Finally after many months of anticipation, Disney has finally released their blockbuster animated film Wreck-It Ralph on DVD and Blu –Ray. Ralph and his fellow inhabitants of the arcade come to life to tell the story of the Bad Guy who isn’t a “Bad Guy”…
Ever since I saw Wreck-It Ralph in the theater the first time, I have wanted to see it again. I grew up in the golden age of arcade games, so I saw many familiar faces in Ralph’s world. It was great to see all of the painstaking detail the director and animators took to incorporate all of these classic elements. When we received the DVD, I was excited to be able to watch it over multiple times to see all of the little elements that I missed when I saw it in the theater. As nice as it was, I really didn’t have a choice. The real ruler of the DVD play, and sometimes the house, my daughter Zoe insisted on watching it many times the first day we got it. I didn’t put up much of a fight as I wanted to watch it too, and once again it didn’t disappoint.
Wreck-It Ralph is a wonderful story about a Bad Guy who just wants to be accepted. It is wonderfully written and directed, incorporating comedy, action, drama, and a heartwarming story of friendship and overcoming the odds.
The Blu-Ray is full of great extras that we loved exploring. The favorite in our house was the pause screens 12 different segments showing all of the hidden gems in the background of the movie.
In my opinion, Wreck-It Ralph is the best movie Disney has put out in a number of years, and I highly recommend it to anyone young or old.
This year’s Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival is full of some great new additions, as well as some of my old favorites. I thought I would take you along as I look at what makes a perfect day at the 2013 Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival.
httpv://youtu.be/nLssHT6H_fQ
When you walk in the main entrance to Epcot, it’s hard to miss the new Fab 5 Topiary ‘Party with Mickey & Friends’ as they celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival. Also as you walk around Spaceship Earth towards Future World, make sure you check out the Phineas & Ferb Topiary.
I am a big fan of the new ‘Radiator Springs’ interactive play area! Make sure you take a few extra minutes to become a Private Detective with Tow Mater. This area is sure to make the Cars fans in your family happy!
After taking a stroll through Radiator Springs, it’s a great time to head to the Festival Center. Here you can find all of the great Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival merchandise, see a presentation in the HGTV Theater with some of your favorite DIY gurus, take a class, or even ask an expert a question about your garden at home.
This year’s Festival Pins!The upcoming release of the Disney Vera Bradley purses are on display in the Festival Center, too!
httpv://youtu.be/XyaZ0FTiSz8
Another area that I could spend all day in is Tinker Bell’s Butterfly House. This year Tinker Bell and her friends play host to a wonderful world of butterflies, and if you look closely you might even find some of their Fairy Houses! For a special treat, make sure you stop by around 11:00 am to watch the butterflies emerge from their cocoons.
One of the many Fairy Houses in Tinker Bell’s Butterfly House.
You can visit the Land of Oz in the new children’s play area presented by the new Disney film ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’. In this area you can play midway games for prizes, take a break and play for a bit on unique play structures, and relax under a hot air balloon.
While you’re in this area, a fun activity for the little ones is to decorate a flower pot for their seeds from The Land of Oz at the Water Wise Herbs & Vegetable exhibit.
Luckily the Pineapple Promenade is right next to The Land of Oz Play area, so it was time to grab a Dole Whip (I opted to get one without spiced rum) and a Pineapple Upside Down Cake. What a great treat!
This year there are 12 food booths around the World Showcase Lagoon offering a Taste of Spring. While these booths look similar to those used for the International Food & Wine Festival in the Fall, that is where the similarities end. For the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, each booth features fresh foods prepared in the booth with plantings around each one of ingredients used in the foods. The Cottage in the United Kingdom Pavilion was my favorite, but the candied strawberries of Lotus House are unique and worth a try!
Shrimp and Grits from the Florida Fresh booth.
Candied Strawberries from the Lotus House Booth.
Also, you will definitely want to pick up one of the Disney Gift Cards on a wristlet to make buying items at the booths super easy! It can be loaded with as little as $5, and is accepted as payment for nearly anything! Plus this year, they are themed to the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival! Super Cute! You can get them throughout Epcot at ticket booths, Guest Relations, the Festival Center, and almost anywhere they sell Disney Gift Cards!
And it wouldn’t be Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival without topiaries, and both World Showcase & Future World are full of some great ones! I definitely wouldn’t miss…
The new Disney-Pixar ‘Monsters University’
The Moose in the Victoria Gardens of the Canada Pavilion
Hook, Tic Toc Croc, and Peter Pan in the United Kingdom Pavilion
Beauty and the Beast in the France Pavilion
Woody & Lotso in the American Adventure Pavilion
Buzz in front of Mission Space
The Troll in the Norway Pavilion
The Backyard Play Garden is full of whimsical touches that you can add to your garden at home (with instructions), as well as a really nice play area for the kiddos. This is a great place to take a break since the kids have a place that is covered to play on with restrooms close by.
This little guy can be found, with directions, in the Backyard Play Garden
Two of my perennial favorites are the bonsai on display in the Japan Pavilion and the large terra cotta pots of Italy that are overflowing with beautiful flowers.
Now would be about the time to start queuing up for the Flower Power Concert Series performed at the American Gardens Theater near the American Adventure Pavilion. STOP TO AT LEAST HEAR ONE CONCERT! I know that these are older performers, but once they start going you will be surprised to see how many songs you know. We saw Micky Dolenz, of The Monkees, and he was amazing. I am personally stoked for The Village People to perform later in the festival.
httpv://youtu.be/pejIzkCvWLg
Make sure you take a moment to take in the Kinsey Collection: Shared Treasures of Bernard & Shirley Kinsey inside of the American Adventure Pavilion. This new exhibit allows you to see authentic documents, books, artifacts, and are art including landscapes and flora in one of the largest collections of African American Art. I had the amazing chance to speak with the Kinseys, and their passion for this collection is breathtaking. We are truly lucky to have such an exhibit visiting Epcot!
After you watch Illuminations, a mandatory watching is included in a perfect day at Epcot, make sure you check out the topiaries as they are illuminated and pixie dust powered at night.
And that would be my perfect day at Epcot’s International Flower and Garden Festival. It’s a great time of year to visit, and I can’t wait to hear what your perfect day at the Festival would be like!
