#Disney hidden map answers series
Barnett says that park employees will often help visitors track them down.) Most hidden Mickeys are “classic,” according to Barnett: A series of three circles representing Mickey’s face and ears, although they can be much more elaborate. (Hidden Mickeys are not officially acknowledged by Disney, but are a bit of an open secret. A “hidden Mickey” is an image of Disney’s iconic mascot, Mickey Mouse, woven into park designs from wallpaper to landscaping. He is the creator of the website Hidden Mickey Guy and author of hidden Mickey guides for Disney World (now in its sixth edition), Disneyland and Disney cruises. The unconventional quest for subtlety within the walls of major theme park is Steve Barrett’s expertise. Right, in Cars Land, a sideways classic Mickey on the power line. Hidden Mickeys: left, ‘The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride’ in Disneyland, spot the yellow upside-down classic Mickey And there are, of course, attractions unique to each locale– such as Tokyo DisneySea, a 176-acre nautical theme park that includes a lavish recreation of Venice complete with Gondola rides. Hong Kong’s Jungle Cruise is “totally different” from the classic Disneyland version. But for Godfrey, the subtle differences are part of the appeal. “I always tell people to talk to people in the queue,” says Godfrey, “Because you never know what might happen, what sort of magical things.”įor the uninitiated, it might seem strange to traverse the globe in order to visit places modeled after a theme park in California. At Disneyland, Godfrey struck up a chat with a stranger who turned out to be a Disney insider and scored a special tour of the animation studios. “I’ve never seen anything like that before,” says Godfrey. In Paris, they watched striking workers march through the park. (Photo: fortherock/flickr)Īlthough many have undertaken efforts to visit each park, Godfrey says, he is not aware of anyone who has done it in a row as his group did. Many members are frequent park visitors, but it wasn’t until the 18-month-long 50th anniversary of Disneyland loomed in 2005 that Godfrey and his friends made the radical choice to undertake what they dubbed the “Ultimate Theme Park Trip.” In September of 2006, they visited every park, starting in Tokyo and working their way west, ending at Disneyland for the last week of anniversary celebrations. In the early 90s he founded Down Under Disneyana, billed on its website as the “premier Australian club for Disney Fans.” Club members gather six times a year to discuss all things Disney, listen to guest speakers, and participate in trivia. Godfrey, an accountant in Sydney, is a lifelong Disney fan with a special affinity for Chip and Dale, Flounder from The Little Mermaid, and the live action Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Not all Disney travelers take the extreme route, but many fans have made the pilgrimage to every park or are repeat visitors. Another pair followed in their footsteps and tacked on Tokyo. A father and son hit Disney World and Disneyland within 24 hours. One man visited 37 Disney World attractions in one day. One couple went to Disneyland every day for a year. The Disneyland Resort subway in Hong Kong, the world’s first metro line designed to service a Disney theme park (Photo: GuoZhongHua/)īut for some fans, one (or even a few) visits is not enough. A sixth is slated to open in Shanghai in 2016. Right now there are five park destinations, located in Anaheim, Orlando, Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong and some of those offer multiple parks-in Anaheim, for instance, you can visit Disneyland and California Adventure. And for many fans, a treasured experience is a trip to one of the carefully engineered parks. There are discussion forums, online groups and in-person meetups just for Disney pin collectors. Devotees will focus on specific characters, eras, movies, artists and rides. Disney fandom is no casual affair or underground phenomenon: there are multitudes of fan blogs, clubs and conventions, official and unofficial. This quest was just one example of the lengths Disney fans will go to celebrate all things Disney. Undertaking the quest was a feat that required around two months of planning and roughly $6,000 apiece.Ĭalifornia Adventure (Photo: Nani Leilani/flickr) It was the end of an epic journey with six friends to every Disney park in the world, spanning four countries and 32 days. Then there were a series of shorter flights that culminated in southern California and- most importantly-Disneyland. The longest flight, after all, was from Australia to Tokyo. Wayne Godfrey says the jet lag wasn’t too bad.
Mickey and Minnie Mouse balloons at Hong Kong Disneyland (Photo: Loren Javier/flickr)
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