Putting together an exhibit of this size is no small feat, even when you’re powered by an ARC reactor. To put it in perspective, we gathered some armor-blasting numbers from behind the scenes.

Iron Man armors on display in Innoventions at Disneyland Park: Eight, including Mark I-VII, and Mark 42.

Weight of one individual suit: 40 pounds. The Mark I is the heaviest, weighing in at approximately 60 lbs.

Boxes it took to get the suits and Hall of Armor replica to the Innoventions exhibit: 8 very large crates, weighing approximately 2000 lbs. each, carried on two giant flatbed trailers. A crane was needed just to get them into the building.

Total square footage of the exhibit: Roughly 1,500 sq. ft., the same as Tony Stark’s Malibu workshop.

Most firepower-packed suit: Mark VII, which features over 92 micro missiles, twin tri-barreled laser modules, and even a single anti-armor missile!

Most recent make of Tony Stark’s suits: Mark 42, which can be “called” by Tony to fly toward him piece by piece and assemble directly on his body in a matter of seconds.

Time it takes for guests to virtually “suit up” for themselves in the Stark Industries Simulation Module: Approximately 30 seconds before you can virtually see yourself in Iron Man’s signature red and gold.

Check out Iron Man 3 in theatres now!

The post Iron Man Tech – By The Numbers appeared first on Disney Blogs.

When You Get Lost in Your Car or in Life

Follow old Rafiki; he know the way.

When You Have an Injury That Needs Immediate Healing or You Need to Stay Young Forever

Rapunzel, pre-haircut, has the power to do all these things for you. (Warning: you might be evil if you have a weird desire to stay young forever. See: Mother Gothel.)

When You Need a Last-Second Escape or You Need to Save You Queen

He uses science to solve problems like Bill Nye. Basil is the science mouse of the Disney mouse world.

When You Need a Scrappy Inventor

He created a telescope out of a leaf and a drop of water. We bet he can make anything out of anything. Plus, he’s looks on the positive side of life and a little optimism is necessary for any emergency kit.

When You Need to Create an Instant Party Environment

Have you seen the Under the Sea scene lately?? Sebastian takes the ocean from a tad unappealing to awesome in ten seconds flat. (He’s also great for creating an instant romantic environment, obviously.)

When You Need Someone To Kick Some Serious Booty on Your Behalf

Danger, or trouble, she’s there on the double, you know that you always can call KIM POSSIBLE.

When You Need Quality Advice

This might be the most valuable one… great advice could keep you away from other problematic situations. Why do you understand everything, Jiminy Cricket? How do you do it? You are magical.

The post Vinylmation Emergency Kit appeared first on Disney Blogs.

Well, we here at Oh My Disney have studied these MU monsters in detail, and we spotted some patterns (and tails, horns, and tentacles). Consider this the definitive guide on how to tell if your roommate is a monster.

He has lots of friends with nontraditional eye placement.

His beak is bigger than your head.

His smile spans his entire torso.

Her skin and hair are… brighter than usual.

He has at least one friend with wings.

Having worm-legs isn’t the most notable thing about him (them?).

He somewhat resembles a pet you had growing up. (RIP Airhead the gecko.)

He has sticky fingers (and we’re not talking about stealing).

One of her friends is JUST AN EYEBALL ON A STICK.

He seems to have an unusual fascination with being scary.

If monsters went to our universities, these are just some of the things we would look for. You can get a more comprehensive guide to the modern monster student on the official Monsters University website.

The post How to Tell if Your Roommate is a Monster appeared first on Disney Blogs.

First, we get inspiration from somewhere. Like a phone call.

On this particular call, someone reminded us how great our fans are. And we thought… how do we show them that we think they’re stellar people?

Second, we brainstorm ideas.

We go around the circle and pitch editorial ideas. Some people horse around in these meetings. Others come up with total gems. Gems like “15 Reminders That You’re Great Today.”

Third, said gem pitcher has to write the article.

This can take time. And research. And Oh My Disney stickers for extra inspiration.

Fourth, the editors take a look.

You might think our editors are total nerds. But you’d be only partially correct. They also help us try to catch all the incorrect apostrophes and name spellings and ellipses. Then, they give their approval.

Fifth, the team looks at the calendar to find a spot for the story.

As with all group decisions, this involves a lot of staring. And then a consensus.

Sixth, the article is posted.

And the team checks out the post on the blog and says “we really hit the (metaphorical) bullseye with this one.”

Seventh, we celebrate.

With candy. Obv.

The post The Truth Behind Oh My Disney appeared first on Disney Blogs.

Aladdin’s Royal Caravan Parade (1992-1995)
Imagine that scene from Aladdin where Prince Ali shows up in Agrabah, except Agrabah is a Disney Park and its happening for reals. Make way, here he comes, ring bells, beat the drums…

They had the monkeys, go see the monkeys!

Don’t those camels look lovely, June?

Genie, can we make a wish to go back in time and see the parade again?

The World According to Goofy (1992)
How do you make a history lesson a little more fun?

Ludwig Von Drake is a good start, but Disneyland had something a little Goofy-er in mind.

Cleopatra or Clarapatra?

From the pyramids to politics, Goofy brought the hyucks to history.

Party Gras Parade (1990)
Calypso music. ✓ Party beads. ✓ ✓ Four story tall Disney character balloons. Where do we sign up?

Disneyland’s 35th Anniversary celebration was a blowout… of the helium sort. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto towered high in the sky for this full-on celebration in the streets.

Who knew the produce aisle could make such a wonderful fashion statement? Minnie knew, that’s who.

Mulan Parade (1998-2001)
With premieres at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World, this parade brought the pageantry of Mulan to the streets of the Parks.

The dragon-master of ceremonies, Mushu, rides in style down Hollywood Boulevard.

Learn this lesson, kids… good guys get parades in their honor. Bad guys get tied to rockets and sent down the parade route.

The Lion King Celebration (1994-1997)
For three years, Simba, Pumbaa, Timon and the Pride Rock gang Hakuna Matata’d their way down Disneyland’s Main Street, U.S.A.

Fun Fact: You can still see the floats from The Lion King Celebration during The Festival of The Lion King show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida.

Hercules Victory Parade (1997-1998)
If there was ever a character born for a parade, it’s gotta be this guy:

Herc was on a roll… down the parade route, that is. And as the song says, “Honey… the crowds were going bonkers.”

Whoa, look at that float. Good God! (We mean that literally.)

We know what you’re thinking… what gives? No Mighty Ducks parade! Not even a float?!? We’re working on getting an official statement from Coach Bombay, but admit it – the Flying V formation on Main Street, U.S.A. would have looked pretty cool.

The post ’90s Disney Parks Parades FTW appeared first on Disney Blogs.

Gaston initially claims that when he was a “lad” he ate four dozen eggs every morning to achieve his intimidating stature. Right off the bat, that sounds like a lot of eggs, but just in case you were unsure, this is what forty eight eggs looks like:

That’s twelve times four, Gaston, far too many eggs for a single human being to eat, in our humble opinion. But because no one stepped in and taught Gaston to slow his roll when he was still young, he’s upped the stakes to five dozen eggs as a grown man. This is what five dozen eggs looks like:

Gaston, that is too many eggs. But just look at him go, horking down eggs like it’s no big deal:

He claims that ingesting so many eggs has made him roughly the size of a barge, and it’s no wonder. Let’s just say for argument’s sake that one egg is 100 calories, and Gaston is enjoying 60 of them daily…

Yep, 6,000 calories per day before he’s even had lunch. Now, Gaston is a very sizable and active young man, so he probably does need a lot of eggs to fuel all of his (literal) benching.

We’re not nutritionists or anything, but we did a little research on the recommended caloric intake for a healthy diet. It turns out Gaston is actually consuming enough eggs to fuel two very strong and active Gastons based on his breakfast alone!

So in conclusion, this isn’t just an opinion, Gaston. You are literally, metaphorically, quantitatively, and scientifically eating too many eggs. You might want to dial it back, buddy.

Unrelated, but funny:

The post Gaston, That is Too Many Eggs appeared first on Disney Blogs.

Animation Sets the Stage

According to Disney Archivist Becky Cline, Disney began with only a single sound stage at the original Hyperion Avenue location in Los Angeles. That stage was mainly used for recording music and sound effects to use with its main product at the time – cartoons. When Walt moved the Studio to its current location in Burbank, she says, “it was a state-of-the-art animation plant. The other Hollywood studios were created with the intention of making live-action films, but at Disney every building was linked to the animation process. And that’s why one of the earliest stages built here was Stage A, the orchestra stage, which opened in 1940. It was intended purely for recording sound, and that’s been its purpose ever since. Louis Prima performed there with his band for ‘The Jungle Book’ soundtrack!”

Stage 1 was also completed early on. This was the first stage on the lot intended for recording live-action because, as animation grew in sophistication, so did the possibilities of using film. Animators used live actors caught on film as reference to create more realistic movements for films like “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and “Dumbo.” The Studio also began experimenting with amalgamated films that combined live-action and cartoon, resulting in film like “Make Mine Music” and “Saludos Amigos,” and perhaps the finest example of this technique ever made – “Fantasia.” Live-action for all of these films was shot on Stage 1, including the “conductor” sequences in “Fantasia,” showcasing maestro Leopold Stokowski.

Disney at War — and on TV

The world was changing throughout the ’40s, so the Studio changed with it. During World War II, Stage 1 assisted the war effort when the U.S. Army moved onto the lot and commandeered it as an anti-aircraft facility! And after the war, Walt Disney embraced the dawning potential of TV. Stage 1 was used to film Walt’s early television specials, and then became the home of the original “Mickey Mouse Club” show in 1954.

Television was important in the history of the Studio’s next soundstage as well, when Walt was contacted by Jack Webb of “Dragnet” fame.  To mitigate the cost of building Stage 2 in 1947-49, Walt Disney rented out the new stage to producer/actor Jack Webb. Webb’s series “Dragnet” filmed there from August 1952 until February 1955. But Stage 2 came into its own in the mid 1950s, with the Studio’s new endeavor – entirely live-action films. It was larger than Stage 1, which made it possible to shoot more lavish productions like “Davy Crockett at the Alamo” and “Mary Poppins.” Because Stage 2 held the massive Cherry Tree Lane set for “Mary Poppins,” it was dedicated as the Julie Andrews Stage in 2001.

Effects Get Special

Disney’s first completely live-action feature film made on the Studio lot, “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” required something else – water, and lots of it. Stage 3 was built in 1952 with a water tank under the floor, specifically for that film. Divided into two sections, the tank has an eight-foot-deep section perfect for capturing battles between submarines and giant squid, and a three-foot-deep section with windows and camera ports so it can be used for special effects. Although it was originally intended for underwater photography for the likes of “Island at the Top of the World,” it has also seen new uses over the years for sophisticated effects and computer motion-control sequences, notably in the ground-breaking “The Black Hole.”

In the decades that followed, movie studios began pushing the limits of special effects and trick photography, and Disney was a pioneer there. Stages 4 and 5 were originally one stage the same size as Stage 2, but were divided in 1988. Although they are now used primarily for TV production, at one point this was the go-to stage for effects photography, most notably used for “Darby O’Gill and the Little People.” Becky explains, “They did forced-perspective photography to make full-sized people look little. One actor would be close to the camera and the others would be way back so they’d look tiny by comparison. They had to light the stage brightly to be able to see the people in the back clearly – so brightly that one afternoon they overloaded the electrical grid and blacked out the whole city of Burbank! It also got really hot in there, so they had special panels to vent the heat from the lights. Temperatures in there have reached 136 degrees.”

Today and Tomorrow

The final additions to the Studio family of stages are 6 and 7, state-of-the-art TV stages, which opened in 1997. In the heyday of on-the-lot production, the sound stages were in constant use. “For a big movie, we’d use every stage – for ‘Mary Poppins’ one stage had a green screen where she was flying, another one had Cherry Tree Lane, and then we’d use a third set for effects shots,” explains Becky. “The last film to use most of the stages simultaneously was ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.’ I remember walking into Stage 5 and seeing a set for the scene where Captain Jack is delirious – there were huge Jack Sparrow dreadlocks hanging on one side of the stage, it was pretty surreal!”

Location filming has become ever more common, so today Disney’s sound stages are most often used for television production. “We’re a very small studio on the scale of movie studios, because we were originally meant to be an animation factory,” Becky says. “Still, every sound stage ever built on the Disney lot is still in use, and still used for its original purpose.”

From capturing the voice of Mickey Mouse to creating the watery bayou of “Pirates of the Caribbean” (shot in a pit excavated beneath Stage 2), Disney’s sound stages have hosted every stage of the Studio’s creative evolution, and who knows what they will hold in the decades to come? Inside those big plain-looking buildings is a world of Disney entertainment waiting to be imagined.

The post Peek Inside Disney’s Sound Stages appeared first on Disney Blogs.

I have been going to Walt Disney World since before I can remember. I stopped counting at around my 100th visit. Growing up in Florida and having a parent that loved Disney more than I did has given me a lifetime of Disney memories that I will forever cherish. That is why, when my wife and I got married five years ago, I was ecstatic to discover her love for all things Disney.
We have visited Walt Disney Worlds four times in the last four years, and each time something truly memorable happens that leaves us anxious for our next trip. My family and friends have experienced random acts of kindness from both Cast Members and fellow Guests. In fact, we have coined the phrase “Disney Angel” to describe an anonymous person who suddenly appears to bring joy to our lives, then disappears just as quickly.
During our most recent visit in April 2013 we were visited by another “Disney Angel”. We had planned on visiting the Parks Monday through Friday but, as usual, our desire to get started could not be contained. After arriving on Saturday, we decided to visit the various resorts and Downtown Disney. During our visit to Polynesian we found ourselves in the “Bou- tiki” gift shop. My wife, the avid pin collector, got right to work checking the lanyards of all the Cast Members in sight. After she had checked several lanyards to no avail, one Cast Member asked if there was a specific pin she was searching for. She had her heart set on collecting the new villain parking-lot pins. Unfortunately, no one had seen any … or so we thought.
After a few minutes of searching the gift shop for other Disney sundries that we just could not live without, we were approached by an elderly woman with a big smile on her face. Pat was a Cast Member who wanted to know how our visit to Walt Disney World was going so far. She noticed my wife’s lanyard and asked how her pin-trading was going. My wife expressed optimism that she would find what she was looking for. That is when Pat stopped her and told her that during a recent conversation with Mickey Mouse, he had told her that my wife was seeking the villain parking-lot pins and had sent Pat to deliver one of the pins to my wife. We were both speechless. We gave Pat a hug and thanked her and Mickey for giving us, not only the pin, but another memory. Then, just as quickly as she had appeared, Pat was gone.
Walt Disney World never ceases to amaze me. They continually exceed my expectations and I cannot wait to plan my next trip. Love for Walt Disney World is contagious. I have successfully converted dozens of Disney skeptics to Disney maniacs, and stories of our many Disney Angels make it even easier!

The post Thank You, Disney Angel! appeared first on Disney Blogs.

Demi Lovato’s new album “Demi” is out now! The album features Demi’s newest smash hit single, “Heart Attack,” which reached platinum status just 8 weeks after release and debuted # 1 in 19 countries. “Heart Attack” comes on the heels of Demi’s #1 single, “Give Your Heart A Break.”

Track List:

1. 1. Heart Attack
2. 2. Made in the USA
3. 3. Without the Love
4. 4. Neon Lights
5. 5. Two Pieces
6. 6. Nightingale
7. 7. In Case
8. 8. Really Don’t Care (feat. Cher Lloyd)
9. 9. Fire Starter
10. 10. Something That We’re Not
11. 11. Never Been Hurt
12. 12. Shouldn’t Come Back
13. 13. Warrior

Get it on iTunes now!

The post Demi Lovato’s New Album Now Available appeared first on Disney Blogs.

The Rhetorical Question

When Gaston asks, “Don’t I deserve the best?” The answer is always yes. Just nod in agreement. Please. We have to ask, are you okay, LeFou?

The Head Plonk

Gaston just chastised LeFou for joking about Maurice. But Gaston was joking about THE SAME THING literally 10 seconds earlier. All good henchmen know that repeating what their evil boss has just said gets you instant brownie points. So, this must’ve come as shock. Are you okay, LeFou?

The Aftermath

LeFou has ended up on the wrong end of Gaston’s laughing fit. If your boss is roughly the size of a barge, do yourself a favor and steer clear of any friendly pats on the shoulder. Also, look closely and you’ll notice that LeFou has been lugging the antlers from Gaston’s latest kill around this entire time. So, again: are you okay, LeFou?

The Don’t Ask

Gaston has just fallen into an especially muddy lake and Belle is nowhere in sight, so asking how the marriage proposal went seems a bit foolhardy. Are you beginning to understand why we’re concerned? Are you okay, LeFou?

The Knockout

It’s LeFou’s big number, which he spends reminding Gaston how great he is. Foolproof, right? Wrong. In a moment of pure over-excitement, LeFou spills his drink all over Gaston. Gaston doesn’t take this lightly. Ouch. Are you okay, LeFou?

The Eggsperiment

Note: Don’t juggle with eggs. Just don’t. Gross. Are you okay, LeFou?

The “I’m Fine”

LeFou is squashed by an enormous chair at the end of the last number and no one thinks to help him out. He has to sing the entire refrain from the under the chair. Not cool, townspeople. Are you okay, LeFou?

The Pain

We have to say, this one is totally LeFou’s fault. Never side with the angry mob, especially when headed to an enchanted castle. Are you okay, LeFou?

As you can see, LeFou is pretty much never okay. Hence our concern. The lesson? Don’t align yourself with the villain. It never ends well. LeFou learned this too late. We hope wherever he is, he’s found a better group of friends, has stopped juggling raw eggs, and generally accepts that he doesn’t need an evil counterpart to be special. Just be you LeFou! That is all.

The post Are You Okay, LeFou? appeared first on Disney Blogs.