tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-376702392011-12-25T21:06:55.634+01:00Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.comBlogger891100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-22767889534151126392009-06-20T10:08:00.002+01:002009-06-20T10:41:18.415+01:00

This time I will focus my post not on the buildings, the theming, the details of Disneyland Paris, but on one of the rarest and most beautiful sights over there: the blue sky. Can you believe that in 10 years of trips to Disneyland Paris this is the FIRST time I happened to enjoy a blue sky (sometimes with sparse clouds wich made it even more enchanting) for the whole stay, that's three days in

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-61238830912186974982009-06-14T11:02:00.003+01:002009-06-14T11:09:11.628+01:00

Disneyland Paris nevese ceases to surprise me. Look at the intricated work I found right after the entrance, to the left of Town Square, just right in front of the restrooms. Simly amazing.

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-40939321334631110532009-05-31T17:10:00.004+01:002009-05-31T17:32:15.148+01:00

There no Sunday morning stroll on Main Street U.S.A. without a visit to the Candy Palace to grab some candies to survive the walk to Sleeping Beauty's Castles. Those of you who follow this blog since its launch will probably remember my fond love for this store on Disneyland Paris' Main Street and my concerns when I first heard it was going to be refurbished slighly more than a year ago. My

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-87562608425365344002009-05-25T19:11:00.009+01:002009-05-25T19:45:18.272+01:00

Less than a week ago, I was enjoying my time at the Disneyland Resort Paris, where I spent four full magical days. That basically means one hugely good thing for this blog: I have tons of new pictures to share with you! Everything was magic as usual there but the biggest surprise was the weather wich, for the first time in my experience of Disneyland Paris, was incredibly mild and pleasant, with

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-71541047951325550172009-04-12T18:27:00.003+01:002009-04-12T18:37:48.279+01:00

I just wanted to suggest you a brand new blog that just opened today: it's called Sparkling Castle and it belongs to one of the most talented drawers I know. He's a huge disney theme park and animation fan and he's so talented that if he likes an animated movie and would love to enjoy the never built dark ride inspired by it, he just picks up a pencil and draws it. Or if he's unsatisfied with the

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-87479174555216209592009-03-26T12:12:00.006+01:002009-03-26T16:50:21.100+01:00

First, please all welcome Isabel Girão and John Rozum, Town Square Photography's new followers. Thanks Isabel and John: hope to keep up to your expectations!Let then move to this post's subject: the wonderful windows of Main Stree U.S.A.! One of the most underrated yet most delightful features of Main Street U.S.A., the windows of Main Street feature wondeful designs and shapes and incredibly

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-77304275456538541982009-03-22T18:45:00.004+01:002009-03-22T19:21:03.816+01:00

There's an insisting rumor that the Fantasyland Theatre in Fantasyland at Disneyland Paris will be bulldozed in the following years to make way to the European version of Disney's Calfornia Adventure's "The Little Mermaid" ride wich is rumored to be of the best ride WDI ever designed. The Fantasyland Theatre is a lovely building made of bricks, glass and steel and even though it was definitely

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-71763793829406129052009-03-10T20:28:00.004+01:002009-03-10T20:42:00.516+01:00

Just wanted to let you know that in two month now I'll be probably strolling somewhere along Main Street U.S.A. or exploring the hidden tracks around the Temple of Doom or waiting to get my ride to Endor or diggin' some gold under the shadow of Big Thunder Mountain. In the meantime, let's take a stroll down memory lane with this detail of Space Mountain when it used to take guests to the Moon,

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-4166993193090764792009-03-07T09:15:00.006+01:002009-03-07T09:29:38.419+01:00

Just survived from an hectic week in Milan, and in so much need of some disney magic! Here are some soothing images for you (am me!) to savour fpr the weekend.Some Beautiful rock formations on the side of the castle. Would pay to climb them!Castle balconies. A little bit rotten and in need of some maintenance, but you know what? Most real castle are like that so I quite like the final look (just

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-60109422013598751572009-03-02T20:29:00.002+01:002009-03-02T20:46:11.290+01:00

Having a look at these pictures of mine taken on my 2002 holiday is so weird... They do look older and a little less carefully planned as the ones I took in the following years. You all know Main Street USA is my favorite land and I have tons and tons of pictures of its wonderful buildings. Nevertheless each time I take a picture of just one of them I always discover new things: take this

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-15537395540310089652009-02-23T22:12:00.004+01:002009-02-23T22:27:11.463+01:00

During the last months, I had some time to scan an upload tons of older pictures from my previous trips to Disneyland Paris, like these ones I took back in 2002 when Walt Disney Studios had just opened. The park itself was the scary joke we all know, but the entrance to the park, especially at night had its own charme. Take a look and judge for yourself.

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-38601997619991548452009-02-22T18:26:00.005+01:002009-02-22T18:38:24.737+01:00

Dear readers all,it's been quite a long time since my last post. You all can easily guess what happened: real life took over and finding a little bit of time to post became harder and harder. I kept checking the stats about Town Square Photography though and found, to my greatest surprise, that the site is still visited every single day by people from all over the world still looking for pictures

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-62864079962071968572008-07-23T19:38:00.004+01:002008-12-11T15:24:05.998+01:00

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-50926878064180714432008-07-20T18:55:00.006+01:002008-12-11T15:24:06.547+01:00

Sometimes you plan a shot, measure distances, balance negative spaces, keep your breath and shoot the picture... and end with a bland, anonimous, boring image. Other times you just push the button and something magic happens. Here are a few pictures: they're not focused, they're zoomed in with no logic at all... but they managed to capture the essence of those moments, the magic of those nights

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-88946192095839807812008-06-24T18:56:00.006+01:002008-12-11T15:24:06.762+01:00

Hi all! I am very proud to announce that I finally managed to give this blog a brand new, boldly daring, joyfully retro, warmly welcoming, cover picture! I'm so proud of it!In my opinion, it's just a perfect balance between a 50's look and a Main Street look. My appreciation goes to the artists at Late Rabbits (close friends of mine) who managed to get through my confusional briefs!

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-5992424372111166302008-06-17T20:29:00.003+01:002008-12-11T15:24:06.972+01:00

We all know the troubled first years of Disneyland Resort Paris, and how they changed the name of the resort from Euro Disney Resort to Disneyland Paris in an effort to get rid of all the bad press associated to the Euro Disney brand. A few years ago, while enjoying a walk along the shores of Lake Disney, I discovered a lamp pole with the long gone "Euro Disney Resort" log on it and thought that

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-29482222065897582812008-06-09T18:36:00.004+01:002008-12-11T15:24:07.409+01:00

No, I'm not talking about Duff Beer, of course! It's Disneyland Paris' wondrous Chateau I'm talking about: here are two twilight pictures, just perfect, just wonderful. When I look at these pictures, that's when I excuse Michael Eisner for giving the green light to have Europe's Disneyland build in the rainest spot in all France ;-)

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-85592727561235898702008-06-02T18:43:00.004+01:002008-12-11T15:24:08.168+01:00

After the sad realisation that Disneyland's Tomorrowland is in such a bad shape, I turned my interest on the Walt Disney Studios at Disneyland Resort Paris again, wich, after my visit to Disney's California Adventure, I think does not deserve the Disney's-all-time-worst rate it got when it first opened. Just to see if what I was thinking was supported by actual evidences, I watched my pics of

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-72007860029627123382008-05-24T10:30:00.003+01:002008-12-11T15:24:08.261+01:00

Disneyland in California has such unique places and feelings to offer it can really stand beside Disneyland Paris (and sometimes even beat it, but don't say to loud...) Of course, there's always an exception and in this case it's the sad sad land which is know as the land of tomorrow: Tomorrowland.Forget the charming streets of New Orleans Square, long gone are the good feelings of Main Street:

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-2873309900315030092008-05-20T20:10:00.003+01:002008-12-11T15:24:09.020+01:00

So I finally made it: after so many years visiting "the prettiest copy of them all", always wondering what the original was like, I finally happened to look at th 50 years old castle, wander through the narrow streets of New Orleans Square and take a stroll on Main Street. My rate? This park is a gem, a true work of art, full of warmth, kindness, delicaties. Nothing is overstated, nothing

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-72100420944597369522008-05-15T18:36:00.002+01:002008-12-11T15:24:09.223+01:00

This pictures is probably the best I took during my three day stay at Disneyland. Hope you think the same!

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-68130032604395104552008-05-13T21:19:00.004+01:002008-12-11T15:24:10.111+01:00

Here's some more pictures of the Sleeping Beauty's Holiday Castle at Disneyland (her main residence is of course in back in France at the Disneyland Resort Paris ;-)

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-15008499686753910012008-05-12T21:15:00.005+01:002008-12-11T15:24:11.022+01:00

Here's some pictures I took just a few days ago, during my holiday in Los Angeles!Here's some pictures I took just a few days ago, during my holiday in Los Angeles!

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-40335311036669334972008-02-10T16:40:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:11.664+01:00

As I already said before, guests rushing from ride to ride, blindly believing in the fastpass-is-better mantra, sadly lose those details that really makes Disneylands all over the globe so much different from any other theme park. This time, we'll talk about the wondrous "backyard" of Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Paris.Guests with a faspass attitude will probably rush through the castle

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-37624548052950217752008-01-30T21:32:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:13.391+01:00

Some of you asked for some pictures of the interior of the hotel. Well, unfortunatley I don't have pictures of the restaurants and the New York City Bar (too busy enjoying them all!) but I managed to take some pictures of my room, wich has a very nice backside story. We had booked a lake view room but when we entered our room we found the housekeeping still working in it. Almost instantly a

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-35151279402500526292008-01-26T11:26:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:14.458+01:00

Disney's Hotel New York hasn't always been my favorite disney hotel at Disneyland Resort Paris: I used to like Disney's Hotel Cheyenne and Disney's Newport Bay Club much better, maybe because of their easier to understand and very well designed theming. The New York just featured a very distinctive post-modern look at it lacked that disney touch: no disney New York, no instantly recognisable

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-70726638469091735922008-01-24T08:16:00.001+01:002008-12-11T15:24:15.120+01:00

Let's conclude (by now, of course) our exploration of Adventureland Bazaar, by taking a look at some of it stunning details. This time, I'll show how in a circle of about 10 meters, Imagineeris managed to put (at least) three different lamps, in order to smooth the blending between North and Central African architecture. Here we are in Northern Africa......there we are in Central Africa (i.e.

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-22343281510830705882008-01-21T18:47:00.001+01:002008-12-11T15:24:15.848+01:00

Let's continue our tour of Disneyland Paris' Adventureland Bazaar!The area was designed as a visual welcome to guests entering the land and as a strong visual statement to set the right mood as soon as possible. Boy, did the imagineers deliver it!The delicate and charming visual broidery of Main Steet U.S.A. suddenly jump-cut to a forest of turrets, minarets, onion-shaped domes while colors

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-48408307900100189032008-01-17T18:46:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:16.107+01:00

As allo of you disney theme park lovers know, Disneylands are full of hidden secrets we're proud to point out when touring the park with our friends. Some areas of the park, while right there in the middle of the flow, just seem forgotten by the large crowds, as if they were kindly reserved to the brave who dares to step out of the flashing mobs of people and enjoying a secluded spot, a nice

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-56547011818408687162008-01-16T18:34:00.001+01:002008-12-11T15:24:17.314+01:00

And now, let's go have a look at North America! Here we are in the middle of the Wild Frontier: cactuses, weird-looking rocks, snowy mountains in the background and a frontier town with a chuckwagon that's just parked. Even the sun changed its appearance (see my previous post).Wait, North America is not just about the Wild West: there are the sleepy towns and the city that never sleeps, and

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-83899577532963065032008-01-15T18:50:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:17.977+01:00

We just left Italy, attracted by some mysterious kites floating above our heads. Of course, we are heading to Middle East and Asia. See the cloud shapes? we're definetely in India, don't you think? There's even the Taj Mahal at the end of our ride!On the left a tempting souk teases us with its colorful merchandising (I'm starting to write like a '50's travel brochure...)Ok, let's cross the ocean

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-35679794424735837322008-01-14T19:51:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:18.658+01:00

And now it's time for the "It's a Small World" Extravaganza! As you know it's a small world is one of my favorite attractions, a perfect and mysteriously achieved balance between cuteness and plain simple beauty. Everytime I ride the attraction the mixture between colors always leave me breathless. And how many times have I tried to take pictures of that magic blend only to get blurry pictures?

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-44748320183065874002008-01-13T15:36:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:19.066+01:00

Ah, those good ol' days when Walt Disney Studios in Paris used to be a clean car-friendly parking lot! Nowaydays it's so different!: colorful walls, grass and trees almost everywhere, but nothing will beat the astonishing look of the first glorious days! How much I miss all that greyness, that sharpness, that emptiness...First, a picture featuring the entrance to "The Art of Animation" building:

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-53229064369759843912007-12-14T08:09:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:20.012+01:00

Ciao a tutti! How are you doing?I'm fine and am sorry for the long silence, but I got almost swallowed by my work and just a few days ago I managed to survive and be back on track. Those of you (very few, I suppose) who read my blog in Italian about my very own personal life may have already guessed it but all readers deserve an explanation, even those who don't speak Italian!I just bought the

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-34636441919873610352007-08-10T10:24:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:21.236+01:00

You already know how much I like the Boardwalk Candy Palace (Disneyland Paris): besides the delicious fudges -on my last day I always buy at least three of them so when I'm back home I can still enjoy the good-ol-times flavours of Main Street U.S.A.- and wide variety of cookies and candies, the shop has always been one of the most charming of all Disneyland, so when I heard for the first time

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-3132200570208614042007-08-03T07:09:00.001+01:002008-12-11T15:24:22.040+01:00

Maybe only a few will notice, especially if you live in the United States and are mainly used to Disneyland's and Magic Kingdom's Main Street's, but these pictures capture one of those little details, those kinetic props, somenthing that has been missing for more than a decade: star-spangled banner flags are back.In 1992, in order to reinforce the sense of displacement while helping guests from

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-72243838905058129772007-08-02T10:16:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:22.322+01:00

If in the past months you read this blog and happened to like my posts and wanted to know a little more about myself, you can finally visit Kawaille, my brand new blog excusively designed to house all my personal thoughts and pictures. Beware though: Kawaille speaks Italian only, so it might be a little hard to understand it at first. Nonetheless if you're attending an Italian class and need a

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-60619781994426304892007-07-31T07:34:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:22.832+01:00

Wildy overestimating their audience, thinking we all Europeans wouldn't stand a cheap carnival look, and finally eager to put Disneyland Paris up away above the its European competitors, Imagineers literally put nice little touches, kinetic details in almost every corner of the park: flags, animatronics, even working fireplaces (!) to make guests feel they were really in a magic land of its own

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-22590554109500086252007-07-17T20:21:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:23.126+01:00

Last time I visited Disneyland Paris, I had the chance to see a brand new Frontierland: to break it to you, it was like seeing the first time the world in color after a life in black and white. Before the refurbishments began, the buildings of Frontierland all looked like the town of Big Thunder was cursed like Ravenswood Manor, but it was just greedy management.Now the color are vibrant,

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-75558853907927241192007-07-15T15:06:00.001+01:002008-12-11T15:24:24.092+01:00

A lot has already been said about the total lack of charme and pleasantness of Walt Disney Studios at Disneyland Resort Paris and, even though I couldn't agree more, I will not focus this time on this subject. I will cast a spot instead on the recent and much needed efforts Walt Disney Imagineering is doing to make this place a little more welcoming and colorful, and precisely to the Sorcerer

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-18419373981029931662007-07-12T19:48:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:24.444+01:00

I still remember the first time I heard about a faraway place called "Epcot Center": I was a 9-year-old kid and was so impressed by that stunning geodesic -loved that word!- sphere, I committed myself I would have visited that wonderful place one day. I was lucky enough to make that dream a reality in 1997, when I even happened to work there as cast member at the Italy Pavilion: each night, just

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-75331746160789699342007-07-09T21:10:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:24.929+01:00

My iMac has safely returned back home and I can finally start posting again! I have lots of pictures to share both from the present and from the past. Expect a post in the following days. Hurray!

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-7409021565718752322007-06-12T11:55:00.000+01:002007-06-12T12:03:29.159+01:00

Yes, I would have loved to say something like "We are imagineering a new blog" or "Pardon our pixie dust. We are refurbishing the blog", but the sad thing is that a few days ago my beloved iMac broke and today it will enter the E.R. and go under a complete check-up. I think the whole thing will last a month.So, I'll try and keep posting but it will be a little harder than usual so, please, be

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-56707499094932043252007-06-07T19:06:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:26.328+01:00

This is the last post about Cinderella's Castle at Tokyo Disneyland. This time, pictures have a more classic approach but I hope they can still help those of you who haven't been there to understand what it feels like to be there.The castle featured perfect bright colors, definetely a little too much for my eyes used to the mossy walls of Disneyland Paris' Chateau, wich I quite like, though

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-5537826167740331622007-06-04T19:36:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:27.290+01:00

As an apology for having posted so sparsely during the last month I decided to post a few more pictures of details from Cinderella's Castle in Tokyo. Note that these pictures have kind of an historic value now because a few years ago the color scheme of the castle was changed in favor of warmer shades of white and blue.

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-22030297667373839762007-06-03T19:02:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:30.820+01:00

In order to understand what it feels like to be in another place, sometimes a little detail is much more powerful than a thousand fancy pictures. Cinderella's Castle usually suffers of this tendency: we are all so much awed by the shimmering white turrets under the deep blue sky that we usually take pictures like this one:which, by the way is a wonderful picture, but so similar to tons of

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-5731017342414184032007-05-26T16:16:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:31.014+01:00

In a few days there will finally be a decent reason to visit Walt Disney Studios at Disneyland Resort Paris again since my first visit way back in 2002, when the park first opened: on June 9th a Toon Studio will finally open and bring to that dreary concrete esplanade formerly known as Animation Courtyard a little bit of color and fun and along with them that much needed sense of

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-2745831197845306112007-05-19T06:51:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:32.018+01:00

As you probably already know, I am a huge fan of It's a Small World and Mary Blair's outstanding art. I posted a few days ago some pictures of the Tokyo Disneyland version and said that in my opinion its color scheme is the most faithful to Mary Blair's original drawings, featuring for instance her incredible brigh colors on dark backgrounds. Though I said it happened to be my least favorite

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-37611286922455392432007-05-12T17:38:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:32.846+01:00

During my time at Tokyo DisneySEA, unfortunately I spent very little time in this area of the park, maybe because it doesn't features so many attractions but I strongly suggest to spent some time there. American Waterfront features two distinctive areas with avery different flavour one side depicts the 1930's New York with huge billboards in very bright colors, the other side portrays a small

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-48383335263594938052007-05-08T19:37:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:33.205+01:00

I already talked before about how important is, in order to fully enjoy a ride in a disney theme park, to understand that a ride is much more than the ride itself and that riding the queue really helps building the right mood to enjoy the actual ride. I already talked about how the whole concept of fastpassing an attraction, while useful if you really are in a hurry, spoils guests at the end

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-70244014713113849122007-04-29T08:52:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:34.192+01:00

If you read this blog quite often, you already know probably that I belong to the half of the world who loves it's a small world so I guess it's no wonder I looked forward to riding it's a small world when I visited Tokyo Disneyland. I heard it was somewhat different from the one I remember and love , the Disneyland Paris one.Well, it was different, definetely and I'm sorry to say it was not

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-24804083842489929302007-04-23T18:15:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:34.978+01:00

Attraction Posters are one the wonderful work of art you can enjoy only if you take your time and, instead of rushing through the gates as if you're running away from some evil creatures, you take a deep breath and take a stroll to the attractions... and the stroll itself will become an attraction itself!At Tokyo Disneyland, before entering weird but functional World Showcase, you can take a look

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-38305354597309591702007-04-19T19:03:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:36.043+01:00

Matterhorn1959 has post in the past weeks in his wonderful blog Stuff from the Park a very interesting collections of pictures os signs taken in Disneyland: some amusing, others just beautiful, all definetely worth a look.But you know what I like most about this kind of pictures?Even if when I took them, I sometimes feel like a stupid, or when I show them to my friends after my expensive

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-2118916007367502062007-04-16T18:22:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:36.710+01:00

When I decided to visit the Tokyo Disney Resort, I first tried to book a room at the Miracosta, but the least expensive ones were already gone and the available rooms were way too much expensive for my pocket. So I switched to the Ambassador wich was a little less expensive. I didn't take into consideration one of the official hotels because I was curious about staying in a Disney Hotel during my

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-47575488865367863822007-04-14T18:05:00.000+01:002007-04-14T18:12:52.313+01:00

Sometimes sounds are much more helpful in recalling memories than pictures. It may sounds silly but among the hundreds of pictures I took back in 2005 when I visited for the first time Tokyo DisneySEA is a tiny video I took just to record the official announcement that was airing in the morning. I want to go back!Have a super Sunday Brunch tomorrow!

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-39689471807557786022007-04-10T19:00:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:37.768+01:00

Captain Nemo 's adventures under the seven seas has always fascinated me: it has always embodied a sense of adventure, mystery, unknown and exploration together with a strong trust in a better future: in a few words, Walt's vision of the future.I guess you can now understand why I always loved so much Disneyland Paris' Discoveryland and was literally blown away by Tokyo DisneySEA's Mysterious

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-89744238692970466532007-03-28T20:05:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:38.800+01:00

Every time I visit Disneyland Paris, I can't miss one of the most beautiful restaurants of the park and one of the most delicious too. I'm talking about the Blue Lagoon Restaurant. While other restaurants at the park have slowly become all-you-can eat buffet with five dishes or so to choose from (Auberge de Cendrillon, why you? why?... Walt's, why?), Blue Lagoon has managed to keep its

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-56249955746893343702007-03-25T11:51:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:40.555+01:00

I don't know if you're one the ones who like using fastpasses. When I first heard of this new feature being added to the most famous, thus crowded, attractions I couldn't help but feel something a little sad was happening. Queueing in a disney theme park is not an empty void before the real attractions but it's supposed to be an useful chance to get acquainted with the theme and the story that

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-79792148074036678462007-03-21T18:57:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:41.577+01:00

Wich better way to say goodbye to New York City than enjoying one evening at the the New Amsterdam Theatre watching Mary Poppins the musical? Here are my three final pictures of this wonderful trip to New York. Let's begin with the giant billboard outside the theatre...... here we are, firmly sitted at our seats and ready to watch the show. Pictures were not allowed so I had to take them very

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-22517054817634383912007-03-20T19:42:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:41.749+01:00

Unfortunately I didn't take so many pictures of the third floor of World of Disney, the one devoted to collectibles and disney memorabilia, even my partner and I spent a lot of time (and money by the way) up there. We were lucky enough though to snap a pic of cruellissima Cruella De Vil doing some shopping on the 5th Ave. How fabulousa!

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-15486522132413195602007-03-18T12:44:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:42.333+01:00

Yo may have a nightmarish week at work but, if you treat yourself with such a delicious sunday brunch with home-made biscuits and pancakes and butter, nutella, peanut butter, and maple syrup... well, who can asks for more? Happy Sunday Brunch!

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-62418885307317809652007-03-16T19:10:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:43.169+01:00

Time to move to the firs floor! Let's take the automatic escalator and...Here we are to beautiful first floor, wich received I don't know when exactly a special Pirates makeover. Again, lots of disney merchandise you don't usually get at Disney Stores.The main feature here is this giant I-don't-know what... My friends ad I actually talked a lot about it, trying to understand what imagineers

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-5727357841726401522007-03-14T19:58:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:43.928+01:00

A quick update today, but full of pictures, just so you will excuse me... Here are a few pictures of the firs floor. As I said before , the store is very nice, even if the theming is a little bit inconsistent and different areas feature quite different props. Take for example the princess girlie area, full of nice and colorful chandeliers.Now, compare that to area surrounding the entrance and

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-3910876237113665692007-03-12T18:35:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:44.247+01:00

As promised, this post (and the following) will be featuring different aspects of the interior of the World of Disney at 5th Ave. This time, I'll show you two pictures of the pillars under wich the cast members at the counters work. Some might say an overall consistency is missing as one colum features some organ pipes from Snow White and the other a style reminiscent of Hercules (that's my very

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-68379097849300521152007-03-11T11:19:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:44.675+01:00

I expected the exterior decorations of World of Disney in New York City to be much more colorful and rich, as it would be in places such as both Downtown Disney's in Florida and in California. Here in New York City instead the overall style of the is very elegant and subtle: just Mickey, Minnie and Pluto welcoming guests on the 5th Ave. and some brushes at the beginning of a film reel framing

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-84333361202045562252007-03-07T20:00:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:44.854+01:00

As promised, I'll focus in my future posts on New York's World of Disney ont the 5th Avenue. The place is a huge disney store with all kinds of merchandise... well, not really, as items such as jewelry and watches and home apparels were not available (I remembered them at Orlando's). Stille there's a huge area entirely devoted to Walt Disney Art Classics and other collectibles. But having a

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-27942745391962539202007-03-06T22:32:00.000+01:002007-03-06T22:35:47.126+01:00

Hi there! Just wanted to tell you all I survived the flight home and am finally back from my wonderful wonderful trip in New York City. As soon as I upload my pictures and recover from the jet-lag, I'll start posting again. Thanks for the patience!

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-66555750678317117632007-02-23T19:19:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:45.977+01:00

It's all about attention to details, they say. Disney parks worldwide are a huge tribute to this way of thinking and Arabian Coast at Tokyo DisneySEA is no exception. Infact, even though the attractions of this area are not that good in my opinion, the way it is build goes way beyond just stage settings and becomes architecture, just like the Tower of Terror at MGM-Disney Studios or

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-71721195706834652282007-02-22T20:22:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:46.212+01:00

A wonderful detailed window from the American Waterfront at Tokyo DisneySEA, just to let you know I will bi visiting NEw York City for the following week, so updates will be be in about seven days. I will be visiting the main New York City attractions uf course (such as the Guggenheim, the MoMA etc.) and taking tons of pictures. And there will even be some Disney experiences: a detailed

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-1177605749784433332007-02-19T19:49:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:46.559+01:00

In the following installments, I'll post random pictures of those well hidden details that makes every visit to a disney theme park so special. This one for instance was taken while waiting in line to ride Bitg Thunder Mountain ad Disneyland Paris. If waiting areas are staged so well, it's such a pleasure to wait (...well, at least is not so painful :-) and it really helps set the ride mood to

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-72899524111467743662007-02-18T14:02:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:46.989+01:00

It's a Small World is definetely one of my favorite rides. In the Disneyland Paris version a little gem not to skip it's the area past the attraction (even thought it's a basically a huge display of the main sponsor of the attraction, France Telecom). You have to walk through a pathway surrounded by very elaborate and colorful reproductions of the most important building in the world. It's a very

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-62801322769548786772007-02-15T18:56:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:47.542+01:00

In my last post I talked about the Italian/Mediterranean street Disneyland Paris was supposed to have and, speaking about Italian settings and theming of course Tokyo DisneySEA's Mediterranean Harbor. The style of this land pushes much more towards realism (a little too much maybe?) than Pizzeria Bella Notte and it's so well done it makes you feel really small.

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-80679656102825141262007-02-14T18:40:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:48.738+01:00

Pizzeria Bella Notte is one of my favorite restaurants at Disneyland Paris!Ok, the food is definetely nothing special, especially if you're from Italy and/or know what a goof pizza should taste of, but the efforts Walt Disney Imagineering put into designing this place are just worth the microwaved pizza (and let's not even talk about the maccheroni with bolognese sauce...)The exterior of the

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-65404800883871811582007-02-13T22:09:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:49.229+01:00

In the previous post, I showed the dark caves under the castle where a dragon built its lair. Now, see this pacific green hill surrounding the castle? Well, here's where the lair is supposed to be, cleverly hidden under this pastoral view.And a little bit to the right, the majestic view of the castle...

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-56230404529765782112007-02-12T19:42:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:49.628+01:00

Sleeping Beauty Castle truly is an attraction in itself, full of hidden gems easily forgotten, especially if you're already visited Orlando's Magic Kingdom and Disneyland thus making the wrong assumption castles are basically a nice corridor leading to Fantasyland. Disneyland Paris Castle is different. For instance, under the castle, well hidden under the cheerful lawns and trees of the hills

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-30707577673067800312007-02-09T22:09:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:50.660+01:00

This weekend post is dedicated to the beautiful interior designed for Sleeping Beauty Castle in Paris.Disneyland Resort Paris is renown for its incredible attention to details and Sleeping Beauty Castle is no exception: just look at this blueprint of the interior and you'll know what I'm talking about. (thanks to sparkyfra for the pictures)...and these are some pictures of the interior as it was

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-30931049871671224692007-02-07T13:39:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:51.576+01:00

Main Street East SideMain Street West SideMain Street CrossroadsMy favorite land of all Disneylands is Disneyland Paris' Main Street U.S.A.The vibrant colors, the elaborate decorations of the buildings, the right balance between nostalgia and enthusiasm about the future... in my own opion it's basically what Disney is all about.My endless love for Main Street once pushed me to take this panoramic

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-1429089340871120822007-02-06T19:07:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:51.747+01:00

In the yesterday post I talked about the wall separating Port Discovery and the real sea and I thought it would be nice to show what I was talking about, so I managed to find this picture. I tried to take better pictures, but it was hard to get a good shot of such small and quite far detail, so here's the best I did!

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-89699600517946724922007-02-05T21:29:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:52.056+01:00

Here's another shot of Port Discovery. This area of the park is basically a futuristic shoreline facing the real sea. I always asked myself how could they manage such a strong intrusion of reality into a theme park. What they did was quite clever. They didn't try to hide the sea but cleverly used it as part of the show. A huge steel wall stays betwen us and the sea, giving the impression that

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-61957069409242423602007-02-04T16:31:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:52.442+01:00

Port Discovery has a style much close to the one used in Discoveryland from the Disneyland Resort Paris.

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-14638658093148953862007-02-02T08:16:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:52.606+01:00

Here's my final shot (by now) of wondrous Mermaido Ragoon, as Japanese guests call it. Sugoi desu ne!

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-3976326512561693502007-02-01T19:36:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:52.813+01:00

Here's another amazing view of the exterior. I spent out there taking picturea about an hour. Hope the final work is worthy!

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-60210458286873693362007-01-31T19:50:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:53.365+01:00

This pictures can only hint the magic under-the-sea feeling you get when in this place. The attractions are heavily oriented to a younger audience and, in my opinion, a dark ride would definetely help families stay all together. Still, strolling there is an attraction in itself. Nice touch: look at the simple but effective way of hiding the ceiling.

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-38655815670241532542007-01-30T19:39:00.000+01:002008-12-11T15:24:53.811+01:00

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-1170161124050936752007-01-30T13:37:00.000+01:002007-01-30T13:45:37.276+01:00

The level of craftmanship pored into this land of the park is amazing. I really would love to have a look at the blueprints and see how they did that.

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-1170093317781001482007-01-29T18:41:00.000+01:002007-01-29T18:55:17.793+01:00

Cinderella Castle Mistery Tour featured a sign with an holographic mirror face appearing and disappearing as you approached it.In this shot you can clearly see the haunting face!Cinderella Castle Mistery Tour was not only a very original attractions with unsual concept behind it (how many disney attractions are so dedicated in portraying the evil side of the fairy tales?) but it ended on the

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-1169980962900065002007-01-28T11:36:00.000+01:002007-01-28T11:42:42.910+01:00

Here 's a nice panoramic view of World Bazaar taken from right in the middle of the crossroads. I think World Bazaar is one of the least photographed spot in the park and it always proved difficot to me to understand what it was like before actually been there in person. So I thought a panoramic shot would be nice!

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-1164226696019183892006-11-22T21:16:00.000+01:002006-11-22T21:52:29.570+01:00

Here's avery nice view of the volcano and the Exploration Fortress. The first time you see this view is of those thing a true disney fan has to do.

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670239.post-1163844877379829932006-11-18T11:07:00.000+01:002006-11-18T11:14:37.386+01:00

Mamma Biscotti'sHere's one of the nice shops filling Mediterranean Harbor, of the seas at Tokyo DisneSea. Bakery there was nothing close to the Italian (or the mediterranean), but it was very tasty!

Massimo Potìhttps://profiles.google.com/107040974521105905186noreply@blogger.com0