Hey...will you sign my chili?

Perhaps you eagerly awaited the release of Tomorrowland, like so many optimists, since the 2013 D23 Expo when Brad Bird and Damon Lindeloff revealed the mysterious 1952 box that teased the film. Two long years later, D23 again offered its members another glimpse into the world of the future at the world premiere of the movie. Billed as a chance to view the celebrities arrive for the movie screening along the special red - actually, make that blue - carpet, a handful of D23 members were allowed an even more special experience than what was promised.

With confirmation in hand, it was time to think about what unique things to bring to the carpet on the good chance some autograph collecting was a possibility. At this point, we’d like to introduce another DBFF, Jeff Baham (of DoomBuggies and Mousetalgia fame), to the blog [pause for fanfare]. Without a doubt, Jeff brought with him the most memorable piece of memorabilia to get signed - a can of chili. This was no ordinary can of chili, rather it’s the kind of chili made with a dash of hope.

"It's Optimist chili," Jeff explained. "In the months leading up to the 2013 D23 Expo, Disney started an 'Alternate Reality Game' revolving around the secret society found in the Tomorrowland movie. Part of the game involved taking participants throughout Los Angeles to some of Walt Disney's personal haunts. One of those places is a hole-in-the-wall chili joint called 'Chili John's,' and by going there (back in 2013) and saying a code word, you were handed a very special can of chili. Chili with the word 'optimism' right in the ingredients list." So while most of the people along the carpet brought photos and posters, Jeff showed up with his can of chili in hand.

Taking place smack dab in the middle of another big event being held in the Disneyland Resort’s immediate area (the Tinker Bell Half Marathon weekend), the stars ascended on the blue carpet in the very crowded and busy Downtown Disney shopping area, which contains the AMC Theatres that were hosting the premiere. While space to stand along the carpet was open to the public, a few lucky D23 members were provided access to a special and less crowded section along the carpet with great views of the stars and enough elbow room for everyone to see what was happening. D23 members were also surprised with all-access passes to the world premiere of the movie and its associated perks.

These perks included: a star-studded screening of the movie (as in a hobnobbing with the stars we had just seen on the blue carpet) and entrance into the private after party at Disneyland (in Tomorrowland, of course). With a flash of our special lanyards, we were directed behind the hedges that were blocking Tomorrowland from the general public. We gathered there with other guests, awaiting the arrival of the real VIPs of the night - George Clooney and Amal, who arrived effortlessly cool riding in  the nose cone of the Monorail.

It’s always special to have breathing room at Disneyland, but to basically have a whole land to yourself is amazing. The only wait to get on Space Mountain was the length of time it took to walk through the queue - and an empty train is what awaited at the other end. Desserts of every flavor and shape were in plentiful supply; some even looked too fancy to eat. D23 has offered some great events in the past, but this was on a whole other level.

It was a magical night to be sure - made even moreso by the fact that Jeff did get his chili signed. Both by the director, Brad Bird, and Clooney himself, not to mention the ever optimistic Bob Gurr. Now as for the movie itself - if it's still playing near you, go see it before it's gone. There's no real way to describe this movie, not without major spoilers. However, if you're a dreamer, or even just optimistic - there's a good chance you'll love it.

Hey...you can't tell me that wasn't big fun

Maybe this isn't true for you, but when Disneyland announces special events there are a range of thoughts we go through. First, why can't Disneyland be closer? That six to seven hour drive makes it hard to just take off and go to the park at a moment's notice. Second, well...if we fly we would make it in plenty of time and flights are only $77 (assuming you are ahead of the two week window) - that's doable. Third, let's just check on hotels.....holy crow, the Candy Cane Inn has a room for $102 a night and somehow we just booked it. Fourth, we already have our park ticket - and we really need to use it to justify the cost of having an Annual Pass. So really, it all just spirals in to how can we afford NOT to go?
  

At this point, we should mention this is what we went through planning our 24-hour trip to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Indiana Jones Adventure ride at Disneyland park. That's right, twenty years...how can that be possible? In recognition, Disneyland offered two nights of Annual Passholder after-hours parties. Both evenings included select rides to remain operating, a late-night Fantasmic! showing, live entertainment, and a very special panel discussion with Tony Baxter.

We booked our flights, packed our bags, and headed down to Disneyland for this exclusive event. We won't go into too much detail about the panel discussion because you can hear all about it on our favorite podcast Mousetalgia, but we will offer some solid advice: anytime you have the opportunity to listen to a Disney Legend, do it! Also, next time you ride Indy, look for the thousand regular sized snakes in the snake room. Bet you never even knew those existed.

The night was more crowded than we would have hoped for, but we closed the park down! How often can you get a picture in front of the iconic Mickey Mouse floral arrangement without being jostled by frantic park goers? That in itself made the night magical. Advance registration was required for the event, but the AP attendees to that day's other special Annual Passholder event, Wednesdays with Walt, were invited to the party as well. We aren't sure if this is because the party was not full, or if they just wanted to create some extra magic for their guests - maybe both.

We experienced some extra pixie dust along the way as well. At the beginning of the party, while this was not officially part of it but rather a happy coincidence, the stars of the new live-action Cinderella turned up for a photo shoot in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. Another tip: if you see the makings of a photo shoot or taping popping up stick around, you never know who will show up! Seeing the stars in person only enhanced our excitement for the advance D23 screening we would be attending the next week.

Possibly the most memorable moment of the night was having the Haunted Mansion to ourselves - which raises the creep factor by about a billion. With no other people around you can hear every noise and whisper, which gives you a deeper appreciation for this spooktacular dark ride. As we took our time making our way to a doom buggy, Tina took some great pictures along the way. We even got to check off a Disneyland bucket list item: riding the entire Haunted Mansion track. We asked the Cast Member as we boarded if we could stay on for a second loop and she kindly agreed.

The whirlwind was definitely worth the effort and it was a nice change to visit the park during the "off" season and mid-week to boot. Thanks Disneyland for letting us join in celebrating this amazing attraction. Happy birthday Indy!

Hey...is that a twerking troll doll?

Heeeere's Mickey!

As we are sure you can tell from the title, we went to Disney on Ice! The DBFFs with family and friends attended a Sunday afternoon performance of Let's Celebrate! at the SAP Center in San Jose. We took a musical tour of the holidays with Mickey and friends - and some unexpected guest stars as well.

The show as a whole was enjoyable, especially seeing how engrossed the kids in our group were with the performance, but left the adults feeling unimpressed. The lack of segues made for a long continuous string of segments that didn't flow and turned nonsensical when Mickey's transport gadget (the name of which was so ridiculous it is not worth remembering) was introduced in the second act as a means of moving between holidays. 

Three holidays in particular got long features and had the grandest production: Halloween, Valentine's Day, and Christmas. Of the three, Halloween was by far the stand out and featured the Pumpkin King, Jack Skellington with some party crashing villains. Though Jack did fall at one point (which was not an isolated incident, but hey this wasn't the Olympics), this piece was the most fun and animated of the whole show - not to mention truest to the original music of the movie.

This is Halloween!

 Valentine's Day was all about true love and included remixed versions of classic songs from the best loved princess films...and Mulan. Sorry, but Mulan is not a princess and the fact that she was featured in this segment, as well as Chinese Lunar New Year, and Princess Aurora was no where to be found was a sticking point for one of us (Julia, it was not ok with Julia). The song "How Does She Know" from Enchanted tied the segment together as one classic Disney song after another was strangely remixed...no one needs to hear the R&B version of "So This is Love" from Cinderella used in this show...no one. We agreed it would've been more fun if they used "How Does She Know" for the whole segment.

Mulan is maybe wondering why she was in the segment with all the princesses too.

Which brings us to Christmas. The finale. The biggest celebration of all. Which did not have a traditional Santa, but instead brought out the gang from Toy Story, including a random troll doll. This troll completely distracted from the rest of the segment and was so strangely awesome and terrifying at the same time it was breathtaking. The show culminated in a magical snow fall courtesy of Tinker Bell while all the Disney characters came together once again to send off the show, while the random troll doll twerked its way off the ice...is there any better way to celebrate?

Even Mickey was skeptical of the troll doll!

Kids loved the show in a big way. The two year old princess we brought was glued to the ice the entire time - she didn't blink once. We have plans in place to go see the Frozen on ice show when it skates in to the SAP center this time next year - pre-sale code “DAZZLE” is active until March 10th, if you’re interested. Also, purchase of the show’s program comes with a pair of Mickey ears - both for the price of $20. However, it is worth mentioning these ears are of a more masculine design, which was a sticking point for one of us (Tina, it was not ok with Tina). The show knows its target audience and delivers for them, which is what made the experience a good one for everyone attending.

Hey, Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

Why yes, yes we do.  In fact, we did…at Disney California Adventure!  We made our first Disneyland trip of the year in January and it was a fun filled busy trip, with Frozen Fun being at the top of our to do list (everyone takes a to do list to Disneyland right....right?).  We experienced snow in 70 degree weather, got a warm hug, learned how to draw a Marshmallow, and had enough time to sit down and hear a good story while singing songs completely out of tune. Whew, what a whirlwind.

Stage 17 has been transformed into Olaf's Snow Fest

First things first, California Adventure is hosting Frozen Fun now through May and, as you probably guessed, highlights a little-known movie called: Frozen. Are you on Frozen overload?  Perhaps these attractions are not your cup of hot cocoa, but we recommend giving it a try before completely dismissing it. Just follow the giant snowflakes to Hollywood Land and you will find several different experiences and attractions to keep the whole family excited.

The main attraction is in Stage 17 (remember Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? - yeah, pretty sure that’s the last time we were in this building) with Olaf's Snow Fest - which is pretty awesome.  When you enter the building you are instantly transported into the castle courtyard of Arendelle. Snacks are offered at Arendelle’s Warmer Uppers, musical entertainment with live performers set the mood, and a courtyard of snow all welcome visitors to come and play. There is also a small sledding hill where you can race your friends and family at high speeds down the snow - just kidding, it’s not very fast but it is fun and we did it more than once. Here is also where you can get your first glimpse of everyone’s favorite snowman, Olaf!

We like warm hugs

Not surprisingly, Olaf attracts a huge crowd. The line was consistently two hours long - which kept us out of it for most of our trip. On the last morning of our stay we were finally able to make it to the park for rope drop and meet Olaf first thing - which is really the only way we were going to get this done. The snow was still fresh under our feet when our pager went off and it was our turn to meet the summer lovin’ snowman. Seriously, it took us fifteen minutes to get through the character meet and greet and we could not have been more thrilled. What is great about this kind of meet and greet is you really get a good amount of time to spend with Olaf. There was time for hugs, autographs, and selfies - all the while having the cast member snap candid shots of the experience. In the end, Olaf’s Snow Fest left us feeling all warm and fuzzy.

No Muppets here

Next door is the Crown Jewel Theatre (aka Muppets Theater), where For the First Time in Forever:  A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration is playing. Make sure to pick up fastpasses for the show because there is no standby line. While we waited for our show time, we headed over to the Animation Building.  This is where you can meet and greet Anna and Elsa (again a long line kept us away) but we headed over to the Animation Academy to learn how to draw some very special snowmen. During Frozen Fun you have two characters to choose from: Marshmallow and Olaf. This time around we learned how to draw Marshmallow, which is what we were hoping for because we have learned to draw Olaf as he had already been added to the regular rotation of characters.  The Animation Academy is a favorite attraction of ours and is something that we do pretty much every time we come to the parks. We do not claim to be artists, so if our sketches resemble the character we’re happy.

Marshmallow sketch

Once Marshmallow became part of our portfolios, it was time for our fastpasses and we headed back to The Crown Jewel Theater. The Muppets Theater has been completely redecorated to resemble the inside of a beautiful theater built for a queen. The Sing-Along is the Frozen story being told by two Storytellers, clips from the movie and Frozen characters appear on stage.  There’s even a snowdusting during the finale. Basically, it is a condensed version of the movie taking out all the dialog and leaving only the songs. We definitely had our diva moments and Let It Go while we belted out the words with Elsa right on stage. When we exited the theater, dusk was falling and Freeze the Night was in full swing.

Freezing the Night and carving some ice

Freeze the Night is the new family friendly dance party that has become all the rage for Disney California Adventure nights. We did not find the party to be as high energy as the Mad T Party, but it was fun and got our toes tapping. We watched the ice carvers while a live dance troupe hyped up the crowd. Our favorite aspect of the party was the Marshmallow photo op - and as you can see, we had a little fun with our picture.

All in all, Frozen Fun is a great addition to the park - especially during this time of the year when there are a lot of closures after the high-traffic holidays.

Hey marshmallow lady!

As mentioned before, we love a good race. 5K, 10K, or the occasional half marathon - whatever the case may be - between the two of us we have completed all these distances. We like to try out new races, especially ones that have a unique aspect - or awesome swag…yeah, we like the goodies too. Don’t get us wrong, the physical accomplishment of completing these races is also a major plus. Getting a personal record is amazing and always gives us a goal to work towards, but a well designed race shirt or a fun medal is really what gets us to spend our money. Does that make us serious runners? Maybe not, but hey - we’re out there doing it and that’s all that matters!

Team Agent P excitedly waiting for the 2012 Cars Land Rally 5K to begin.

The first race we ever completed was the 2012 Cars Land Rally 5K at Disneyland and we have not stopped running since. In 2013, (which we dubbed the year of the 5K) we completed at least one 5K every month - not the cheapest of hobbies, but that’s neither here nor there. One of our favorite races is the Hot Chocolate 15K/5K held in San Francisco every January, in the beautiful Golden Gate Park. This race is becoming a yearly tradition of ours. 

Each time we’ve participated in this race we have come away feeling the same way and bestowing the highest possible compliment we can give: it feels like Disney hosted the event. Well organized and executed, the Hot Chocolate race is great for beginners and seasoned pros. The one aspect of the race we have not quite mastered (which is our bad and not the race organizers’) is our timing for arriving at the event. The first year we were too early and this year we barely made it by the skin of our teeth - hopefully we will find the middle ground with next year’s race.

Highlights include: a scenic course, chocolate chip stops in addition to the water stops, a chocolate fondue finishers cup, and a fantastic jacket to wear with pride. Even with all the chocolate around, the runaway hit of the day was Tina’s hat - seriously, everyone was taken with it. The idea for this hat sparked from one of our daily chats and the result was adorable. In keeping with the chocolate theme and the craft marshmallows she had laying around (because who doesn't have these laying around?), Tina transformed a brown beanie into a cup of hot chocolate. Because of her hat, she was named the marshmallow lady by several passersby who recognized her from the course. This hat is what we try to bring to the races we run - just a little added whimsy.

Maybe we will see you out there on the course sporting your own marshmallow beanie. ‘Till then we raise a cup of hot chocolate to you! 

Enjoy the sights of the Hot Chocolate Race. Fact: bottom left picture was taken seconds after we decided to start a blog.

Hey there, hi there, ho there!

DBFF...what the heck is that you ask? Everyone (well, everyone fluent in texting) knows that BFF stands for best friends forever. The D stands for Disney. Put ‘em together and what have you got? Bibbidi-bobbidi-uhhh...no wait, that’s not right. You’ve got: Disney best friends forever. Got it? Perfect!

That’s us - Tina and Julia, DBFFs. Actually, that’s really only part of our friendship, but an important part and the reason we are here - starting a blog to document our adventures. Having fun, being creative, and sharing laughter with everyone around us are top priorities of ours.

5K’s, Disneyland trips, and visits to the Walt Disney Family Museum (to name a few) - we hope that you will enjoy our shenanigans as much as we do. Happy reading!