My Summer Vacation Day 11

Sorry for being so lax on posting- especially on the posts about my trip. I've been very busy with the school year starting up again, along with my activities, and uploading pictures and doing posts on my vacation can take all day. Luckily, I'm nearing the end of my vacation posts and hopefully after I finish my re-write of book one and after I do Handel's Messiah, I will have more time to do posts. 

So on our next day of vacation, we went to Hollywood Studios. We'd been planning on going to Magic Kingdom on this day but since it was supposed to be really rainy on this day(the worst of the week) we decided to go to Hollywood Studios since a lot of it is inside. 

                         It was a really wet morning when we drove to Hollywood Studios(I remember back when it was called MGM studios); we had to wear out ponchos a lot that day.

     The first thing we did was head over to the Pixar area and get a fast pass for the Toy Story Mania ride. While we were over there, my sister and brother went and got Buzz and Woody's autograph. After that, since we had a lot of time, we decided to go see some of the shows.

                                          Last time we came to Disney we had gotten a picture by the huge Coke bottle(since my Dad really likes Coke) so we did it this time as well.

                           The first thing we went to was the "Studio Backlot Tour" which shows(in a cheapish way) how films are made and how effects work(they were acting like they were making a film but being a person who knows a lot about behind the scenes stuff, the so-called sets and effects were a bit cheap looking; heck, I've been very near a set and watched a scene be filmed for a movie). But it was still pretty cool since film is something I am VERY interested in(I'm going to be a movie/TV STAAAAAR!! :D And a writer and a Director :D).

                                       They were pretending to film an action movie and someone was attacking this boat.

                                                    This room was filled with different kinds of props, set pieces, and costumes. While I've seen more impressive stuff on behind the scenes footage(and in my local theater) it was still pretty cool :).

                                 After leaving the prop room, we boarded a train of sorts and were given a tour of other areas of the 'filming' area.

                                                                         Plane

                              This area was pretty cool; it showed a truck explode and then catch fire(and water was splashing everywhere).

                          We passed several ships and vehicles that had been made for films.

                                                         Nice!!! :D

                            We then passed the sign for this show about action film effects and car chases. We saw the show later in the day.

                        The train/tram dropped us off at a building where we could see several set pieces and costumes from various famous films like STAR WARS! :D

                                            Darth Maul costume. I was pretty excited to see Star Wars stuff :)

                                                      TIE Fighter model.

                                                Darth Vader costume.

                                          Costumes and a prop from Pirates of the Caribbean

                                  Little shop at the end of the tour(all rides and shows have a gift shop). I liked the little Luke Mickey Mouse.

                                        We then went to the downtown area(where they have fake buildings) and saw this "Once Upon A Time" sign!! :D XD(yes, I am obsessed with that show) My sister and I were excited and wanted our pictures taken by it :)

                                                Here we are standing in front of an old timey theater.

                                    This city is supposed to be able to portray New York or Chicago. These fake buildings are to give a sense of depth to the set so that it feels like the actual city instead of just a smattering of buildings. Of course, it looks pretty fake.

                                                          Me in front of a piano(a lot of people forget but I do play it).

                                         Next thing on our list was the Muppet Show which we went and watched. It was pretty funny and I enjoyed watching it.

                                                           The two guys in the balcony(part of the Muppet cast) are really funny.

                                                 Since we'd seen several shows and it was within the time frame of our fast pass, we went back to the Pixar area to ride "Toy Story Mania"

                                           The decorations leading up to the ride were pretty neat but the ride itself wasn't all that great; I'm NOT a game person(I do like Video Games and sports; just not games) and I hate competition so the ride wasn't something I liked. And of course, the ride got be kind of cranky :p.

                                 My sister, brother, and I with one of the toy army guys from Toy Story.

                                        A Tone of Bricks....made of foam XD

                                 While looking around, we headed to Pizza Planet(from Toy Story) to eat lunch since they made Gluten Free pizza crust that my Mom and I could have. Sadly, the crust on my pizza was really gross so I just scraped off the toppings and ate that instead(My Mom's crust was different, since she didn't get dairy cheese, and she liked hers). Luckily, at a Pizza place where I live, they make really good Gluten Free Crust :)

                                                  A picture with a Snow Man. We had taken a picture of us like this on our last Disney Visit so we wanted one for this one as well :).

                                                    While hanging out around Star Tours(we got ourselves a fast pass), we watched a short Pixar themed parade. It was good but there was this annoying little brat behind us who kept screaming and saying horrible things >:P

               
                                                          The Incredibles

                           

                                                                          Bug's Life

                                                                   Monster's Inc

                                                                  Toy Story

                                              AT-AT Walker. Even though the Star Wars stuff at Disney was cool it is nothing compared to the epicness of Celebration VI.

                                                 Jedi Academy stage. It really stinks that I am too old to do it now- I'd love  to duel a Sith Lord and all that. But then, I AM a Padawan >:D.
 :P. Of course, I got told to get off and that made me angry.

                                               After that we headed over to Star Tours and rode the ride. It was really cool!!! :D I especially liked it when we shot into Hyperspace. We had the one with a Rebel Spy and we kept getting chased. I also really liked the part where we crashed over a snow embankment and slid off and went flying down a gorge. I've decided that Simulation Rides are my favorite(Roller Coasters are a close second).

                                                  Since my brother wanted to play in the 'Honey I Shrunk the Kids' playground(and since the playground had been soaked earlier that day) we took him over there to play. I was in a bad mood so I didn't do anything in the area. I remember having a blast in this play area when I was six and I wish I could share the pictures of our last trip. If I do get them up, I'll be sure to post them :).

                                                             Me in front of the Play-Do

                                 My sister, brother and I in front of the Tatooine Traders. For some reason, the whole Tatooine thing looked off.

                                     We didn't want to miss the "Light, Motors, Action" show so we went over there to watch the last one. Since my Dad and I went off to sit somewhere since I was a little angry so we ended up sitting in a different place then my Mom, sister, and brother. The show was pretty cool to watch; I really liked how they had put the steering wheel in the back of the car so that it appeared to be backing up while being chased. My brother of course liked seeing the appearance of Lightning McQueen.

                                             EXPLOSIONS! And FIRE! XD And the car jumped through it. :)

                                                              Singing in the Rain :)

                                                         Since three of our cousins like the show "Phineas and Ferb" my brother and sister went and got their autographs and had pictures made with them.

                                            My Mom took me back over to the Star Tours area and I got to look at the Gift Shop a bit. They had some really cool books that I flipped through and even a couple of autographed images. I bought myself a Jedi Academy T-shirt(which my Mom had seen) and I really like it :D We also took a picture of me on a Speeder Bike but I can't find it for some reason. Oh and did you notice I'm wearing my Celebration VI shirt in the pictures? :D                    
                               

                                       The three of us standing before the Hollywood Studios Hat

                              The next show we went to was "The Great Movie Ride" which had a long wait.

                                             The ride was pretty cool though they forgot a LOT of good movies. C'mon people, what about the Star Wars Prequels!!? *sigh*

                           The guy with the gun walked passed me at one point and slammed his hand on the side of the ride where I was sitting. I don't know why he was trying to scare me but I didn't scream(I never do) so Mwhahaha. And he got turned into a skeleton(not the actor, just the character).

                                             My sister and I in front of a large "Once Upon A Time" poster. My favorite TV show right now! :D

                                       Once night arrived(and after my brother rode Toy Story Mania again), we all went to the night show at Hollywood Studios called "Fantasmic!". And it was SO COOL! :D It was definitely the best night show in all the parks. It had really neat effects and the story was really cool! :). I loved how they edited it all together.

                                               Belle and the Beast from "Beauty and the Beast"! :)

                                 Boat with all the Disney characters on it. Since watching Once Upon A Time, my interest in Disney movies has come back a lot so I got excited seeing the characters on the boat.

                                       The crowds on leaving Fantasmic were horrendous and crushing. There were too many people and and I didn't like being in a swarm of people. It did get a lot better and I was glad about that.

                                       As we were walking to the exit, two guys(who seemed drunk) were complaining about parades and one, as he passed me, was all "high five!" Of course I ignored him.

                                   The area near the entrance/exit had a really retro feel which was neat.

                                       The day was really long but it was a really great day! :D I loved Star Tours and the different shows. My shoes got really wet on this day and they were still damp when we left.

Hope you enjoyed the post! :D Sorry if it was a little light- it's been nearly two months since vacation.
May the Force be with you...Always :)
Shena Tokala out