoning. I think this would be perfect for plussing the Haunted Mansion for next year's 60th Anniversary of Disneyland and would be a great way to celebrate without doing much. It would be perfect to help promote the park for less. Of course, I know that they had issues with the effect but as evidenced in WDI's new video for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, this could be perfected with projection technology. Mind you, I do not prefer projections over physical figures but for this effect, it would be effective (cheesy!). So here's hoping we get this instead of a Johnny Depp or Eddie Murphy AA!

Also, doesn't Hatbox look an awful lot like the Skeleton or Ezra? It'd be cool if they were the same person, however, I know Hatbox has a gold tooth while Ezra does not. But if it was revealed they are the same ghost it might make for a good backstory. Just a thought....

But what do you think? If you have a Google account just leave a comment, you can tweet me, or email me at giodisney113@gmail.com.
-Josh

Infant Trip Planning Part 2: Character Meet and Greets

Cars Land Postcard

Finally I'm bringing my second in my series for infant trip planning, character meet and greets. As an adult male I will say I've never really done meet and greets but for my daughter we made it a point to do them. Now with her at 3 months I will say she didn't really respond to the non human characters. Now at 5 months, she actually responds a little more to the non human characters. I suppose it's because they are just big plush to her. She loves to try to eat Donald's bill. It's awesome. 

There are a few locations to find specific characters and I'll list them for you. 

Goofy in Main Street

Main Street 

Fab five

Mary poplins and Bert

Cruella de vil

Random princess: jasmine, Tiana

Alice and mad hatter

Fantasyland

Princess fairy tale hall: Ariel, Cinderella, aurora

Flynn and rapunzel

Merida

Elsa and Anna

Tomorrowland

Pixie hollow

Storm troopers

Darth vader

Darth maul

Thor

Captain America

Buzz

Frontierland

Long lost friends

Woody

Jessie

Adventureland

Aladdin

Genie

New Orleans Square

Tiana 

Naveen

Louis

Critter country

Pooh, eeyore, tigger

Toon Town

Donald

Mickey

Minnie

Goofy

DCA

Buena vista

Fab five

Streetmosphere

Hollywoodland

Disney junior

Mike and sulley

Frozone

Mr incredible

Elastigirl

Redwood creek

Dug and Russell

CarsLand

Mater

Red

Lightning

Dj

Bugs land 

Flick and atta (not sure how often if even they appear)

Paradise pier

Mickey

Toy story

Duffy

Condor flats

Minnie

Pooh Corner with Tigger

Now when it comes to the many places you can find certain characters you have to remember that they wear different outfits in locations. Specifically mickey, Minnie, Donald, goofy, chip and dale, Pluto wear different outfits where in DCA locations. If you want to be a completist, it's imperative to get each one. 

Another great note is to get an autograph book. You can pick them up in just about every store at Disneyland resort but you can also pick them up at stores around Disneyland for cheaper. If you're into Pinterest you can make your own; I've seen some awesome ones. My fav is the adventure book from up. 

Ellie was not a fan of Merida's overzealous voice during a nap

One of the best tips I would give you is find a location that you want to take a photo at. If you visit often or even visit occasionally this is a great keepsake from your trip. There are a few locations that are very popular. Partners, castle, Matterhorn, storytellers and the CarsLand postcard. Some other key spots are places like the White Rabbit's door and the Sword in the Stone.
One of my favorite things are the attraction vehicles. There are Mr. Toad's automobile and a Dumbo in Fantasyland and other vehicles in Mickey's Toontown.

crazy baby drivers

Another great spot to visit is the Disney Visa picture spot in DCA. It is over by the Mad T Party Mad Arcade. You have to have a Disney Visa card from Chase. You get a free 3x5 from Disney Photopass. Now the characters here vary so you have to check and they also only run it for a few hours.
Well, I hope you found this very informative and that it will help you out on your next trip out to the Disneyland resort.
As always feel free to tweet me or email me with anything you want to add or comment on at giodisney113@gmail.com.
Thanks,
-Josh (gioDisney)

the White Rabbit's door

Star Wars Cast revealed!

Today Star Wars officially announced the cast of the still untitled Star Wars VII. You can head to the Star Wars official site here. Rumor is that the title will be revealed at Comic Con later this year. But I thought I would give you run down of the cast, and tell you who the new cast is. I know I did not particularly recognize some of the new cast.

official still from Star Wars with the entire cast

The original cast to return are Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker. For the uniformed that is Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, C-3PO, Chewbacca, and R2-D2.
The new cast are Max von Sydow, Andy Serkis, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, and  Domhnall Gleeson.
Max von Sydow is probably the best know of the new cast, some credit to him are The Greatest Story Ever Told as Jesus, The Exorcist as Father Merrin, and in Minority Report as Director Lamar Burgess.
Andy Serkis is another familiar name as he is Gollum/Smeagol, Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and was even King Kong in the 2005 remake.
Here is where the names become less recognizable.

John Boyega

John Boyega is a newer face having a guest star in Law & Order: UK, will be appearing in the 24: Live Another Day mini event, and was Moses in the film Attack the Block.

Daisy Ridley

Daisy Ridley has done guest spots on BBC shows like Mr. Selfridge and Silent Witness.

Adam Driver

Adam Driver is from the HBO series Girls and has appeared in films like Lincoln, J. Edgar, and Inside Llewyn Davis.

Oscar Isaac

Oscar Isaac is another familiar name for those who enjoy more independent films, he has starred in Inside Llewyn Davis and appeared in Drive, 10 Years, and Sucker Punch.

Domhnall Gleeson

Domhnall Gleeson is best known for being Bill Weasley in the last Harry Potter films but has also appeared in About Time, True Grit, and Dredd.

Affordable Disneyland: character erasers

Hello and welcome to the first in a new series I am presenting, Affordable Disneyland. This idea came when a friend of mine pointed out that Disneyland can often be quite expensive and that they're not sure what would be more

Affordable options. I decided I might try to help with presenting some of the more affordable souvenirs, restaurants, and even shops around and inside Disneyland. 

Today I begin with one of my favorite quick souvenirs and deals, the cash wrap deals. I begin with these cool new Disney Mickey Mouse and friends and Disney Princess erasers. The deal is 3 for $5 and they come in different characters. They are mystery packs and you can get Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse,  Donald, Goofy, Pluto and a mystery character (though it looks like Chip and Dale). In the Disney Princess you have Cinderella, Rapunzel, Belle, Ariel, and Tiana and a mystery princess (looks like Aurora). 

you can find these in bins in the queue of the checkout at stores

As always, you can tweet me or email me with any questions or comments at giodisney113@gmail.com
-Josh (gioDisney)