Disney After Hours (Part One):
This past week Orlando played host to Pow Wow, the United States’ annual travel trade show, with a whole lot of Pow and even more Wow! The convention is an opportunity to hear about nearly every travel-related location, accommodation, event, etc all over the country, as well as offering a chance to preview what’s new in the theme parks, specifically Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld. If you have ever wondered what happens at a big Disney Event, consider this your personal invitation to Disney’s Pow Wow Farewell Party.
Disney’s involvement was not limited to a one-off party though, as Simon and I happily discovered when we attended the Media Brunch at Mall at Millenia on the first day of the convention. Greeting guests at the front door were a cast of characters from Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba. The Green Bird (who isn’t green at all), resplendent in her yellow and red plumage, was handing out spongy noses, silently inviting us all to become clown-like as we passed into the lobby where scowling strong-man The Titan marched his way through the crowd, every bit as fascinating as he is menacing.
Many of the area’s best dining locations (including one of our favourites, Emeril’s Tchoup Chop) were on hand, serving tastes of their signature dishes while The Clowns (appearing throughout La Nouba, but probably best known for their pre-show act) shuffled through the crowd in their nightwear, then later dressed as a fishmonger and waiter with a giant trout on his tray.
As the keynote speaker was addressing the audience, two of the four white-faced Les Cons, masters of subtle facial innuendo, ultra-prissy style and a penchant for taking all the credit for everyone else’s accomplishments, appeared on stage. They listened to the speaker for a moment before one got a look of supreme boredom and the other feigned sleep, thus ending the speech and signaling the beginning of a mini-Cirque show with Balancing on Chairs (41 feet above the stage!), the BMX bike whiz Cycles, The Titan, German Wheel and The Green Bird, ending to thunderous applause, all of which were gratuitously soaked up by Les Cons.
Next up after brunch were the local sightseeing tours. Simon and I chose the Animal Kingdom tour rather than a spa day, shopping day, Kennedy Space Center or Boggy Creek Airboats (another of our personal favourites). We were hoping to get a tip or two we could add to a project I’m working on, but didn’t hold out a tremendous amount of hope since these tours are often somewhat watered down for Media who (believe it or not) may not know the basics about the parks, let alone anything new or detailed. Our first stop was Expedition Everest, which we love, and then our tour guide told us there had been a change in plan since Eric Jacobson, one of the long-standing Imagineers at Walt Disney Imagineering, was in town from California and agreed to give us a talk (for details, see Simon’s blog below).
I tell you now, this was the absolute highlight of my day, probably my week, and maybe even my month. Eric first went through the Imagineering ‘process’ (how they come up with their ideas, etc), then he focused on Everest in particular, since it was the feature attraction for Disney during this year’s Pow Wow. I kid you not, this man told us so many details, hidden gems, back-stories, etc I was practically salivating on the table and thought I might go unconscious over such a fabulous opportunity. I had an extensive list of questions for my project and we’ve been hoping to set up an interview with an Imagineer, but it’s tough to get, especially during pre-Pow Wow, so this was a godsend. I took 4 pages of notes and could have listened to this man for another 6 weeks if he had the time (which, sadly, he didn’t). I nearly needed a cold shower when it was all over.
After Eric’s talk we were bussed over to Lights, Motors, Action! at Disney-MGM Studios. We watched the show, had a question-and-answer session with the stage manager and one of the drivers, who then took us ‘backstage’ for a look around. Pretty cool back there, but the sight that really struck me was the view of the grandstand from the stage. I was nosing around the set, then turned around and suddenly saw this enormous stadium filled with seats that would be filled with people 3 times a day. It was the most peculiar thing (being as I’m a somewhat shy girl who mostly likes to watch life from the fringes) but I had an overwhelming sensation of….I’m not sure what!…excitement, I guess, and an immediate understanding of why actors get up on stages and perform. It was a real heart-thumping moment, in a very good way!
After our tour we had time to return home to freshen up for the evening event being held at Animal Kingdom. We took advantage of a much-needed break, which I invite you to do as well. Meet me here for Animal Kingdom’s evening event soon………!