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Search Results for: osborne lights

PHOTO TOUR of the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights!

13 December 2012 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

Walking around the corner at Disney’s Hollywood Studios onto New York Street and seeing the overwhelming amount of holiday lights displayed at the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights is one of those must-do moments for me, that takes my breath away every year. If I could figure out a way to move into one of those Brownstones on the street, I would pack up in a heartbeat. Heck, I’d even live above the T.P. Tree! 😉 It is such a gift that Disney gives us each year, the beautiful lights, the music, a way to pause and enjoy the wonder and spirit of the season. It’s impossible not to go home happy.

I have so many wonderful memories tied into these lights – with my dad, who loved them as much as I do and loved the Studios too, my mom, as we tear up remembering the times with my dad, my older kids when they were little – I can still picture my now almost-14-year-old son sitting in his stroller, reaching his hand out to catch the “snow” as it fell, and now my youngest gets to experience it all as well and more and more memories are made each year. The past few years I’ve added memories with friends and other locals too. It’s just such a great place to wander and hang out. No parades or fireworks to line up for, just relax and enjoy the sights and sounds that envelope you at every turn.

So without further ado, lets take a look at some highlights from my most recent visit:

Disney’s Hollywood Studios Tree
Sid Cahuengas is always ready for Christmas!
One of my favorite Disney holiday displays!
My attempt to emulate Tom Bricker 😉
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
Santa!
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
Ooh, a black cat!
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
Fireplace with stockings
Fireplace without stockings!
The T.P. Tree
The infamous Toilet Paper Tree!
Crowds love The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
Spectacle of Dancing Lights
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
The canopy is the best
City Hall
City Hall with Mickey and Minnie lights
Santa Goofy is on hand for photos
Merry Christmas!
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
The big tree!
Peace on Earth!
Still more canopy!
Canopy in motion!
And even more canopy!
Canopy from afar!
Santa and the tree!
So pretty!
Santa and snow!
Blue canopy (yes, I guess I went overboard with canopy shots)
Looking up from next to the canopy.
Cannot get enough of the canopy!
The colors here are so pretty!
I loved this tiny pink hidden Mickey
Can I move in now?
The nativity is beautiful…
Goodnight from Hollywood Studios!

 

Filed Under: Disney Holidays, Photos From the Parks, Theme Park Holiday Events, Walt Disney World Tagged With: Christmas lights, colors, dancing lights, Disney, Disney Christmas, Disney holidays, Disney photos, Disney snow, Disney's Hollywood Studios, extreme Christmas lights, holiday lights, hollywood, hollywood studios, lights, manger, music, nativity, osborne family, Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, Photo Tour, Santa Goofy, SODL, spectacle, Spectacle of Dancing Lights, spirit of the season

Disney’s Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights Canopy Show

22 December 2011 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

Yet another family tradition each year and yet another moment to cry tears of joy in a Disney park. My dad loved these lights as well as Disney’s Hollywood Studios, so I’m always flooded with memories when we first turn the orner and see the amazing sparkling colors. I will have to admit, I was a little disappointed with the crowd control this year, normally we can walk right through from the Writer’s Stop, but this year we were detoured at every turn from left of the Great Movie Ride on, and funneled around to the back of the San Francisco area and Lights, Motors, Action!. Unfortunately, this is a terrible way to view experience the lights, especially for first-time visitors. You are able to SEE the lights as you turn into the New York Street area, but cannot gain access until the back, making for teeming throngs of disgruntled guests, and I was among them this week.

Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

Having visited the Spectacle of Dancing Lights (SODL) each year since it premiered, the overall ‘show’ has always started at the end of New York Street and culminated with the turning Peace on Earth globe, angels and the Nativity. Granted, this route has changed slightly since first opening, when guests would get to walk down Residential Street, but the Peace on Earth was always the ‘finale’ so to speak. As years passed, the lights began to dance to music and more and more interactive elements were added. As a result, I understand that there isn’t any one centerpiece or finale, but the current route with countless detours and barricades made for a very disappointing experience.

In addition, there are many more PhotoPass stations now, making it almost impossible to take family photos, or even photos of just the lights, without a line of guests in front of you, waiting for professional photos. Again, I understand why Disney is doing what they are doing, but from a guest standpoint, it’s not something that benefits most people. How about photo stations outside of the fray of New York Street, where PhotoPass software can add the SODL into the background later? Surely, the photos will look better than a close-up of the base of a giant tree of lights, or building, where you can’t see the immense detail and overall wow factor of the experience. Just my thoughts, as a long-time visitor and someone that heard lots of complaints the night I went, and online too.

Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
Still awe-inspiring, each year.

 

Luckily, the lights and the family memories won out in the end and magic again took over, but I implore Disney to work on a better plan that doesn’t involve so much confusion and frustration. When and if you visit, be prepared for crowds and ask the cast members where you actually enter for the lights so you can head there first. My advice is to go during the week and see the lights later in the night, not when the lights first switch on. Those caveats given, I’d love to share one of my favorite musical portions of the nights’ songs, that I was able to record. If, like me, it’s one of your favorite things at Walt Disney World during the holidays, or you aren’t able to make it down to see the lights, I hope you enjoy the show. This video features the all-new canopy, offering some amazing effects.

 

Filed Under: Disney Holidays, Family Memories, Walt Disney World Tagged With: Christmas, Christmas light display, dancing lights, DHS, Disney Christmas, Disney holidays, disney park, Disney parks, Disney's Hollywood Studios, family tradition, hollywood studios, Jennings Osborne, nativity, Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, Osborne Lights, residential street, SODL, video, videos, Walt Disney World

VIDEO: Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights With Snow!

21 December 2010 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

Without a doubt, the amazing Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights is one of my favorite parts of the holiday season at Walt Disney World. It’s a family tradition and I can’t tell you how many pictures I have of my kids in strollers looking up with their mouths hanging open at the awe inspiring lights before them. This year, I captured the lighting ceremony, the snow and more on video to share here with you. I hope you enjoy it and get a chance to check them out in person at Disney’s Hollywood Studios if you haven’t yet!



Filed Under: Disney Holidays Tagged With: Christmas light display, Disney, Disney holidays, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, video, Walt Disney World, xmas lights

Disney Holidays 2020 – Cancellations and Reactions

9 September 2020 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

Cinderella Castle Dream Lights

Yesterday, the internet broke yet again as Disney announced their updated 2020 Holiday lineup for Walt Disney World Resort. Every Disney twitter user, blogger, and Disney news site shared the news. Of course, for the ultimate reaction, leading with NO MORE CASTLE LIGHTS! Or the second hardest-hitting news, NO GINGERBREAD HOUSES! I read the news with everyone else, but took a step back to look at the bigger picture. I wanted to share my thoughts with you, in hopes we can all embrace the holidays in any form.

The Big Picture

Now I’m not here to lecture anyone, but I would like to remind you all of that Christmas classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Remember little Cindy Lou Who? She loved Christmas and was the embodiment of childhood innocence in that original tale and accompanying tv special that we all grew up with. I identified greatly with Cindy Lou. I was also blonde with blue eyes, and Christmas was the best time of the year for me. I was graced with being born exactly two weeks before Christmas, which meant pretty much the entire month was celebratory for me.

Growing up in New England, driving into Boston to see the various light and holiday displays around town was a tradition I looked forward to each year. Other traditions included decorating our tree, my mom baking tray after tray of Christmas cookies, watching Christmas specials on tv. I vividly remember being an angel in the Christmas pageant at our church, and when I was older, attending midnight Mass with my grandparents. I know I’m not alone in my memories. I know you all have your traditions too. But think back to Cindy Lou. She, like all the Whos in Whoville, learned that Christmas is something that lives inside us all. We don’t need decorations or presents or all the fluff and folderol that accompanies the holidays. Christmas will come, no matter what the castle looks like.

I know, I know, it’s 2020, and we all deserve the Christmas we know and love, after enduring over half a year of disappointments, unwelcome changes, and cancellations. But what 2020 has taught us all is that we can’t depend on outside forces to bring us happiness, joy, and fulfillment. 2020 has taught us what truly matters, what is important, and the value of our choices. Hopefully 2020 taught us how our choices affect others, and how we can help more than hurt. We will survive the castle not having lights. We will.

The Disney Holidays Changes

Let’s go down the list of the rest of the changes and postponements and see how we can look at things a different way. The holidays at Walt Disney World will begin November 6, 2020 and run through December 30. The text in quotes below comes from the Disney Parks Blog post announcing these changes.

Magic Kingdom: 

Character cavalcades at Magic Kingdom Park will take on a special holiday twist, with Christmas friends on festive floats in their holiday finest. Gingerbread Men? Check! Elves and Reindeer? Check, check! And the Toy Soldiers will join the Main Street Philharmonic as they march through Magic Kingdom Park, bringing musical holiday cheer for all to hear.

When night falls, special projection effects will give a festive look to Cinderella Castle this year, providing a colorful backdrop for our Guests’ photos. The appearance of the iconic castle will be transformed with a rotating series of designs including a whimsical Christmas sweater and a regal overlay of red, green and gold ornamentation. This will be in place of the Castle Dream Lights. Other holiday experiences that draw big crowds will be on hiatus this year as well, such as Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.

What does that mean for you? You get to look at all your past Cinderella Castle Dream Lights and remember the wonderful times you had experiencing them first hand. You can watch videos! You can decorate your house with white LED lights and do your best castle makeover at home. Set up holiday stations around your home with different decorations, and hand out cookies and cocoa to all your family members in the house! Dress up your pets and create your own Christmas parade roaming your halls. You can still visit the Castle, and see the projection show on it, just no lights, and no Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Personally, I am a HUGE fan of the Toy Soldiers, and seeing them march with the Main Street Philharmagic sounds so fun!

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

EPCOT: 

Candlelight Processional at EPCOT will be on hiatus this year but holiday character promenades will take place at EPCOT. Starting a bit later in the season, on Nov. 27, we’ll celebrate highlights from the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays. Holiday kitchens will return around World Showcase promenade with favorites like American Holiday Table featuring Slow-roasted Turkey with Stuffing and Bavaria Holiday Kitchen with dishes like Cheese Fondue in a Bread Bowl.

Guests will be invited to step inside World ShowPlace to enjoy the returning group, JOYFUL!, who present a journey through R&B, Gospel, contemporary and traditional Christmas and holiday music. Also, the Voices of Liberty will bring their incredible 8-part harmonies to the America Gardens Theatre stage for a special concert of favorite carols and songs of the season. There are plenty more details about this festival to come, so stay tuned.

So Candlelight Processional is a beloved classic, and a way for those looking for a more spiritual celebration of the holiday can be uplifted through story and song. However, you can listen to the entire show on Apple Music and other music streaming services, and thank goodness again for YouTube, where you can watch Candlelight Processional (on repeat if you want!).

Candlelight Processional

As you can also see above, Disney is not taking away our holiday food. It sounds like they will still be offering a Festival of the Holidays with foods from around the world. I’m very happy to see JOYFUL! will be performing, they are an amazing group and should not be missed.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

There will be merry character motorcades at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Of course, the holidays wouldn’t be complete without enjoying a meal among friends and family. Minnie Mouse will be hosting a yuletide gathering for all her friends at Hollywood & Vine at Disney’s Hollywood Studios starting Nov. 6. Santa Goofy will be there, along with Minnie and more in their holiday best.

I do wonder if some of the vintage-look holiday decor that has been placed around the Studios will return this season, we’ll have to wait and see. I don’t think too many of the spots caused a bottleneck of guests, but we’ll see. Of course, Hollywood Studios took the hardest hit a few years back when the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights ended. I think at the time, and since they ended, I personally stuffed my emotions down to my feet, because I knew I’d be an emotional wreck if I let myself truly think about the loss.

Spectacle of Dancing Lights
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

Now, 5 years later, I deeply, greatly miss those lights and the times my family would spend under them. It was such an amazing experience that hasn’t been duplicated since. I am not alone in my years and years full of memories of my children looking up in wonder at the lights, enveloped by the music, catching the “snow” in their hands. It is part of why I am so thrilled that Give Kids the World is putting on the Night of a Million Lights this year. I will gladly pay to experience some semblance of magical lights, with the proceeds going to such a good cause. The point is, we got through the ending of the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, we will make it through this temporary loss of Castle Dream Lights.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom:

All we know about Animal Kingdom is that there will be festive flotillas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Similar to what they have now with characters floating down the river around the backside of the Tree of Life, but…festive! I do hope we get some of the beautiful Animal Kingdom luminary decorations that debuted last year back as well, but as with the other parks, we’ll have to wait and see. Disney has promised:

Festive décor, themed merchandise, seasonal food & beverage offerings and entertainment all across Walt Disney World Resort. Holiday magic will be in full force at the four theme parks and Disney Springs, and Santa Claus will make time for special pop-up appearances at each location, waving and exclaiming holiday wishes to all.

 

Disney Springs:

Guests will discover Christmas around every corner as they come across a collection of elaborately-decorated Disney Christmas trees spread throughout this retail, dining and entertainment destination. In the evening, Guests visiting areas within Town Center, West Side and The Landing will encounter a magical snowfall, adding an extra touch of wonder to their holiday shopping. And to top it off, Jock Lindsey will once again be turning his hangar bar into Jock Lindsey’s Holiday Bar complete with delightful holiday décor and a delicious limited-time menu filled with festive favorites.

I am assuming the Tree Trail in Disney Springs will be spread out around the entirety of the Springs. That was definitely a popular trail, and would not align with social distancing guidelines. I am surprised to see a place so small as Jock Lindsey’s bringing back their holiday festivities. Again, I’m assuming it will be a reduced capacity to allow for a more safe experience. Disney Springs is a very festive place to just stroll around, hear the holiday music, and look at the decorations. I’m sure that will still be the case this year.

Disney Resort hotels: 

Disney Resort hotels will also be decked out for the holidays, with their lobbies featuring iconic trees and other festive flourishes. One thing to keep in mind is that our gingerbread displays will not return to the Resort hotels this year. While we know they are a favorite of people taking in the holiday décor, we’re not able to include those displays due to physical distancing guidelines.

So the trees will be back, but not the gingerbread displays. I know this is also a tough one for folks who took holiday family photos in front of the giant gingerbread house in Disney’s Grand Floridian each year. I’m sure the Disney pastry chefs are just as disappointed as we are.

Grand Floridian gingerbread house

More than Just Disney Holiday Decorations

Another thing to remember is there are still so many cast members who haven’t returned to the magic for various reasons. This could’ve been their favorite time of year too, and now they have gone months without their jobs. The Castle Dream Lights may not be going up because the tech crew that puts the lights up isn’t there. The pastry chefs may not have been all called back either. The performers in the Christmas parade and other shows and live entertainment are still waiting for that call.

It is very easy to look at the parks and resorts and think we are owed the traditions we have come to expect and enjoy each year. Family vacations have been planned around these seasons: hotels, party tickets, dining reservations, booked far in advance. We have turned to Disney for our holiday traditions and Disney has provided. We love all of these events for a reason, Disney does the holidays better than anyone. Now, Disney needs us to understand that circumstances have changed, and as such, traditions must as well. We’d all like nothing more than to stroll down Main Street, U.S.A., see all our favorite Residents of Main Street, and the Dream Lights waiting at the end of the street. But we must be patient, we must understand, that Christmas doesn’t reside in a holiday party, or a gingerbread house.

Whoville Christmas ending
Forgive the non-Disney analogy, but I think it fits. ♥

Christmas will come, no matter what. The memories in our hearts and our minds will light Cinderella Castle. They will fill the Grand Floridian with the scent of gingerbread. The songs in our heart will perform the Candlelight Processional. The Christmas at Disney we knew and love will return when it can. Until then, it’s up to us to keep it alive. 

What About You?

How will you celebrate Christmas this season? Do you have any other ideas for bringing the magic home this season? Will you be visiting the Disney parks and resorts for the holidays?

 

Filed Under: Disney Holidays, Disney News, Disney Parks, Resorts, & Entertainment, Disney Resorts Tagged With: Candlelight Processional, Castle lights, Christmas spirit, Cinderella Castle Dream lights, Disney cancellations, Disney Christmas, Disney Christmas 2020, Disney Christmas decorations, Disney deep thoughts, Disney holiday memories, Disney holidays, Disney holidays 2020, Disney hotels christmas, Grand Floridian gingerbread house, Mickey's Christmas Party, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

A Disney Local Perspective: Holiday Traditions Old and New

6 December 2018 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

There’s a special magic to blinking open your eyes from a long sleep and realizing it’s somehow both still dark and very bright out that morning – only to discover the reason for that is the windows and all outside are covered in snow. Tiny frozen stars etched onto the glass, snow glistening as it drapes over each tree branch and coats each pine needle. It was only yesterday you were stomping around in that very grass, crunching the fallen leaves under your feet releasing that earthy smell, combined with the crisp air that could only mean snow was on its way. There is nothing quite as magical as the blanket of freshly fallen snow, except maybe on Christmas morning…These are some of my fondest memories from growing up, along with, of course, the entire Christmas season and all it promised each year.

Being a December baby, it was always a time of surprises and never-ending wonder at the beautiful sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the season. My family would always wait to get our tree (real of course) till the weekend before my birthday, which is two weeks before Christmas every year. Decorating that tree was such a special tradition. Every ornament had a story, and we all had our favorites. Of course my mother had already been baking for weeks by that point, every family member, friend, and neighbor got a carefully packaged container of her famous Christmas cookies, wrapped in clear plastic and tied up with a red ribbon. She would store the dozens of them between sheets of wax paper in white 5 gallon tubs from the restaurant where my father was a M’aitre D’. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t sneak quite a few back in the day. The Russian Tea cookies have always been my downfall (and my favorite).

Another favorite tradition was driving through the neighborhoods to see Christmas lights. For some reason, growing up, both my grandparents and our house only ever did white candles in our window at Christmastime. (I think my grandmother thought colored outdoor lights looked “tacky”?)  We had colored lights on the tree, candles in the window and a wreath on the door. No colorful C6 bulbs stapled to our rooftop or wrapped around our bushes. But what that austere decor made me do was appreciate everyone else’s lights all the more. Many towns in New England have a town square or green with big old trees, which are usually covered in lights, sometimes twinkling, sometimes not, including Watertown Square, which we would pass on the way to my grandparents house. The Boston Common in downtown Boston also did this with many of their trees, and we’d sometimes take a drive to the city just to see them, ending at the big tree outside the Prudential Center. I can still feel the cold vinyl of the backseat in the family car, as the dark winter night was suddenly lit with thousands of lights before my eyes.

Petee’s Hill in Sharon, Massachusetts

Of course I have other memories too; taking part in the Christmas pageant at school where I got to be an angel, the smell of the incense during holiday mass, and the opposite of extremes, watching all the holiday specials on tv, usually with a mug of hot cocoa and some of those famous Christmas cookies I mentioned above. Snow days off of school, walking up to the hill on the other side of our own town square and sledding down all day with friends till my socks were soaked and my toes and nose were frozen from cold. And I’m sure I’m not alone with these memories, and they probably still exist today for kids in New England towns or anywhere up north that gets snow. I know I’m not unique in that regard. By stark contrast to my current location, I never once visited Walt Disney World during the holidays as a child. Even when we moved to Ocala in 1985 and became annual passholders I did not experience a Disney Christmas, since we drove back up to Massachusetts to have the holidays with my grandparents. After college, I moved back to Florida from Massachusetts in 1995 to work at Walt Disney World, and finally experienced the holidays in the parks first hand, as a cast member on Main Street. U.S.A.

Which brings me to the purpose of my post today. If you asked any of my children to write about their holiday memories, they would have a very different answer, and not just because 25+ years separate our childhoods. Some parts would be similar; we still make cookies, we still watch those holiday specials (although I may be the only one that appreciates their vintage charm), I have managed to break the “only candles in the window” decorating rule, and of course we still drive around and look at lights, it’s just that our neighbors do a bit more decorating down here. In fact, there’s a castle down the street that really goes all out. All of my past memories and traditions are why, if I let myself pause long enough, seeing those icicle lights on Cinderella Castle brings me to tears. Because as many years of memories as I have riding in the backseat and looking at lights through the car window, I now have many more of myself and my children walking down Main St. U.S.A. and seeing the Castle lights for the first time, or images in my head of my oldest two side by side in a double stroller, looking up with eyes wide, mouths agape, and hands outstretched to catch the “snow” as we strolled through the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. And later, my youngest, now 10, dancing in the Streets of America to Feliz Navidad as a tiny 5 year old, laughing and spinning around, as I captured it on video. I’m tearing up just thinking about it. Don’t even get me started on Candlelight Processional and how I’m moved to tears every year as the songs swell and the voices sing out and you realize all the things you are truly, truly grateful for on this earth.

Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights These are the holiday traditions and memories my children grew up with. And I know they wouldn’t trade them for the world. We are extremely blessed to be so close to all of these amazing holiday experiences, and to have been able to attend them for so many years so that they have become traditions, not just holiday happenings, but part of the ever-growing tapestry of our family story. One could say that these new traditions couldn’t possibly mean as much, since they take place at the globally dominant headquarters of capitalization and money-hungry corporate messages of “buy this!” abound. And you would be right, and wrong. Yes, Disney parks are corporate wizards at marketing their way into your wallets and making you think you need more and you need it now. But if you sift past the mind-numbing amounts of instagrammable offerings thrown at you, you can experience the holiday spirit in its refined, concentrated form. Christmas lights, traditional holiday storytelling, holiday treats from around the world, parades, cookies, holiday music and trees and decorations everywhere. Gingerbread houses, caroling, Santa and Mrs. Claus, the story of Christmas….These are the takeaways and the memories created at the Place Where Dreams Come True (and the Happiest Place on Earth because we’ve been to Disneyland during the holidays too and they are pretty darn magical over there as well), which will carry my children into adulthood as they create their own traditions with whatever and whomever the future holds for them.

Our neighbor’s holiday light display…

My holiday story has gone from one where you never know who would show up at the front door for some coffee and Christmas cookies, to walking through a Disney park and never knowing which friends and neighbors you’d bump into. My oldest children drove right around the Magic Kingdom every day on their way to and from high school. And now they walk into a park and see friends working as Cast Members, or work there themselves, sharing the magic that they grew up enjoying with thousands of guests each day. I know they realize how “magical” their lives are as far as our connection to Disney and Orlando in general, and it amazes me to see how grounded and inspired they are by those connections that have become their backstory. And as happy as my memories are of waking up to new fallen snow and the promise of a day of sledding, theirs are just as happy of celebrating birthdays and milestones at favorite Disney restaurants or riding through Fort Wilderness to see the holiday decorations or attending Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party each year. Times change, the backdrop may change, even family shrinks and grows over the years, but the holiday memories still abound, no matter where you may find them.

Have your holiday traditions changed over the years? What are some of your favorites? I’d love to hear them. 

Filed Under: Commentary Land, Disney Holidays, Family Memories, Top Stories Tagged With: Boston, Christmas, Disney Christmas, Disney holidays, Disney memories, Family Memories, Growing up in the 80's, Holiday traditions, Massachusetts, New England

The End of The Great Movie Ride – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

27 September 2017 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

Great Movie Ride
Image ©Tom Bricker disneytouristblog.com because I could not do justice with any of my photos!

Being raised by parents who grew up in the middle of the golden age of movie-making, I think Disney-MGM Studios on a whole had an instant familiar feel to it, though I had never stepped foot west of the Mississippi. As I’ve mentioned before, California seemed like a distant other country to me.

I was 15 in 1989 when the park opened; raised on a steady diet of old movie lines and songs sung by my father, who had over the years made me watch a few of his favorites. I say “made” because at that age and prior, I had no real appreciation or interest in anything black and white that wasn’t an A-Ha music video.

But this time in my life, 6 years after I’d met and fallen in love with EPCOT Center, was filled with quite a few trials and tribulations, so it was easy to find solace here and take an immediate interest. I’m not exactly sure of the date the first time I walked down Hollywood Blvd, enveloped by the motion picture soundtracks that swirled in the air, but I do know I was instantly in love once again, this time with the Hollywood that never was, and always will be.

Just as with EPCOT Center’s opening, I had gotten my news about what to expect from my trusty Birnbaum’s: Walt Disney World guidebook. I was fascinated and oh-so excited to experience all of the interactive and behind-the-scenes attractions that Disney-MGM Studios promised, all of which I now miss dearly as they have faded away over the years. It was a different time of course, even the then-modern television showcasing and state-of-the-art production studios were from a time when there was no reality tv. The magic and glamour of movie and tv production was still a palpable, undiscovered mystery to most.

Today, anyone with a phone can be a star or be famous, even if only in viral form, and kids know that. So for many that grew up with me or before, Disney-MGM Studios was a romantic interpretation of the real, live movie and tv-making processes and history. Now, the park seems like a fantasy that exists nowhere and those that appreciate the history and nods to the past are, as with EPCOT’s history, few and far between (though we do tend to find each other and stick together online and off).

As the years have passed, the park changed its moniker to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but slowly cannibalized itself from any real connection to a studio park. What we were left with was a front section still in tribute to Hollywood’s past, in both architecture, landmarks, and overall feel, but the rest of the park became almost a question mark as to how things related to the original theme (as has also happened with much of EPCOT). So we were left with a just a few highlights to the transitory feeling of being a part of Hollywood past, and indeed a part OF the movies. How long these places and theming will remain is unknown.

Rather than walking through an Ewok village “set” or a backlot restaurant with props, we will now roam through a galaxy’s edge where you are expected to be part of the landscape and population. How will the park explain those anomalies? I guess they don’t have to, as we have learned. Guests’ tastes change, kids’ interests change, and as is evidenced by crowd levels at all of the attractions that have been on the chopping block recently (Maelstrom, Universe of Energy, etc.), the things that made us fall in love with a particular park or area, are not the most popular in today’s time.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios is certainly a park in flux, and many of the experiences we knew and loved, and maybe took for granted, are now a part of history. We are no longer entering a park that is a tribute to Hollywood and movie making, but mostly tilted toward the actual movies themselves. Which is fine, but we are also allowed to mourn what once was, when it was (for a while), done so well.

Even those not bothered by the closing of The Great Movie Ride will admit it was a great ride, but proclaim “it needed more love” or “it needed updating.” And while I agree that every ride that features animatronics needs a lot more updating than it currently receives within Disney parks, on the Great Movie Ride specifically, how does one keep updating a field which changes daily? Sure, they could keep adding movies to the montage at the end, but at which movies’ expense? Do you take out Singin’ in the Rain’s show scene and add Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump sitting on a bench? Or John Travolta and Uma Thurman dancing from Pulp Fiction? Movies are for the most part, so subjective, it’s impossible to please everyone.

For example, I love the Great Movie Ride as it is. For what it is. I would love to have the latest model animatronics in it, but other than that, I would’ve left it how it was pre-TCM/Robert Osborne additions. But that’s just me. I know there are countless others like me who have the entire ride sequence memorized, down to the music cues and the original montage ending, both music and clips. It’s provided endless quote opportunities within my family and friend groups.

One of my favorite memories of The Great Movie Ride was when two cast members were acting out the scene from The Searchers that played in front of us in the queue, one of them shouting “No you don’t, Ethan! Ethan, no you don’t!” The entire ride experience is forever ingrained in my brain, as I’m sure it is for many other guests and cast members. It is, in a word, iconic.

The Great Movie Ride combines so many parts that make its whole a classic Disney attraction. First, you have the show building itself, an exact replica of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood (now the TCL Theatre). Seeing that at the end of the street when you first pass the Crossroads of the World instantly transports you to Hollywood. The detail in the building itself is impeccable. If you can before it closes, walk around and really pay attention to the workmanship (or if you can’t, watch Martin Smith’s Ultimate Tribute, which I watched in the background while typing this, for inspiration – and hopefully, the building itself will remain for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway…).

Great Movie Ride interior
Image ©Tom Bricker disneytouristblog.com

Next, you have the queue area, with again, ridiculously insane details from the original theatre, movie props and costumes, and the film trailers as you approach the ride. The ride vehicle system has always fascinated me (a smaller version of the theatre system from Universe of Energy, which I’ll discuss my thoughts on later).

Any attraction that has theatre style moving vehicles is just amazing to me. It is a shame that both of these types of attractions will soon be no more. I really think the technology has stood up to time and the fact that they hold so many guests at once is always a good thing.

Finally, you have the ride experience itself, which showcases both iconic scenes from famous movies or genres, as well as interactive “surprise” elements and of course, a happy ending. The level and attention to detail within the movie scene sections is mind blowing.

I’ve been lucky enough to have full access to walk the ride, and been able to see into the “trash” in the gangster scenes – with cigarette butts inside tin cans that are never visible from the ride vehicle, but there because it makes the scene authentic. The signs in the western scene are written as if you just happened upon a town in Deadwood or some other village of the old west. It’s truly Imagineering at its finest. You are transported to another location, where anything could happen, but within the safety of a Disney park. The finale with the movie montage lifts you up and shows you the power of movies to endure through generations and inspire our daily lives.

I always walked off The Great Movie Ride with a smile on my face, filled with a love of movies and their history. I will miss that experience, and that feeling, but I am very, very grateful for the many memories I have had over the years; with my late father, with my mom, with my children, with my husband (the first place we held hands), and many friends. To me, it was one of the truly “Disney-at-its-best” rides, and I hope that it isn’t the last of its kind. This particular ride closing is perhaps the first “park icon” attraction to close. 27 Oh, one more thing. When I yell “Action!”, don’t forget the thunderous applause for your tour guide. Places, everybody! And…Action!

Thanks for the memories, Great Movie Ride, and thunderous applause to all who were a part of its design, creation, and running for the past 28 years.

If you need a pick-me-up to remember this wonderful attraction, head over to my good friend Glenn’s fan site that he created long ago in tribute to the Great Movie Ride – Pretty Good Movie Ride.

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Filed Under: Commentary Land, Disney Attractions, Disney Parks, Resorts, & Entertainment, Disney Past Tagged With: Audioanimatrics, Closed Disney attractions, DHS, Disney attraction closing, Disney Attractions, Disney Imagineering, Disney-MGM Studios, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Extinct Attractions, Great Movie Ride, Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, Pretty Good Movie Ride, The Great Movie Ride

Pete’s Dragon Live Action Movie Poster Revealed

19 February 2016 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

Disney recently released the first teaser poster for the upcoming live action remake of Pete’s Dragon, along with a teaser trailer of the film:

Pete's Dragon teaser poster

 

A “motion poster” below was also released:

Here is the first teaser trailer:

Reaction has been mixed from the start from die-hard Disney fans about remaking a classic like this – what are your thoughts on this new Pete’s Dragon? And if you haven’t seen the original (other than the Elliott float in the Main Street Electrical Parade?) or know the story, here’s the official synopsis:

A reimagining of Disney’s cherished family film, “Pete’s Dragon” is the adventure of an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend Elliott, who just so happens to be a dragon. “Pete’s Dragon” stars Bryce Dallas Howard (“Jurassic World”), Oakes Fegley (“This is Where I Leave You”), Wes Bentley (“The Hunger Games”), Karl Urban (“Star Trek”), Oona Laurence (“Southpaw”) and Oscar® winner Robert Redford (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”). The film, which is directed by David Lowery (“Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”), is written by Lowery & Toby Halbrooks based on a story by Seton I. Miller and S.S. Field and produced by Jim Whitaker, p.g.a. (“The Finest Hours,” “Friday Night Lights”), with Barrie M. Osborne (“The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” “The Great Gatsby”) serving as executive producer.

For years, old wood carver Mr. Meacham (Robert Redford) has delighted local children with his tales of the fierce dragon that resides deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. To his daughter, Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), who works as a forest ranger, these stories are little more than tall tales…until she meets Pete (Oakes Fegley). Pete is a mysterious 10-year-old with no family and no home who claims to live in the woods with a giant, green dragon named Elliott. And from Pete’s descriptions, Elliott seems remarkably similar to the dragon from Mr. Meacham’s stories. With the help of Natalie (Oona Laurence), an 11-year-old girl whose father Jack (Wes Bentley) owns the local lumber mill, Grace sets out to determine where Pete came from, where he belongs, and the truth about this dragon. Disney’s “Pete’s Dragon” opens in U.S. theaters on August 12, 2016.

Filed Under: Disney Movie News & Reviews, Disney Parks, Resorts, & Entertainment, Top Stories Tagged With: Disney movies, Disney pictures, pete's dragon, Pete's Dragon motion poster, Pete's Dragon remake, Pete's Dragon teaser trailer, Walt Disney Pictures

The Hollywood That Never Was And Never Will Be

2 July 2015 by Suzannah Otis 4 Comments

POTD- WDW- DHS Drive Through The Disney park currently known as Disney’s Hollywood Studios has been the much maligned “not-a-full-day-park” for years and years now. It usually comes in 3rd or 4th place, depending on whether the person choosing enjoys Disney’s Animal Kingdom or not. I have personally defended Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the past, based on the memories and the hope it once held, and the potential future I thought it could enjoy. However, as of late, much like the former EPCOT Center, DHS has been slowly cannibalizing itself in the name of “progress” and throwing the old “Disneyland will never be finished” quote around as justification for whatever NEXTNEWNOW change comes down the line.

When the Disney-MGM Studios first opened, it was a fun, light-hearted, action-packed look through the history and current world of entertainment. The park combined a mix of Hollywood history with architecture and icons reminiscent of the golden days of the silver screen, along with a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how movies, tv shows and the stunts within them were made. The park also offered a loving and closer look at some of what made Disney famous; animation and its animated characters. It was a fun mix of the two other parks down the street; the fantasy of Magic Kingdom and the discovery and education aspect of EPCOT Center. Even with the advent of the cry “we need more thrill rides!”, efforts were made to keep new areas of the park and their rides fit in to the theme of the park, one way or another.

Then, something happened, and suddenly, this fun, well-loved, full-day park began to decline. I’m sure there were several factors of which I am unaware, since I’m not in Imagineering or the boardroom discussing budgets, theme park attendance, profits, and whatever else results in the decisions Disney makes regarding its attention or lack-of toward specific parks or attractions. The hopes that this would be a “working studio” never really came to fruition. Hollywood stars didn’t really want to travel to Orlando to work, and certainly the conditions of humid, humid and more humid are not the best compared to sunny and 72 degrees every day in Hollywood. The Backlot Tour became more and more stagnant, with less and less relevant references, props, and costumes to interest newer guests. Part of the charm and allure for me as a young 13 year-old Disney fan visiting the park, was the wow factor of seeing props from favorites like the Rocketeer or Flight of the Navigator and actually believing “they are just storing these props here until they need them for a new film.” The pretense that “this is how movies and tv shows are made and you are getting an insider’s look” worked on me and I loved it. But when the pretense changed, the curtain fell and suddenly, the whole story and message of the park changed.

The once hour-plus-long Backlot Tour was broken up into two parts to create more attractions and make it easier on guests to enjoy. The special effects tour was still an incredibly fun and educational attraction. Seeing blue screen effects, miniaturization, sound effects and more, plus a short movie filmed right at the park ending in a walk through the props/sets of that movie was great. But again, soon the films used became outdated. These things could’ve been updated, or even treated in a kitschy manner, “back in the late 1980’s, this was the highest technology at the time for special effects!”. But instead, the tour was just closed. The death knell for the Backstage Tour was the demolition of Residential Street in 2003, to make room for Lights, Motors, Action!, which, while loud, and not particularly efficient in terms of loading and unloading the immense theatre to view the show, does fit in to the movies theme. After that, the Backlot Tour was an attraction you never really had to wait for, and went the way of Listen to the Land over in Epcot – replacing a live, interactive human cast member with a pre-recorded spiel. I remember how sad it was the first time I rode the tram tour through Catastrophe Canyon, and there was no presumption of driving through during a production break and the “surprise” of being caught in the middle of an elaborate special effects scene with potential “danger” that followed. It was a sad moment.

Photo courtesy of Parkeology.com
Photo courtesy of Parkeology.com

This brings me to my next point, that yes, Catastrophe Canyon could work as a “hey, we’re now going to drive through a set and you’ll see how an action scene could be filmed” just as the park itself could work as a “hey, welcome to the Everything-We-Couldn’t-Fit-in-Magic-Kingdom Park. Enjoy the random attractions!” But that’s not what this park was created for. It’s like when you see an old band you loved in the 80’s on tv, and now they have super trendy haircuts and hair dyed a couple shades too dark, and clothes that really don’t work on a 60+-year-old…and they are screaming “look at me, I’m still relevant! I’m still fun and cool!” Except they aren’t. They are focusing on all the wrong things and forgetting why their fans loved them to begin with. Disney basically created fans back in the 80’s with both EPCOT Center and Disney-MGM Studios, fans with discerning tastes, that appreciated and then craved story…history…and yes, even education.

Those fans were then pushed aside for the quicker, easier-to-control fan. Disney Jr. shows, make-shift “experiences” with little to no theming, and audience sing-a-longs receive no complaints from this new fan. This new fan is happy to see Olaf and take photos with rocks (sleeping trolls!), and just pretend most of the park doesn’t exist. A park that now, with the closure of the Magic of Disney Animation and One Man’s Dream (unofficially confirmed as of this post), has SIX attractions (rides), plus 5 “shows” and is a thin, staple-gunned-together shell of its former self. A park where, just because they can, turned a former queue of a former temporary replacement attraction, into a “lounge” with metal benches, air conditioning, and a few photos on the walls. These new fans will love this. A place to sit and cool down. Oh look, old black and white photos of Walt, wow! These new fans don’t come to this park expecting a story, details, or something new around each corner. They come to this park thinking, “I like Frozen. I like Star Wars. I like Pixar movies.” They walk in and see Frozen. They see Star Wars. They see Pixar films. They drink Olaf drinks. They buy Elsa dresses and build lightsabers. They leave happy, never knowing or wanting anything else. Leaving the old fans saying, “but…wait…what about…?”

DHS Lounge
A new Frozen attraction?
Errr…
DHS Lounge
Art! Who needs to draw Olaf!
DHS Lounge
Oh, it must be a pirate ride…no?
DHS Lounge
Well at least there’s a lot of charging stations for phones. Oh, wait…
DHS Lounge
BUT, at least these benches look comfy! Right? They must be.

Now I’m not saying there isn’t hope. Just like with EPCOT, I cannot abandon all hope for a place that fostered and nurtured my love for Walt Disney World to begin with. I just can’t. At the same time, I can’t just forget all that “once was” and blindly accept whatever replaces it. It saddens me that the ideals and ideas that once created such amazing, unique, and entertaining places seem to have disappeared. I know that the ideas are there. I know that there are Imagineers who remember and value the once (truly) untouchable Disney Difference. Imagineers who want to create amazing environments and experiences for guests. Who wanted to be Imagineers because of how affected they were by some aspect of Walt Disney or the empire he created, and wanted to be a part of that creativity. But who are also sadly restrained by budgets and projections and profits and return on investment and how to get the most dollars out of the least materials/space/investment/time. The hope is still there, it just needs to be let out of its box and released upon the world. I get that the parks here in the states aren’t ever going to have the budget and carte-blanche that a place like Tokyo Disney Resort has. But I also get that Disney as a company isn’t exactly scraping together funds to pay the electric bill each month. There has to be a better way, which will, in the long run, create and keep more and more dedicated guests, fans and yes, brand evangelists. Yes, it’s harder and takes longer. It’s much easier to get a large group of people hyped over a particular facet of a brand and spread that hype across the land so that everyone wants to buy all the Elsa and Anna dresses/dolls/cups/pins/dessert parties/VIP experiences vs. getting a set group of people educated, interested and loyal to a place and the attractions within that place. Obviously it makes sense from a business perspective. Does it make sense in a long-term investor sense? I don’t know. Does it matter? I guess time will tell.

Image courtesy of Yesterland.com We all know that the Studios park is in flux. There are things happening, we just don’t officially know what yet. Cars Land, Star Wars Land, Pixar Play Land, all of these things have been thrown around as rumor or fact depending on who you talk to. The problem, and really the impetus for this post, is that how these changes and “updates” have been handled is an embarrassingly good example of bad show. If you are going to close half of the physical park, have an announcement! Have a “Coming Soon!” sign or wonderful artist renderings of the future of the park for all of us to look forward to. Why the secrecy? Why the quietly displaced cast members and closed attractions with zero plans or hopes or ideas to look forward to? Even with the polarizing Avatarland/Pandora over in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we had a reason for Camp Minnie-Mickey closing, for walls being up, for construction happening. Even with the walls everywhere that characterized Disney(‘s) California Adventure, we knew Cars Land and Buena Vista Street were waiting. With each closure at DHS, we get nothing but a generic message. Are they waiting for the D23 Expo to announce all of the changes? Perhaps. But these closures and temporary band-aid pop-up attractions have been going on for quite some time here, with no explanation or alternative other than sing-a-longs and specialty drinks. With this much advanced knowledge of closings of attractions, surely better planning and action could’ve been taken to create replacements that don’t shine a light on flaws and problems, but rather are worthy of making positive impressions on all the park’s guests. Or, in absence of that, at the very least, some sort of acknowledgement that the park is growing and changing and please pardon the pixie dust. But to act like the park as is today, is okay is very “pay no attention to that man behind the curtain…” and we all know how that turned out.

There has been much speculation as to what the new iteration of a Studios park will be called. Disney Studios doesn’t fit because there are no studios left, real or imagined. Disney’s Hollywood Adventure doesn’t fit because the Hollywood is limited to the main Hollywood Blvd. shops leading to the Great Movie Ride, and Sunset Blvd. Disney Movie Magic? Disney Movies Park? Disney Entertainment Adventure? Disney-Frozen-Fun-Time-Featuring-Olaf-with-Added-Mater-and-Star Wars-Cause-We-Know-You-Like-That-Too-Oh-and-Also-a-Ride-About-Movies-Other-Than-Frozen? I kid, but seriously, the park is just digging itself further and further into a hole that die-hard fans won’t be able to let go (that does NOT count as a Frozen pun) for quite some time, even if the changes are spectacular. The recent Great Movie Ride update with Turner Classic Movies treatment has its plusses and minuses, in my opinion.  Part of what made that ride was the spiel and the cast members who recited it, and that has now changed, with the addition of Robert Osborne narration. We are no longer passing through the streets of London or the seedy underbelly of the gangster film, we are discussing movie facts, with an occasional aside from our driver. The ride itself is still intact, with newly added films to the end montage, and the interactive gangster or cowboy element is there, but makes a little less sense now, to me. That said, I’m glad it wasn’t ripped out and that a major sponsor such as TCM was willing to come on board. My plea is for Those Who Make the Decisions to remember what made this park so special to begin with. It was a giant inside joke that we were all in on – “we’re just tourists, but we get to go behind-the-scenes!”. That message can and has changed, but there should still be some sort of cohesive theme that ties all of the different portions together and makes the park worthy of the love and adoration its former incarnation once had. Maybe a little less synergy and a little more of letting the Imagineers do what they do best.

Filed Under: Commentary Land, Disney News, Disney Past, Top Stories, Walt Disney World Tagged With: DHS, DHS lounge, Disney-MGM Studios, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Frozenland, imagineering

Thoughts on Glow With the Show at Walt Disney World’s Fantasmic!

22 October 2013 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

Glow with the Show Fantasmic

On a whim, I decided to bring my family to the east coast premier of Glow with the Show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Fantasmic! It had been quite some time since we’d all seen Fantasmic! since, after 15 years, you feel like you’ve seen it all. Also, my children recently got a taste of Fantasmic! west coast sister out in Disneyland, and it’s hard to argue that that is a better show. With the Sailing Ship Columbia with Peter Pan and Captain Hook swordfighting as they float by, and ending with the Mark Twain full of your favorite characters, along with many other better effects, it makes our little Fantasmic want for something. And I think that something may just be Glow with the Show!

I made a quick highlight video of the opening show at Fantasmic! on my iphone (please excuse any nighttime auto-focusing as a result!) to showcase the Glow with the Show ears effects:

 

 

 

I know Glow with the Show has been running with Disneyland’s Fantasmic! for some time, but I think what makes Hollywood Studios a great match is the stadium seating. If you sit in the back, you can see all of the ears before you, but, if you sit closer to the front, you can choose to look to your right or left and see the full effect of the colors. It really adds to the show, rather than detract. I loved how it looked on opening night and think if the ears are a success, the pairing with the show will be to. Whether guests will bother to pay $24 for, let’s face it, pretty heavy and uncomfortable ears, remains to be seen. I know in Japan, they recently debuted similar technology, but in a handheld wand type of product, which makes much more sense as far as viewing the lights (rather than depending on your neighbors to have purchased ears to really see the effects yourself).

Glow with the Show Fantasmic

Glow with the Show also began working with Wishes and the Celebrate the Magic castle projection show earlier this week. I will admit, I really had no desire to watch this. I’m not sure why I think it’s okay to work with Fantasmic! but not Wishes, but I do. I guess because for Wishes and Celebrate the Magic, your attention should really be focused on one thing – the castle and the sky, while at Fantasmic, there are moments of darkness where the lights are a good filler, and there is also so much going on at once, that it seems okay for the ears to be a part of that show. It also could be that I’m really ready for a new fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom! Glow with the Show will also work with the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights later this year. I think the ears will be an easy addition because everything is already flashing around you, but I don’t think they are *needed* by any means. I will have to see how things look when the switch is flipped for the lights.

What are your thoughts on Glow with the Show? Which nighttime shows do you think they work best with? I dare say I like them at Hollywood Studios’ Fantasmic better than World of Color, because I just think World of Color is so perfect on its own! Please share your opinion in the comments below, I’d love to hear what you think!

Filed Under: Disney News, Top Stories, Walt Disney World Tagged With: Disney's Hollywood Studios, Fantasmic, Glow with the Show, Glow with the Show ears, Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, Walt Disney World, WDW, wishes

VIDEOS: Amazing Halloween Light Shows With Music!

27 October 2011 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

As you might be aware, I love Christmas and a major reason for this is all the wonderful twinkling lights on display everywhere, especially at Walt Disney World. The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights in particular are a highlight of the season for me. I’m sure you’ve heard of talented homeowners doing their own version of dancing lights coordinating with music during the holiday season. Well I’ve just discovered one of those talented folks, who decided to take on Halloween. Check out these AMAZING light and music displays from one man in Riverside, CA.


This is Halloween from Nightmare Before Christmas:
Party Rock (Every Day I’m Shufflin) by LMFAO:
Some videos from 2010 –
Pump It by the Black Eyed Peas:

Sandstorm by Darude: (This song always reminds me of playing Dance Dance Revolution left, right, up, up, jump!)

Thriller by Michael Jackson:

Aren’t these amazing?! I for one would LOVE to have this guy as a neighbor! Keep up the great work!

Filed Under: Disney Holidays Tagged With: Black Eyed Peas, Danny Elfman, Halloween, Halloween lights, LMFAO, Michael Jackson, Nightmare Before Christmas, Party Rock, Pump It, Sandstorm, Thriller, videos, youtube

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