I have shared previously how much I love limited time magic events at Disneyland! Another event I got attend was 2020’s Lunar New Year event at California Adventure. Lunar New Year is traditionally celebrated by many east Asian countries such as China, Vietnam, Korea, Vietnam. This celebration marks the first new moon of the of the lunisolar calendar. Disney California Adventure Celebrated the Lunar New Year from January 17, 2020-February 9, 2020. 2020 happened to be the year of the mouse which coincided well with Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession

There were several themed activities you could attend as long as you had enough time in your day. One of those was a beautiful procession of Mulan as well as other Disney characters. The procession took place about 4 times a day and highlighted Disney characters in beautiful red costumes dancing along to drums and music. I really like how they weaved martial art, dance, and drumming into the procession. I also learned that many of the performers were from east Asian countries invited by Disney to perform.

Special Asian-inspired Treats

It can’t be a special celebration without special food! There were four special food vendors that that a variety of items inspired by Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese cultures. We didn’t have a ton of time to eat but we did try this beautiful Purple Yam Macaron with Crème Fraîche. It was almost too beautiful to eat! I especially loved the gold brush stroke on the top.

Lucky Wishing Wall

In Paradise Gardens Park there was a “Wishing Wall” set up where you could write down your own wish on a cute mickey cutout. While 2020 had other plans I treasure my little wish and have one hanging on my wall.

Another item I brought home with me was the coloring I did of the Dragon’s “Pearl of Wisdom.” Not super photogenic but I really love to color and it was a fun opportunity to do so in the parks. I’m truly a kid at heart.

Lunar New Year Merchandise

Of course with any special event there has to be exclusive merchandise. Disney had special red spirit jerseys, Minnie Mouse headbands, and pin sets. I ended up settling for a set of these beautiful Disneyland themed red envelopes. They are now hanging on my wall in a glass floating frame. There was a set of two so I mailed to other envelopes to Disney pals.

I feel very lucky that I got to experience this event last year especially since soon after the world shut down. If you have the opportunity to attend a future Lunar New Year Event please go it’s a lot of fun and a great opportunity to learn about different cultures.

Greetings programs! (If you didn’t know this line came from the classic 80’s movie Tron) this year my husband and I decided to attend a special ticketed event at Disneyland in honor of the special decade that is the1980’s. Tickets cost a $109 person and the event ran from 9pm to 1am that featured special character meet and greets, themed food, and entertainment.

Here is a quick rundown of activities and food happening during 80’s night:

80’s All Starz at Rivers of America
We ended up at the Rivers of America because we ate in New Orleans square. Once the music kicked off by cover band 80’s All Starz it was hopping! Apparently the band is a Disneyland and DisneyWorld regular and has been around for 15 years. They played a variety of 80’s hits from Devo, Bob Jovi, Billy Joel, and more. The band was set up on the rafts normally used to sail guests to Tom Sawyer Island everyday and it was awesome watching them sail back and forth while they performed.

Videopolis
I definitely wished we weren’t pooped by the time we got over to the Videopolis area because we totally would have jammed out. Apparently in the early 80’s Videopolis was a regular thing at Disneyland to attract the teenage crowd to the park. Don’t take my word on it and enjoy this clip from the dance party. Also don’t blame me if the Videopolis song gets stuck in your head.

Minnies DTV
We walked by Tomorrowland terrace while this was taking place but didn’t stop but it looked super cute. Guests could join Minnie Mouse and friends for a dance party. I thought it was awesome that they showed all the cool 80’s moves to the crowd so they could do them together. They also played the song “Totally Minnie,” by Brenda Russell of off the “Totally Minnie” soundtrack which is also totally still stuck in my head too. If you want to check out the rad dance party check out this YouTube video.

We definitely took part in the special food offerings with a cheeseburger mac and beef ravioli as our dinner. Both tasted better than those TV dinners I grew up loving for sure. For dessert we shared the sprinkle celebration cake and the butterscotch frozen yogurt shake. The highlight of the two was definitely the shake it was so creamy and delicious. I loved the butterscotch chips and cookie on top too. I think the cake was good not amazing as I thought the frosting was a little lackluster.

Now that I have been to a Disney after dark event I feel fully prepared for the next and have some tips for you! The event was pretty overwhelming (I mean, look at the program above, it’s MASSIVE) because there was a lot to do in short about of time so I’d suggest deciding what are the most important things you want to do and prioritize those. For example we really wanted to get merchandise so we figured people would start lining up ahead of time (& of course they were!!) and we got in the queue. Disney started selling before the event started so we were able to get what we wanted and be on our way. I also learned that some of the photo ops were set up early and now I know to try to find them ahead of time so we don’t miss anything! The character meet in greets lines are insanely long so if that is your goal line up ASAP for those!

I’d have to say just being at the park at night with everyone dressed in their 80’s finest was totally tubular and because Disney closes the park down just for people that have tickets the crowds are very manageable. As I get older I realize that Disneyland is more about the experiences than rides and getting as much done as possible. To have a special evening like this is a experience I will always treasure.

A few weeks ago I got stuck in a nostalgia hole. I think it started by discovering master puppeteer Terri Hardin interviews on various podcasts about her work on Captain EO and that spiraled into discovering a behind the scenes TV special hosted by Whoopi Goldberg I found on YouTube.

After seeing many of the shows Disneyland has had in the Tomorrowland theater over the years Captain EO is my favorite. There is something about Michael Jackson leading a rag-tag group of characters still passes the test of time for me. I might have over hyped it a bit to my husband before he saw it when Disneyland brought in back a few years ago. He left the theater and said to me “that’s it?” But I fully believe that this is a must see and I hope Disney will bring it back in the coming years. Keep reading to find out four reasons why this movie stands the test of time.

The Trifecta 

No, this doesn’t have to do with horse racing it has to do with three people at the top of their games that had a major role in the movie. I think I only need to list them by their iconic last names: Coppola, Jackson, Lucas. Francis Ford Coppola was the director of this film and of course you know him from legendary movies like The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. George Lucas was the executive producer and is best known for Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Last but not least was the star himself Michael Jackson who was in the absolute prime of his career having just released the Thriller album a few years before. Some fun trivia as it relates to the creation of the movie is that it had estimated budget of over seventeen million, Captain EO cost over a million dollars a minute, making it one of the most expensive short films ever made!

The Music

Obviously with the king of pop as the star the music will be perfect. The film featured two favorite songs of mine “Another Part Of Me,” “We Are Here To Change The World.” The spacey score that you heard when entering the theater and in the intro of the film was composed by James Horner who was also composer of the Titanic score which was the best selling score of all time.

The Story

While not the most deep or intellectual story, Captain EO is a story of a team on spaceship (Captain EO, Fuzzball, Idey and Ody, Major Domo/Minor Domo, Hooter, and the Captain’s boss Commander Bog) sent to a planet to deliver a gift to the evil Supreme Leader (played by the legendary Anjelica Husten). Our rag-tag group are somewhat fumbling idiots and get caught by the Supreme Leader’s and she threatens to turn them into trash cans. During the capture Captain EO says that he believes that the supreme leader is really beautiful underneath all that black makeup and pipes. He breaks out in song and his team turns into the band and various instruments. Of course the clumsy Hooter trips on Captain EO’s cape stopping the music. The supreme leader is not impressed so she sends her guards after the group. Hooter somehow quickly regains his composure and the music begins again that has some magical powers which Captain EO uses to turn the guards into fantastic 80’s dancers. Eventually all the guards including the whip warriors turn into dancers, in this case break dancers. Captain EO then turns his powers on the Supreme leader and she magically floats down in a beautiful rainbow gown and now you can tell she’s played by Anjelica Husten. I think the trans-formative part of the story that music can change the world! Plus the dancing in this movie is incredibly 80’s with dancers who were fresh off Cats on Broadway or expert break dancers who I think were straight out of the 1984 movie “Breakin.”

4D Fun for the Whole Family

While the film was captured in 3D, Captain EO was regarded as one of the first 4D films in that there were additional special effects like lasers, smoke, and the seats moved like you were on the spaceship in the movie. When Captain EO came back in 2010, Disney added gusts of air on your legs when the whip warriors cracked their whips. There were also hidden water sprayers that burst when the character Hooter sneezed. I think all the interactively added fun and something that everyone from all ages could enjoy. I clearly remember my grandparents getting a kick from this show back in the 80’s as they had no interest for Space Mountain or Star Tours. My very own parents have fond memories of the show and people my age love it for the nostalgia. I hope the next big anniversary, perhaps 2021 (which would be the 35 anniversary) Disneyland will bring it back so we could introduce the film to the next generation of fans.