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)

More Comic Con stories!!

And just like that we were HUNGRY!! We had been up since before dawn and were crashing quickly! We had to work our way outside the building. It felt like a casino where you get so turned around, you have no clue which direction is what. On our way out the door I found a fabulous Sailor Moon! I was like "Work it Girl!!" (I didn't know she wore a watch???)

 

Thanks to modern technology we googled a Chipotle about a mile away and headed right for it! Downtown San Diego has some interesting buildings peppered with a few pan handlers. But on this day there were themed "cabbies". Can't go to this pop culture Mecca without running into Game of Thrones and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. 

We lucked out in that no one else was at Chipotle. But even though the place was quiet, we dashed back to the convention center. I really wanted to get a photo with John Barrowman. He's from the shows Torchwood and Doctor Who. And although it doesn't really matter, he's Gay! As it turns out, to get a photo and meet with him, one must pay $50!! I had no clue that would be the case. We were foolish to think it would be from the goodness of his heart. Eric agreed it was just too much to ask so we went on our way to the Disney Afternoon panel. 

Met a few villains along the way!

There were many adults that waited for the Disney Afternoon panel. So much of us grew up on the cartoons of Darkwing Duck, Gummi Bears, Rescue Rangers, and DuckTales. Eric was beside himself! I thought I was a fan of the line up...he was a bigger fan! It was unfortunate for us that the panel was so disorganized. They didn't really know what to talk about other than the origins of the series. I can say that section was cool, hearing about a secret meeting at Michael Eisner's house. They did show a pitch for Goof Troop, which was great. Oh! They had a DuckTales theme song, sing-along. That was a little much, but still fun. As I covered, most time was spent rambling.  

The whole time we sat there I regretted not paying the $50 to meet John Barrowman. I contemplated leaving and meeting Eric afterward, but I didn't want to get lost. (I'm a grown adult,but at Comic Con getting lost IS an option). 

After the panel ended we rushed back to the booth. The photo session was over and they had moved on to some obscure actor I hadn't heard of before. I was disappointed. I hadn't bought anything, so what else was I gonna spend that $50 on? Gas? Boring!!! 

As we decided to wander some more we saw him! There he was with his husband! 

And then I got really close to him, but he blinked!! Blinked!! Out of all the seconds in the world, he blinked during my photo!!

We then wanted to find "@ComicBookGirl19" from YouTube. Anyone else know of her? Our pal Rich introduced us to her channel on YouTube. She talks a lot about comics, general Sci-Fi, and Game of Thrones. At the booth she was hanging at, there was another "pay to meet me" vibe. I couldn't find any merchandise I liked. So I did what any sly, weirdo fan would do. Snapped a quick pic and got outta there! Check out her channel though! 

Eric bought a few comic books and I debated if I was gonna start the new Superman Unchained. I didn't end up buying the first few editions as I had two X-Men stories at home to read, Dark Phoenix Saga and Days of Future Past. We had a great time just checking the booths out. 

At Comic Con what do I buy?? A Disney print! Eric and I found Amy Mebberson, who I've mentioned on this blog before. She was also at WonderCon. Here's the print she had available called "Family Foes".

Mother Gothel looks rather creepy as she strokes a lock from Rapunzel's hair. 

Eric still wanted to look into the Funko booth, which I was just fine doing. The line was a lot shorter than earlier but the booth was very thinned out. Eric and I found a few items we liked. One pop vinyl, a zombie from Plants vs. Zombies is for my nephew. But, I'm keeping the "Animal" (Muppets) figure! There was even a claw machine where one can win pop vinyls. No luck!!

It was still just after 5 PM but the tiredness was creeping onto us. A few quick passes down a few aisles had us "pooped"!

We felt that we really needed more time. Another day would definitely give us a chance to see more. We saw about 50% of the showroom floor and saw .5% of panels. Now that we both are on the e-mail list, we will get an early registering slot for next year. I recommend this even to all interested in not just comics, but pop culture too. 

I hope you're all ready for D23 Expo stories because that's up next!

Whimsical Characters Descend on Anaheim for WonderCon

An array of personalities and faithful comic followers headed to the Anaheim Convention Center this past weekend. Among them, at least on Sunday, was Eric and myself. The only type of "nerdy" convention we had attended were the last two D23 events at this same location. Although we had a slight idea of what to expect, there was also the unknown. A few goals we had for ourselves was to see a few celebrities and commission a drawing or two from a favorite of ours, Amy Mebberson.

After the easy process of picking up our entrance badges, we were glad to find out that we were  to queue up inside the exhibit hall. To compare to the D23 event, we waited outside on Anaheim's Katella Blvd in what felt like disarray. We already were seeing a few interesting costumes and a few "tossed together" as well. There was a guy behind us as we waited standing on jumping stilts, all while he wore a blanket showing the Tardis from Doctor Who. I think he just really wanted to wear the jumping stilts. Since it was Easter Sunday, there were some hopping around with bunny ears. I need to add this was the best Easter Eric and I ever had.

I was ecstatic to see Gadget of the Rescue Rangers!

I should note the Perrier bottle had wine in it.

When the floor opened, half hour early, we made a quick leap to Artist's Alley to find Ms. Mebberson. I'm glad we made it our first stop because there was already a four person queue putting in their commission orders. It must feel nice to have people rush to one so quickly for ones talents. I put in for Miss Piggy dressed as The Queen of Hearts. When Eric stepped up to the table he requested Chung Lee from the StreetFighter arcade game. Chung Lee has always been Eric's favorite character to use. And, from what I have been told, Eric used Chung Lee many times to beat all the kids at the arcade. Miss Piggy is a Muppet, which I love, and she is my absolute favorite Muppet. I even wore my Muppet shirt that day on purpose. Amy complimented my shirt, which I secretly hoped she would notice. (Amy has drawn Muppet comics and even designed Skeeter, Muppet Babies, as a grown character) We retuned later in the day to pick up our drawings she had done for us.

Check Amy out on www.mimisgrotto.com/

As mentioned before, Eric and I knew which celebrities we would want to see. To wait out the time for those panels we began the wandering up and down the main floors booths. It was a real shame that this was a week when rent was due! There were so many gadgets and toys Eric and I were eyeing. There is a Wizard of Oz comic out there we have pondered buying for at least 6 years. We almost bought two, but we showed restraint. Eric even wanted a Fin cap from the show AdventureTime! He had to ask himself if he REALLY wanted it, or was it just impulsive. He didn't buy the cap. I ended up purchasing an action figure of Rose Tyler from Doctor Who.

This Aquaman was really into cosplay

As we went to check on the wait time for the arena presentation of Nerdist Productions, headed by Chris Hardwick, we found it already started! Chris Hardwick was fielding audience questions or rather debating with the audience about various "nerd" topics (Back to the Future, The Walking Dead, Doctor Who). It really is cool to see that there are so many people out there that understand your obsession for what one person might think to be odd.

Chris Hardwick ( @Nerdist ) doing his thang!

After The Nerdist panel was over, it was time for the panel from Arrow, a show on The CW. The lead role, played by the steamy Stephen Amell, is a character seeking vengeance over the reason of his father's "accidental" death. On the television there are some great workout scenes of Amell showing off his muscular body (enhances the storyline). There was some good insight regarding what to expect within the current season and hints to next year. Eric and I were ecstatic to see Stephen Amell in person, but we were very cool about it.

Amell is center.

Eric made a good point that this convention center holds more people and vendors than the San Diego convention center. He also added to his thought that this must have been what San Diego ComicCon was like before Hollywood stormed into that event. I was even surprised to see that Disney had a VERY small presence, if at all. I do know that Disney was represented in the form of a video game, Duck Tales remastered. The main focus at WonderCon were comics, and general Sci-Fi.

Blurry pic of me hanging with Lumpy Space Princess of AdventureTime

Now that we have Member IDs and will receive SD ComicCon information, I hope we get to attend in 2014. I think it would be interesting to see what the event down there has to offer and compare it t WonderCon.

Yay! It's Coraline!!