Saturday, June 27, 2009

Man on Fire (Family Reunion Day Three)

After the Himalayan roller coaster yesterday, Dave decided he didn't needed to be shaken or dropped any more. I was still game for physical abuse, and quite enjoyed being dropped 13 stories at the Hollywood Tower Hotel. I followed that up with the crown jewel of Disney roller coasters, a fake limousine that streaks through utter blackness with hard rock pounding in your ears. Truly fine. We needed something sweet and simple after that--a 30-minute musical summary of Beauty and the Beast. I cannot see Belle without remembering Sophia's anguished gasps of betrayal, at her third birthday party, when she was given a "Belle" dress, rather than the "Cinderella" dress she asked for. I now know my princesses, too!We ran into the Eberts, later that morning, trying to find their way to Beauty and the Beast. That's Mia, beneath the white drape. Ezra had acquired one of those nifty fan-sprayers to survive the (more refreshing than yesterday) 97-degree heat. Annelise slipped into the stroller in Ezra's absence--there is a heirarchy in who gets the treasured stroller seats. And, amid all the diversions of a Disney theme park, Sophia was amusing herself with a bit of blue ribbon!




"Up" is the latest Disney feature cartoon, and Dave and I felt privileged to pose with its stars.The highlights of our day were three shows about stunt work and special effects. We first attended the Indian Jones Stunt Show, at which "extras" were chosen from the audience, dressed up as Arabs, and told they represented all the citizens of Cairo.Stunt look-alikes for Harrison Ford and his leading lady then shot, whipped, leapt, and flew their way through a Nazi/Arab intrigue. Of course, there was lots of fire to add drama.We then toured the Disney backlot, where we saw car-size airplanes which could be easily photographed for airliner dramas, the Herbie volkswagen, and a mock red rock desert scene which was doused in flames and then flooded with 70,000 gallons of water while we watched.


Finally, we saw the "Lights, Motors, Action" stunt show, in which car and motorcycle chases, gunmen leaping from tall buildings, break-aways on jet skis, and even a man in flames were separately filmed before our eyes, and then combined into one wild, terrorist escape scene which we viewed on overhead monitors. That was a must-see!

One of the getaway cars had the front and back reversed, so the driver looked like he was driving backwards, but in fact was facing straight ahead!
The motorcyclist revved up to 60 mph, then slid for 30 feet and hit a wall.
Of course, a terrorist scene needs a man on fire....


who gets doused out....

in the midst of more fire and chaos.

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