Imagineers Start with a Spark

Thankfully Ricky had been taking his Ginko Baloba vitamins and reminded me of the convention's workers. They were buff!!! And, the last two days we had wondered what was up with all these beefy guys. On this last day our question was answered. 

After waiting in the massive line to gain entry, we would need to find Lost and Found. Rey was missing his wallet. He was certain it was lost at the Songbook concert the night before. Once we headed inside, we quickly found a "worker". 

After asking him where the Lost and Found was he was confused. He didn't have slightest clue. The guy mentioned he was sorry, and that he was just a Marine volunteer. Well Brandi, Eric, and I were listening closely now. 

Someone asked, "So you're all Marines?" To which he explained that mostly all the workers were Marines that had volunteered. Well that explained everything! 

Blurred Marine pic (hehe)

To sum up the wallet issue, Lost and Found didn't have it. What ended up happening was an off duty cop/security guard found it, and drove it to Rey's house that very morning. Crazy right? All the money was there too. Goodness does exist out there. 

We went and picked up my commissioned sketch from Amy Mebberson. Loved it! She gave Lucy a scheming smirk on her face, as though Ethel was on the phone with her. If interested, google Amy's name and her tumblr comes up. She only sells commissioned drawings at Cons or prints through Acme Archives. Eric also placed his order with her. I'll show that in a bit. 

We headed back to the Imagineering Pavilion. Rey and Brandi hadn't seen it yet. They have a clever Pre-show where a short video is the introduction. Their pavilion operates like a park attraction. Brilliance!!

After speaking with a colorist/painter who was painting a Buena Vista elevation, we went to their gallery. The Imagineers brought over some rare pieces. They are so sensitive that we were unable to use any cameras. They showed the original sketch Walt used to as he asked for his loan to fund the park. All the hand strokes could be seen. The varied lead pressures to add shading. After seeing this in older Disney TV specials, it was amazing! 

The team also displayed a painting used for a different TV special from the 1950s. Walt presented this on television to convey what Disneyland would soon be. This was a colored, aerial view of Disneyland and parking lot. In a way, a painted version of the sketch we had just seen. Like during the TV special, the gallery lights dimmed, ultraviolet lights were lit, and the painting glowed. JUST LIKE ON TV!! It was like a dream. I have a feeling so many others felt as excited as us to witness this. 

The pavilion also had a Marvel meet n greet. It was a treat to meet up with Captain America, my favorite Avenger. He played the part well because I was believing it. Oh what the heck! Here's our other pose!

 Swoon!!

Sticking with the Imagineering theme, we attended a panel with some well known Inagineers. Just before hand we met Imagineer Joe Rohde. He's been known for the exotic projects in theme parks. He basically over saw Animal Kingdom and Aulani Villas in Hawaii. Joe was so nice and seemed excited that we recognized him. 

Joe had some good talking points during the panel. He seems a little cooky on TV, but he carries with him some great lessons. He mentioned that one shouldn't feel discouraged not achieving a dream job, but instead love what you do. He got to his status by loving what he did. That love for his project/craft paved the way to get where he is. People noticed he was a strong worker. Joe also mentioned if you're only in your position for money and personal gain, you won't succeed. Joe has seen many come and go with greed in their eyes. The last note I can recall him saying had to do with perception. Fans feel they know and can define how Disney operates. But, because of the uniqueness of the operation, the definitions that exist are false. Along with all he said, that struck me quite a bit because it's true. 

Once the panel ended we all felt inspired. We quickly zoomed back to the Imagineering Pavilion because there was an activity to try. It's the booth our friend Joey was running, Adventure Trading Company. You pay to go on a small search/scavenger hunt that results in a prize. This was a test program. Would a regular day guest pay to play a game and earn his souvenir? As Joey explained, anyone can just buy a Winnie the Pooh plush, but what about earn a special one?

Eric paid our fee. Rey and Brandi paid theirs and we were all off on our adventure. We chose the game themed to Knowledge. We were going to translate some type of ancient inscriptions. 

Eric won his skill JuJu for deciphering the message. But, why stop there? There was also a free game where one must photograph at least 5 birds in the convention. Here's one of them. The name is not a coincidence. 

Once all the five photos are presented to the Imagineer cast member, one gets another JuJu! And, that's what we did. Here are all the earned JuJus from that day. 

We told our friend Joey that we had a great time, but it wasn't over. To gain the skull JuJu a participant needed to tell a sort of "tall tale" about how he found his prize. I was proud Eric did this because he's pretty shy. He's cute!

Eric telling Joey his story. 

Brandi and Rey hadn't seen the archives so we headed back there. Again the wait was very long. It was worth it. Just below is a model of an attraction that never happened. Rock Candy Mountain. This was either suppose to be what the Casey Jr Circus train is now, or this mountain was to reside within Storybook Land Canal Boats. 

Couldn't put up this post without showing Dorothy's slippers from Return to Oz!

From the "Feed the Birds" scene of Mary Poppins. This song is such an important moment in the movie and for Disney's history. It will always be known as Walt's favorite song. 

This Expo was worth the waits in lines and crowded walkways. Rey and Brandi couldn't believe that Comic Con is even more crowded! There was so much to do and see that I didn't even cover all of it. I hope our personal experience shone through the last three posts and that you had fun reading. 

All our merchandise together (note Eric's "Gadget as Ariel" commissioned sketch)