Rapunzel's Hairstyle How-to Video

Disney's Tangled is one of our favorite Disney films.  The "I See the Light" song is one of our favorite songs.  So of course, Rapunzel's hairstyle in that scene from the movie is one of our favorites.  Sadly, we don't have 70 feet of magic golden hair, but we CAN braid our hair like hers.  Here is the link to our how-to video so you can braid YOUR hair like Rapunzel's:  Disney Rapunzel Tangled Hairstyle How-to Video Demonstration  You're welcome to add flowers to add to add effect.  Comment below some ideas of more Disney hairstyles for us to video.

Tangled/Hunchback of Notre Dame cross-over

Has anyone noticed this Tangled (2010) and Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) cross-over?

Both Phoebus and Eugene (known as Flynn Rider at the time) state that they're alone right before a clang.  Very interesting...

Frontierland Trivia Quiz

Frontierland is one of the original lands that opened in Disneyland back in 1955.  There is a version of it in each Disney Parks location, including Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disneyland, and so on. Test your knowledge about this classic area in the Magic Kingdom park of Walt Disney World.

1. Which is NOT a Frontierland attraction?
a. Tom Sawyer Island
b. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
c. Haunted Mansion
d. Splash Mountain

2. Since the word "frontier" is unfamiliar in the Japanese language, Tokyo Disneyland's Frontierland is called what?
a. Westernland
b. Lincolntown
c. Old America
d. Wagon-Train Trail

3. What is the name of the mill on Tom Sawyer Island?
a. The Olde Mill
b. Margaret's Mill
c. Mill of Tom and Huck
d. Harper's Mill

4. Which is NOT a name for a Big Thunder Mountain Railroad train?
a. U.R. Daring
b. I.M. Brave
c. U.B. Bold
d. I.B. Goode

5. As a part of Disneyland's opening day live T.V. special, which famous Disney character(s) showed up to help open Frontierland?
a. Sheriff Woody along with Jessie and Bullseye
b. Davy Crockett & George Russel
c. Winnie the Pooh & friends
d. Goofy (dressed as a cowboy)

6. What is the name of the boat the animals sing "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Da" in after the big drop of Splash Mountain?
a. Boatazilla
b. S.S. Briar Patch
c. Brer Boat
d. Zip-A-Dee Lady

7. At the Frontierland Railroad Station, there is a wooden leg sitting on a shelf.  What is its name?
a. Susie
b. Parkington
c. Smith
d. Joe

8. Which of the following was NOT an original Frontierland attraction that opened in Disneyland in 1955?
a. Tom Sawyer Island
b. Mule Pack
c. Mark Twain Riverboat
d. Golden Horseshoe Revue

Are you ready?

Here are the answers!

1. c. Haunted Mansion is in Liberty Square at the Magic Kingdom, and New Orleans Square in Disneyland

2. a. Westernland

3. d. Harper's Mill

4. d. I.B. Goode.  Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has six trains, named U.B. Bold, U.R. Daring, U.R. Courageous, I.M. Brave, I.B. Hearty and I.M. Fearless.

5. b. Davy Crockett & George Russel, extremely popular characters by Disney in the 50's. Disneyland opened in 1955, and the Toy Story gang and Winnie the Pooh weren't made yet into animated features.

6. d. Zip-A-Dee Lady

7. c. Smith

8. a. Tom Sawyer Island opened in Disneyland in June of 1956.

How'd you score?  We hope you enjoyed this quiz and maybe even learned a thing or two.  Next time you go to Frontierland, you can check which train you're riding by looking at the name printed on it in the wildest ride in the wilderness!

Photo from Disney PhotoPass+ Gallery Disc

Height Requirements

Traveling to WDW with kids is great, it's the best!  But there are those big attractions that they're just a bit too short to ride.  But how short?  And how to prepare?  We hope this article can help.

So here is a list of all the attractions from the four theme parks in WDW.  This list does not include the water parks.

32 in.

MK-   Tomorrowland Speedway

35 in.

MK-   The Barnstormer 

38 in.

AK-    Kali River Rapids

40 in.

MK-   Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

           Splash Mountain

           Stitch's Great Escape

Epcot- Soarin'

           Test Track

DHS-  Star Tours

           Tower of Terror

AK-    DINOSAUR

44 in.

MK-   Space Mountain

Epcot- Mission: SPACE

AK-    Expedition Everest

48 in.

DHS- Rock 'n' Roller Coaster

AK-   Primeval Whirl

54 in.

Tomorrowland Speedway (to drive alone)

Note, just because an attraction's height requirement is low, does not mean the child should ride it.  For example, Stitch's Great Escape is a very dark show.  So children who are afraid of the dark are encouraged to skip it.  But on the other hand, Primeval Whirl has the tallest requirement, and it's really quite mild (if you don't mind the spinning).

If a child is too short to ride an attraction, but an older sibling is, prepare the child before the trip so there won't be a meltdown at the entrance of the attraction later (we may or may not be speaking about this from experience).  Also, if both parents want to ride, Disney has something called "Baby Swap".  To put it shortly, everyone gets to wait in line (and enjoy the queue), but when it's time to board, one parent waits with the smaller child and one rides with the taller child.  Then, when they're done, the parent who rode "swaps" with the parent who didn't ride, without waiting any extra.  Just talk to a Cast Member before you hop in line.

We hope this helps you and your family for your next trip!

*Photo credit not ours

Primeval Whirl Ride Video

Primeval Whirl is an outdoor, spinning coaster ride located in the Chester & Hester's Dino-Rama part of Dinoland, U.S.A. at Disney's Animal Kingdom.  Its height requirement is 48 inches, the tallest in all of Animal Kingdom.  Primeval Whirl makes up for its retro and cheesy decor with its unique spins and drops that no other amusement park ride has.  Here is the link to our video tour: Primeval Whirl Animal Kingdom Ride Video Tour We hope you enjoy!

The Story Behind The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror stands on Sunset Boulevard in Disney's Hollywood Studios and measures 199 feet tall, making it the tallest WDW attraction.  Tower of Terror opened in the summer of 1994, but the story behind this daunting superstructure takes place way before that.

Disney folklore has it that the Hollywood Tower Hotel in Tinseltown was the go-to for all of Hollywood’s celebrities in the late 1930’s.  On October 31st, 1939, the hotel was hosting a Halloween rooftop party.  At precisely 8:05pm,  a lightning bolt hit the hotel, dematerializing the two elevator shafts.  The Hollywood Tower Hotel closed that very night.  There were five victims riding the elevator when the lightning struck.  A child actress with her nanny, a famous Hollywood couple, and a bellhop.  None have been seen since.  The hotel, which was abandoned for decades, has mysteriously re-opened, just in time for your visit, of course.

Interesting tidbit - even though the elevator shafts disappeared, your ride vehicle for this attraction is an elevator.  To add to the mystery, the Hollywood Tower Hotel only had twelve stories, but in your ride experience, you drop thirteen.

This mysterious attraction appeals to thrill-seekers of all ages.  If you have members of your party that don't enjoy big drops, invite them to go through the queue with you.  They can enjoy the story then tell the cast member at the loading area that they don't want to ride.  They will be directed to a "chicken exit" and can meet you in the gift shop.

Now that you know the story, you can look for clues that can add more to this haunting tale next time you ride.  Cast members, like on the Haunted Mansion, also join in the fun with spooky glares and some evil laughs.  We think you'll enjoy traveling to this other dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind.  Your next stop - the Twilight Zone.

Photos of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror from Disney's PhotoPass+ CD

Disney Infinity, Part 2: Getting Started

Once you buy Disney Infinity and bring it home, what happens next?  If you have a Wii, this post should answer that very question.

First, you'll have to hook up your base plate with a USB plug in the back of your Wii.  Next, you'll have to put the disc in and turn your Wii on.  Before you can start, it may ask you for an update.  This does not take very long, and to play the game you must accept it.  This does not mess up your Wii, but rather, makes it ready for the glory and awesomeness to come.  Once this update is finished, you'll be ready to begin.  When inside, it will have you select which "game" to use such as "Disney Infinity 1" or "Disney Infinity 2".  It does not matter which one you pick, but forever after you'll have to pick the same one, so it will be easier to just choose #1.  Everything you play will be saved onto the game you pick.

Make sure you have placed a character (or two) on your base.  The left circle is for player 1.  The right circle is for player 2, if desired.  The hexagonal shape at the top is for power discs and play set pieces.  To play the game, you must have at least one character placed on the left side of the base.  Play set pieces and power discs are not necessary to start your toy box with.

Go to 'Toy Box Launch' after the imagination video (unless the game automatically places you there). You know you're in Toy Box launch when you see a giant Cinderella Castle before you, with scattered imagination orb capsules around it.  When you land, you will be on top of the "hub".  Use the nunchuck to move your character around.  Press buttons A to jump, B and Z to attack, and then 2 to pause.  From the hub, you can do whatever you want.  For your first time playing, your best option would be to go on as single player and (after checking out the castle ☺) jump onto the red circle on the hub (it has a picture of a globe on it).  This is the "travel" spot.  Once you're standing here a black menu will appear.  Using either your nunchuck or the control pad on your Wii remote, go to to the option "Mastery Adventures".  Once here, another menu will come up with the list of Mastery Adventures.  Pick whichever you want.  These are tutorials for how to play the game.  Depending on which Mastery Adventure you do first, you will unlock its corresponding Toy Box.  There are six toy boxes & Mastery Adventures available.  The tutorials are pretty cute and a lot of fun to play.

After you complete all the Mastery Adventures, you're ready to play in your toy box.  From the Toy Box Launch, go up to one of the giant floating objects which represents its matching toy box.  Under each object is a red pad you can stand on.  Once standing, you will be asked if you want to load that toy box world.  While the advertising proclaims "no rules", there are limitations to the toy box.  While you can place cars and tracks in the driving toy box, you can't in the combat toy box.  You can place "bad guys" to battle against in the combat toy box, but not the driving toy box.  Each has its ups and downs. The six different toy boxes are: Building (Basic), Driving, Combat, Dynamics, Platforming, and Sports.  The best one to begin with is Building (the giant floating square terrain piece to the right of the hub in Toy Box Launch).  With this toy box, you can use townspeople and building sets.

When you first arrive in your new toy box, press + to open up your building menu.  Press + again to go to toy view.  It's the same thing, just a different way of scrolling through your favorite toys.  You may notice that you don't have a lot of toys to build with.  This is because most of the toys are locked in the vault.  Every time you earn a new medal from adventures, level up, or collect a red capsule from the Toy Box Launch, you earn a spin.  With the spins, you can go to the vault (the yellow circle on you hub) and "spin" for prizes (toys).

Tip: We like to save our spins until we get 16 or more before going to the vault because each "page" in the vault had 16 spaces, so with 16 spins we automatically get everything on that page rather than just hoping it randomly lands on the toy we want most.

We hope this article has been able to assist you in getting started and that you enjoy your game!

*Photo of Toy Box from infinity.disney.com/toy-box