Disney's in the Details

Walking out of the Los Angeles airport, my first impression was "Oh my gosh, it doesn't feel like I'm walking into an oven!" And the flowers and landscaping everywhere were just gorgeous. Southern California definitely lived up to its reputation for beauty, and it was hard for a native Texan like me to get my mind around the idea that a midsummer could actually feel pleasant.



Disneyland touts itself as "the happiest place on Earth" and I have to say that the people who work there put an extraordinary amount of effort into the minutest details in order to ensure that happy atmosphere. The park was remarkably clean, and the scenery, fake though most of it was, was still very realistic. Moving from one themed section to another, one could notice the difference in art styles. Even the employees working rides, serving in restaurants, and just walking the streets, each had distinctive costumes to accompany whatever area they were currently in.

In the California Adventure park, my brother rode his first roller coaster, although I thought it wasn't as intense as the Superman at Fiesta Texas.

Besides the rides, whose lines were often long but moved more quickly than I'd expected, the street shows that would randomly show up were excellently done, too, even if sometimes a little corny, especially the High School Musical 3 one.

One of the most interesting things that I had never expected was how many francophones I crossed in my entire trip. The first was a Québecoise woman and her family who happened to be eating dinner at the table behind ours at one of the outdoor restaurants in the Adventure Park. Hesitant at first, I decided to throw caution to the winds and inquired (in French) if I'd heard her speaking French, to which she replied yes and explained where her family was from and that her daughter does not yet speak English.

Disneyland exceeded my expectations, and I spent three very fun and pleasant days there with my family. It was even... inspiring. As cheesy as Disney can be sometimes, watching the spectacular choreographed fireworks show set to familiar classic Disney songs, or observing the detailed landscaping, or visiting the Animation Academy and being surrounded by huge screens cycling through some of the greatest Disney films ever made made me want to create and tell stories just as imaginative and inspiring as well. And I'm a sucker for a happy ending, so it's nice to know that in the midst of a dark, cynical world, dreams really do come true and there are happily ever afters if we look for them hard enough.