Disfans

I didn’t even know there was a Hong Kong Disneyland, but apparently, Mickey and Minnie got some new duds to celebrate Chinese New Year. Designed by Vivienne Tam, no less.

The whole park is decorated for Chinese New Year with firecrackers, Chinese-language scrolls bearing messages of good luck and orange tangerines. Mainland China is the biggest market for the Hong Kong Disneyland park, and HKD is trying to stay connected with the local culture to attract more customers.

Hong Kong Disneyland is apparently one of the worst performing Disney Theme parks, falling very short of the mark as far as visitor turnout.

Orlando Sentinel

Ouch. Was my reaction to the NY Times’ review of the Little Mermaid on Broadway. The reviewer is very harshly critical of the costuming and staging. “Loved the shoes. Loathed the show. OK, I exaggerate. I didn’t like the shoes all that much.” That’s the opening line of the review, and it goes downhill from there. The reviewer goes on to be very specific about how horrible the costumes are, and the difficulties of presenting a show onstage that is supposed to be underwater. NYT Review

I commented yesterday on the harshness of all the reviews I have been reading about the production, but the New York Times is the harshest of all of them. They did soften the blows just a little by putting this audio slideshow in the sidebar.

NY Times Slideshow

I’ve been reading all kinds of terrible reviews for Disney’s Little Mermaid, Broadway show. I’m a musical theater fan, and I would dearly love to see The Lion King Broadway show someday. I was kicking myself when they came to Dallas this summer, and I missed it! I had hoped that Little Mermaid would be as good, so I could see one of my favorite Disney movies come to life. Who knows? Maybe the appeal to children will save the show.

The critical reviews of the show are that the set and costumes are basically a disaster. Not good news, since The Lion King is known for its stunning sets and costuming.

“Underneath all this baroque ornamentation was a tiny, tinny little musical struggling for life,” wrote the New York Post’s Clive Barnes. It was “plastic, plastic everywhere, enough to lead you to drink.” Review

I, for one, would go see the show, and take my kids, so maybe others will think so too. According to one article the show has been sold out since November. npr review

I treated myself to a little present, and picked up this puzzle at Target. I thought it would be fun to do a little slide show of putting it together. Of course it features all the Disney Characters… which makes it perfect for Disfans, and its a sphere! I enjoyed putting it together, it wasn’t too hard, except for that last piece.