Richie McNanna, writer of the former Disney-to-Go series, submits his new column, The Displaced Disney Dad : an emporium of thoughts from a hopeless father raising his son to think 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is the height of cinema and trying to convince his wife that turkey legs are supposed to be 18 lbs. each.
Every so often, Richie will share anecdotes about how he and his wife conduct their daily domestic duties with a little Disney flair. From their home in New Jersey, this family of Disney fanatics try to recreate a little bit of Orlando magic in their own home in between visits to Florida — which never quite come soon enough.
Memories, quirks, quips, tips, questions for you all – these will be the topics of this digital journal.
So, may these musings invoke the adventurous spirit of Captain Nemo and the aromatic essence of roasting poultry in Frontierland® as they waft through the nebula of cyberspace known as the WDW Radio blog community.
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Do you play music for your wee ones during bath time? Please, indulge me and read below:
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Two things made my one-year-old son cry on our last trip to Walt Disney World®:
1. that ol’ trip down cinematic memory lane know as The Great Movie Ride ®. (I wanted him to see the Munchkins…but all he will ever remember are the gangster shoot out, the ominous Temple of Doom, and the terror that is the Alien scene — I am ridiculously worried we scarred him for life on this attraction)
and…
2. The Country Bear Jamboree
Wait…what?!
How could this be? Those cute cuddly bears should be the immense joy of all those who experience them…old or young! But alas, our poor, sweet Dean thought he got caught wedged within the top and bottom portion of the attraction bench – this frightened him immensely, and tears proceeded all the way through our Cast Member’s opening spiel.
Not the quiet, air-conditioned respite we initially envisioned.
Before:
However, we eventually “dislodged” him, and he settled in for one delightful “bit of Americana” and a romp down our “musical heritage of the past.”
After:
Why do I bring this near-collision with toddler catastrophe up? Because what happened next has affected our kiddie bath time – yes, kiddie bath time! – for the months since our trip.
How?
Well, while our little guy had the “Devilish Mary” nearly scared out of him, his experience with the Country Bear Jamboree quickly shifted from one of sheer horror to complete and inimitable awe as the massive talking heads on the wall spirited to life.
Thanks to Buff, Max, and Melvin, the result was a fifteen-minute frolic of ursine delight the likes of which changed my son’s attitude all the way to Adventureland®.
And I bring all of this up because when we arrived back at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter that evening, of course we needed to play the soundtrack to Dean’s new favorite attraction on the ol’ iPhone; we could not have chosen more appropriately.
For a mere $9.99 on iTunes, we found a soundtrack for Dean to clap to the chit chat, ker-plunk to the yick yack, and splash to the flim flam. He was in hoedown heaven. And we carried this tradition home.
Highly recommended, this soundtrack should quickly become a part of your bath time set list; the kids love it, and it will serve as a quick fix for those particular days when you find yourself in Frontierland® mood.
In a related vein, may I recommend these similarly themed gems (both available on iTunes):
1. The soundtrack to Walt Disney’s Westward Ho the Wagons!
2. The album Woody’s Roundup, Featuring Rider’s in the Sky from Disney / Pixar: Toy Story 2
(Photos from the author’s personal collection. Soundtrack images ©Disney.)
For more information regarding The Country Bear Jamboree, please, refer to WDW Radio podcasts Show # 275 – May 20, 2012 and Show # 232 – July 24, 2011
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Richie McNanna is an 8th grade teacher from Westfield, NJ. He has been a self-proclaimed Disney nut since the age of seven when his parents convinced him that real ghosts lived in the Haunted Mansion, and his goal in life is to retire one day and become one of the Dapper Dans. Richie’s wife, Helene, is the most understanding woman on the planet for putting up with his Disney obsession and owed a great deal of emotional payback. His son is one year old and already owns several sets of Mickey ears.
