Monsters University

New viral page for Monsters University. As someone who works for a major university, they nailed it. Enjoy!

There is something very impressive about having Disney on your resume

Friends, after over a year, I’m finally posting some interviews that had gotten lost in not one, but two hard drive failures. Couple that with one of the busiest fall and springs I think I’ve ever had, and you get a blogger who dropped the ball.

However, I’m here to redeem myself, because I know you’d want me to, and start posting some interviews again. I’ve got three in the can and will present one of them to you today.

Rachel responded to one of my calls on campus tracking down faculty, staff and students who have worked at a Disney park. Rachel was kind enough to not only answer my questions, but meet me for lunch and provide some great pictures. Enjoy.

Tell us a little about yourself:

My name is Rachel Baginski, I’m 25 and from Tifton, GA. I’ve been married 3 years and work at the University of Georgia in the department of Communication Sciences and Special Education.

What’s your favorite Disney Park?

Disney Hollywood Studios, which is home to my favorite attraction, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Ed’s note: one of mine too.

This is a great look at how the attraction works. Click for more info.

What’s your favorite Disney food or treat?

There are so many. The chocolate covered strawberries that they sell in all the parks are amazing; a Dole Whip, the huge carrot cake wedges, and the cannoli from the Magic Kingdom.

Honestly, who doesn’t love these???

What’s your favorite Disney souvenir?

My Disney College Program “graduation hat.” It’s really a pair of Mickey ears with a tassel attached.  But I had my name embroidered on the back, and it has a place of honor on my bookshelf at home.

Rachel with Prince John at Animal Kingdom, one of the few characters she didn’t have a photo of at the time. She told me that she was at her apartment one day, and got a call that Prince John was in the park and she ran over there to get this. That story makes me smile!

Favorite Disney movie?

It’s a tie between Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast.

Did you ever see a celebrity in the parks?

I saw a few. Johnny Depp, Larry the Cable Guy, and the Atlanta Braves during the year I was there.

I don’t think I need to tell you who Larry the Cable Guy is…right?

Tell us about working at Disney:

I was there for 4 months as an Operations Hostess for the American Adventure at the American Pavilion in the World Showcase at EPCOT. I was also in operations at Disney’s Wide World of Sports for the Atlanta Braves spring training season, where I helped clean and regulate seating during games.

A great experience at EPCOT. And it doesn’t get visited nearly as much as it should. In fact, you should take a day and do nothing but explore the pavilions at EPCOT. There are walkways, sights and food I bet you’ve never seen at a Disney park before.

I’d just earned my Associate’s degree in only a year, and felt that I should take a little breather before transferring to UGA to finish my degree. I looked into several internship opportunities, but Disney just seemed like the most fun by far.

Participating in the Disney College Program was one of the greatest experiences of my life.  I learned much about myself as a person, and a lot of my potential as an employee.  I grew up a great deal over the few months that I worked for Disney, and I would go back and do it all over again if I could.

Why did you leave?

I was ready to get to Athens and begin my tenure as a UGA student. However, I do regret not staying longer now as I would have been allowed to be Snow White’s “friend” if I had stayed.

Tell us your favorite memory of working there:

My happy memories of working for Disney are all pieces of days, rather than the whole day: having tea at the Grand Floridian with my roommates; relaxing on the beach of the Polynesian Resort on my days off; hanging out at the Adventurer’s Club on Pleasure Island; watching Fantasmic for the 15th time.  But one memory does stand out in my mind.  While I was working for Disney, my aunt and uncle adopted a little boy from China named Jack.  My new cousin was very confused, didn’t know much English, and was born without the use of his left hand. I invited them to come down to Disney World so so he could have the Disney experience.  He absolutely loved visiting the China Pavilion at the World Showcase in EPCOT where all the cast members spoke the same language as him.  And to top everything off, one of my roommates was “friends” with Belle from Beauty and the Beast.  So when we arrived in France, Belle was waiting to greet Jack by name.

The China Pavilion is one of the only places you can find Mulan in the Parks.

Did you have any challenging days at Disney?

When I first started working for Disney’s Wide World of Sports, I was placed on parking lot duty to help guide the cars out of the parking lot after the game to avoid major traffic jams.  I was having a good time with my team, and with meeting everyone as the traveled to and from the complex.  However, I have extremely fair skin that no amount of sunscreen can protect if I’ve been in direct sunlight for several hours.  By the time I left work that day, I was bright red and completely miserable.  Needless to say, the next day they relocated me to a shaded area inside the complex.

I can’t even imagine…

Where did you live while you were there?

Vista Way, of course!

Vista Way…though I’ve heard more than a view former Cast Members refer this by other names…you know, college kids away from home…yada, yada, yada

Do you have a favorite hidden Mickey?

I’d have to say my favorite hidden Mickey is at the end of the American Adventure show.  One of the last fireworks to go off at the end of the song explodes in the shape of classic Mickey.  I think it’s my favorite because that’s the one I saw the most often, and I’m very fond of that show and that pavilion.

Tell us one of the most interesting or funniest events while at work:

I was working in the American Pavilion during Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival.  Every evening during the festival, a musician from the 60s or 70s would perform on the large stage that s directly next to the American Pavilion.  What really stood out for me were the nights that Davy Jones performed.  It was hilarious watching women older than my mother act like crazed teenagers, as they screamed and threw themselves at him.  I would go over on my lunch break just to watch the women react.

Jones was a regular performer at Disney Parks over the years. Sadly, he passed away in February of this year.

Tells us something no one knows about Disney:

It is VERY easy to get lost in the tunnels under the Magic Kingdom.

Would you go back?

In a heartbeat.

Did it help your career?

There is something very impressive about having Disney on your resume.  I will say that my customer service is excellent, and Disney is directly responsible for that.

What did you learn from Disney?

I learned that there is magic in everything, and even finding something positive in the tiniest detail can brighten someone’s day.

Are you still in contact with Disney co-workers?

I’m still in contact with most of my roommates from Vista Way, and the other two interns I worked with at the America Pavilion.

Rachel (far left) and friends.

How did you share the Disney magic?

By smiling at everyone, treating every little girl like a Princess, and doing my best to make every guest I encountered have the perfect Disney experience.

If you could change anything about Disney, what would it be?

I would make it a little closer to Athens so I could visit more often!

What advice would you give guests for a Disney vacation?

The best advice I can give guests from a cast member’s perspective is to ALWAYS plan your day before going into any of the parks.  There are so many different things to see or do or eat.  It is easy to get distracted trying to do as much as possible, and then you realize that you’ve spent your whole day literally running around the parks.  Planning ahead ensures that you get the most out of your day.  For example, if you look at a map ahead of time–note the fast pass locations so you can head straight there, get fast passes, go to various other attractions while you wait, have already picked out a place to eat in advance so you don’t wander around for an hour trying to find the place that looks the best, and plan to go to attractions around where you plan to watch a parade or show so you can get to the designated spot quickly.  I figure that if you’ve paid a bundle to get into the parks, you should maximize the time spent there by having a game plan before you arrive.

Map. Get one. Use it.

Also, everyone should definitely take advantage of the transportation that Disney provides on property (buses, monorail, boats).  It is so much better to use this transportation than to attempt to drive from park to park yourself.  You’ll save money on parking, and you won’t have to spend 30+ minutes of your day walking from your car to the gate.

Disney buses are awesome

as are the boats. And there are many to choose from. Try the one from the Transportation Center at the Magic Kingdom to the Wilderness Lodge…great fun.

But the Monorail is king!

Many, many, many thanks to Rachel for sharing and being patient with me all these months. Thanks for reading.

And the award goes to…

or “I’m just happy to be here!”

To start with…

Friends, let me be one of the first to congratulate the winner of the Disney Store’s Design by Me contest, Christy W. This is something other designers look at, smack their heads and say “why didn’t I think of that?” It’s such a simple premise, and yet it says so much. Just as good design should. My hat’s off to you Christy!

The only constant is change

Ok, so until May 4, we all thought the results would be different. But according to Disney, many of the votes, including some of mine, were not legit. No more info was given. In the end, I came in second place, losing about 400 votes, taking me to 1,200 total.

As for Michelle M.’s shirt, her take on Mickey was, I think, exactly what Disney wanted from this experience, a fresh, new look at Mickey Mouse. Yes, it was polarizing. Very polarizing, complete with accusations of cheating and even some generational trash talk about those “Brooklyn hipsters.” But good design, as with good anything, should cause a little stir. As my wife once said to me, one of the reasons she married me was I could make her the most angry. Something that illicits this much emotion has some serious emotion behind it. But more on that later.

For me, this entire adventure, and trust me, it was just that, was one of great highs, the lowest lows and everything in-between. And even though I didn’t win, I can thank all of you who voted, and had your friends vote for me! I even made the front page of the business section of the our local paper’s Sunday edition! How cool is that?!?!?

Proof that I was indeed in the paper. The proof is more for me than you guys, I still can’t believe it.

The truth is, I truly was honored to just be in the final five. I have no idea how many they got, but we can assume it was more than a few. And for about an hour on the first day, I thought I might have a chance, by the Friday after the contest started, I knew there was slim chance of pulling out a victory. And I felt how you say, not so great about it. I decided to try to get 1,000 votes, and I did just that. So thanks to each and every one of you. You made me feel like I created something meaningful.

Who knew?

So, about the contest itself, and the thread on the Disney Store’s Facebook wall about it. Wow, those people are vicious. I mean, just read through them. Yes, I was surprised that some of the designs got so many votes so quickly, and so long after the contest started, but that’s the internet folks. And for those people accusing some of the designers of ‘knowing the right people’ yeah, that’s how it works. It’s “social” media. I told every single person online I could tell about this. Some of you who voted for me may not even have liked my shirt, but voted for me anyway. And that’s cool.

Last year, I sent some Disney attraction posters I did for fun to Boing Boing. I was proud of them, knew that one of the moderators on the blog was a big Disney fan and thought what the hell. Within the hour, I got word via Twitter that he had posted them. Within 24 hours I had over 16,000 hits to this very blog. Even now, I get 2-3 hits a day just from that one post.

I also did some “Keep Calm” Disney posters, based on the English posters used during WWII. I posted them here, on Pinterest and Tumblr. I’ve had over 700 repins on Pintrest and over 7,000 reposts on Tumblr of these three. My point? This is how Social Media works. And though I tried to get my shirt higher in the rankings using these very same sources, it wasn’t in the cards for me.

And some of the things said about my shirt: “…it does not represent the spirit of the Disney brand or of our beloved Walt,” and  “common and uninspired.” Sigh…Such is the life of a designer. Unlike fine artists, who have the leeway to create based on their own emotions and experiences, professional designers and commercial artists design for the marketplace. And we are met with much criticism much of the time. You have to have a thick skin in this business. Don’t get me wrong, it is through this fire we emerge as better  artists, but it can sting at first.

I’ve also done these charity posters recently. I’m including them here because I can. And I think they’re really cool.

But in the end, it was just a t-shirt. Let’s all dial it back a little…

Getting to the point

The one thing I can take from this? Out of all the entries, someone at Disney thought mine was one of the best.

I’ve tried to get Disney’s attention before. I would so love to do this very thing for them and design Disney Park merchandise. I even caught the eye of the Disney Store President on Twitter with my Mickey Ears idea. But this is the first time someone in the organization actively picked me. For that I am eternally grateful and will carry that with me the rest of my life. The masses can say what they will, but I’ll always have that nugget of validation.

Said ears

Why so serious?

If you’re still reading at this point, I’d like to take a minute and talk about the design process, because this is my blog and I can do that if I want ;-).

Why I did I what I did?

Market research…i.e. looking at the Disney Store Online for shirts, and walking outside my office to see what the kids are wearing these days. Working on a college campus give one a unique perspective on fashion and current style. This year? It’s all 80s dude. From off-the-shoulder t-shirts, big belts and gladiator sandals to neon sunglasses and bandanas, what was hot when I was in high school, is hot again. So, it seemed a natural fit.

Angry Birds shirt at WalMart. Totally 80s.

Disney Park merchandise has had a decidedly retro feel to it for the past few years, with the 1970s being in the forefront. I decided to go one step beyond (see what I did there ‘Madness’ fans?) and bring Mickey into the 80s.

Im’a let you finish, but these 80s-style Disney Store shirts are rad

But what 80s style? Well, 8-bit games are a hot design trend now…

so I did a low-res version of the ears. Bright colors. Bold lines.

The “every guy you knew had one” Nagel posters are making a bit of a come back. So I tried one of those.

I know you remember this one

And I did one more

I even tried my Keep Calm idea

It wasn’t until I was somewhere with my daughter and saw my inspiration…shutter shades. Thank you Kanye for bring these back. Ever kid in my daughter’s school has a pair of these.

Of course, I couldn’t find an illustration of these in a vector format I could use, so I made my own:

Which led to this:

Add this totally awesome 80’s font, which happily matched the sunglasses:

Add some 80’s color from a palette I found online:

I remembered how much I loved paint spattered clothes when I was young…

I still remember those shorts, the paint was neon. I wore them all Summer.

Plus, we could only use a black or gray shirt, so I wanted something that would stand out against the black and really be in front. I also was going for a fun, Summertime shirt, and something that evoked those emotions of being with your friends, being outside and enjoying yourself. Back in the day, I spent every Summer from 1983-88 in Southern California, and most of that time was spent at either Disneyland or Universal Studios. I would have worn this shirt to within an inch of its life. So, for me, this turned into a bit of an exercise in experiencing my youth again.

We’re almost done here

The strangest part of all this? Two different Greek media outlets picked up on this and posted links. In the end, it didn’t do much for the votes, but cool none the less.

So, it’s over. A week of surreal experiences. I got new followers, talked to a lot of people and heard nothing but kind words from friends and family. Again, because I can’t say this enough, thank you for your votes, and making this a most memorable task.

If your interested in seeing other items I’ve designed, have a look here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Monday Disney thoughts

I’m starting to feel like this guy…

 

I had no idea this tshirt thing would turn into what it has. From the people ahead of me being accused of cheating and having my shirt called uninspired, to being on the front page of the local paper’s business section, it’s been a learning experience to be sure. I’ll post more about this after the contest is over, but today, I feel like I want to tell everyone it’s just a flesh wound…

Also…

Found this today online, but have no idea if it’s really a Disney Park thing or not. If you know, please share.

Vote for my T-Shirt at the Disney Store

Friends,

I’ve been picked as one of the finalists in the Disney Store Design by Me contest on Facebook. Just click on the design below and you can vote once a day! Thanks very, very much!!

Fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie news!!!!!

 

 

Friends, I’ve gotten a scoop on the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie! I’m so excited to be able to share this new info with you. I, for one, am super excited to see this on the big screen.

Here’s the synopsis:

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, written by Terry Rossio and again directed by Rob Marshall, Pirates of the Caribbean: Skull and Bones is the fifth installment of the hit film franchise based on the Disney Parks’ attraction of the same name.

Jason Statham joins the cast as Captain Paidear.

In addition to returning stars Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Penelope Cruz and Kevin McNally, Skull and Bones will introduce Jason Statham as pirate Odhran Paidear, captain of the Crimson Lass. Paidear, who has sailed under both Sparrow and Barbossa, has been fighting on the side of the Irish in its conflict with England and is now interrupting East Indian Trading Company traffic from England to the Northeast U.S., sailing with a crew of escaped criminals, who took over their captors on the voyage to Australia.

Djimon Hounsou joins the cast as the African pirate Dechontee Tamba.

Dijmon Hounsou joins the film as African pirate Dechontee Tamba, Captain of the Kamaria Obi. Crewed with African men rescued from slave ships on the high seas, Tamba continues to chase slave ships, and send them to the depths.

The film will revolve around all 4 captains sailing to a river in the mid-Atlantic portion of America called the Little Dagger to search for a buried treasure called the “Devil’s Breath,” a piece of Viking history said to allow the owner control of the winds. Each captain has their reasons for wanting the treasure, but it will bring them all together in ways they could never dream of. And leave them changed forever.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Skull and Bones will take the audience from Africa to Ireland to New Orleans to the U.S. Eastern seaboard and introduce them to native Americans, Irish banshees and a very strange voodoo witch-doctor.

Legends of Irish banshees go back hundreds of years. In legend, a banshee is a fairy woman who begins to wail if someone is about to die. Most consider them an omen of death.

Expect to see Captain Jack search for an antidote to the voodoo doll Angelica still holds, Barbosa to follow Jack for the Black Pearl and all to join together to fight the East India Trading Company for control of the seven seas.

Jerry Bruckheimer has produced all 4 Pirates films, and other Disney flicks such as The Sorcerer's Apprentice and the Prince of Persia.

In a recent interview in Europe, Bruckheimer tells fans to “…sit down and hold on, this will be the most epic and exciting ‘Pirates’ film of them all. We’re excited to have Jason and Djimon join the cast. And we’re all looking forward to getting back out on the water to have another adventure with Jack, Barbossa, Gibbs and the rest of the cast and crew.”

Johnny Depp behind the scenes on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Ok everyone, that’s it! Excited? I am. Expected release is Summer of 2013, with filming beginning on the West coast of Africa later this month.

Fantasyland Construction Pics!!!

Thanks to friend and Disney Fan Tracey Hickey for bring us back some great shots of the Fantasyland expansion showcasing some gorgeous rock work and the Beast’s castle!

 

 

New Fantasyland Update

My good friend Lisa sent me these from her families trip to the Magic Kingdom last week. Enjoy.

More rocks behind the walls. Looks like 'The Little Mermaid' to me.

 

Beast's castle with new rock work.

Daily Disney (it’s been awhile…)

Dear readers, I apologize for the delay. Clearly my day-job got too busy for me to keep up. I’m discovering in the Disney blogosphere, you miss a day, you miss a lot. I see bloggers tweeting about posts several times a day, sometimes with something new, sometimes repeating old news or posts. Frankly, I have a hard time wading through it all. Always, my goal was to talk about some interesting Disney news and facts, interview some former cast members and see where it went. And whereas I’ve meet some amazing people and even gotten some work out of it, I question why bothering to do it. Am I doing anything special or different to share my love of the Disney Parks? Should I be? Or should I even worry about it? Time will tell and will dictate the direction. In the meantime, I’ll continue posting stuff I find interesting and fun to read, I hope you continue to follow along…

On with the show!

Alderaan weather forecast. Awesome.

IRL Woody. Not sure where I found this, but I bet it was at http://www.deviantart.com.

Snow White Anime from The Chive.

Disney princesses as Jedi warriors. Sweet.

Blackbeard 'welcomes' guests to Pirates of the Caribbean. Word is he'll spend the Summer and then Davy Jones will return.

More fun on Splash Mountain. I should have a contest to find the funniest ride photo.

Every time I see this, I laugh. And check out the woman in the back, I guess she's there to review your taxes.

And some fresh Disney tattoos:

More to come!!

Wednesday Disney

Why, hello there Disney fans. When you have literally dozens of readers, like yours truly, you are expected to update your blog regulary. Alas, work intrudes, so the updates are fewer. But fear not! I’ve got two interviews I’m working on now, both are fabulous. Yeah, I said fabulous. That’s how I roll.

In the meantime, chew on some fresh Disney, and Disney-related, news, photos and awesomeness.

We kick things off with the new ‘Muppet Movie’ teaser poster. Thanks to Jim over at Jim Hill Media for the heads up.

Some news on the game front, Nintendo World Report reports seeing a new Disney MMPG title for the Wii called ‘Disney Universe’ on Amazon.com. I checked, and the link is gone from Amazon, but I trust the source, so you should too. Play as Tron or Stitch, I’m so there…

Before animatronics, vacuforming and high-res scanning devices, costumes were made using clothe, plastic and some serious hard work. However, there are many of you that remember when Disney park characters lacked a certain ‘I-don’t-know-what.’ Check ’em out here.

My friend Amy at athenienne.tumbler.com finds awesome stuff. Today, she found the above comic cover from the talented folks at Planet Pulp. I think I love the use of Presto DiGiotagione even more than seeing Flick. And please read her blog often. She seems to like Dr. Who…

Excellent Splash Mountain photobomb.

A week ago or so, I twitted about seeing an epic mullet walking to my car after work. Andrew Crawford, @all_or_nothing on Twitter, one-uped me and gave me a photo of the rare ‘Disney Mullet.’ Bask in its flat-top, pony tail glory…

No Disney tattoos this week, if you’ve got one, show me. But in honor of Star Tours 2.0 opening soon, here’s some Boba Fett goodness…