Posted on by The Joyeux Project

no. 8: muppetvision 3d

Happy Wednesday, and welcome back to the blog! The week is halfway over now – we’re in the final stretch! The Mario Kart music is beginning to pick up, and whether you’re in first place or eleventh, it’s time to power through to the end! 🙂

Today I am offering you some insights about one of the greatest attractions ever created by the Disney corporation – the dimension-defying, goof-packed romp that is Muppetvision 3D! The Muppets franchise has always been near and dear to my heart, and this gem located within Disney’s Hollywood Studios is absolutely no exception.

The humor presented by the Muppets is a class act: the jokes… the stunts… the banana cream pie (even if it needs more sugar, according to Fozzie Bear)… From the pre-show heckling provided by Statler and Waldorf to Sam the Eagle’s “A Salute to All Nations (But Mostly America),” you can count on some part of this quirky tour de force to warm your heart. Notice I didn’t say laugh — I completely understand, albeit I may be disappointed, if the cheesy jokes and special effects aren’t your cup of tea, though the madcap energy radiating from Jim Henson’s signature creations should be enough to at least produce an endearing effect on the most stoic of audience members.

Much to my delight, Muppet*Vision 3D has been in operation in Walt Disney World since 1991. The film was the final project that Jim Henson directed before his death in 1990, along with seasoned performer Richard Hunt, who passed away in 1992. Knowing that this theme park project was Jim Henson’s final imprint on his beloved franchise makes me hold this attraction even more dearly. His characters remind me how to be a kinder, more optimistic person every time I experience their stories!

I treasure every visit I pay to Muppet Labs, and those that constructed this theatre captured the eccentric essence of the franchise to a T. My personal favorite detail is the painting of Fozzie Bear dressed as King Henry VIII, but there are countless other quirky details sprinkled through the attraction from a park guest’s very first step onto the mat with a spare key underneath it.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to experience this joyous attraction, I hope you will be able to at some point in your life! From the queue to the post-show theatre detailing, it is a masterclass in noticing and appreciating the small things. Also, Gonzo’s pre-show tap dancing really isn’t half bad!

Mot joyeux d’aujourd’hui: “Here’s some simple advice: always be yourself. Never take yourself too seriously. And beware the advice from experts, pigs, and members of Parliament.” -Kermit the Frog

Have a wonderful rest of your week! I’ll see you tomorrow!

Much love,

Alyson

Posted on by The Joyeux Project

no. 5: griffith observatory

Good evening! As we’re all winding down with anticipation for the week to come, I’d like to share with you my favorite spot on the West Coast of the US. 🙂 It’s probably more familiar to you than you realize, even if you haven’t been – or even heard of it before! (More on that later…)

Traveling to California with my family after my sophomore year of high school was an incredible experience: the state is beautiful, I ate as much In&Out Burger as my parents would let me, and the stunning green hills that frame downtown LA made sitting in traffic a little more bearable than normal. While I… unfortunately…. exhibited a strong distaste for the bustle of Los Angeles, there was a place a hop, skip, and a jump away from the sensory overload that was downtown that I fell a little bit in love with: Griffith Observatory, nestled on top of Mount Hollywood.

A little bit of background on this magnificent hub of astronomy and other scientific activity: officially opening in 1935, Griffith Observatory has become one of the most popular informal education facilities in the US and is the most-visited public observatory in the world. Griffith J. Griffith (a name I deeply covet), the man who set aside the funds and intentions for the project in his 1919 will, is quoted saying ‘If all mankind could look through that telescope, it would change the world!’ The observatory has been striving to fulfill Griffith’s vision ever since, as there is free telescope viewing available to the general public when the evening Los Angeles skies are clear.

While I did not get to stargaze during my visit, my experience at Griffith Observatory has burrowed down fondly into an alcove of my heart. My family parked a ways away from the building itself, so together we hiked up the hills, making conversation and watching other visitors either conclude their descent or continue their trek alongside us. The observatory is free to the public, so as soon as we reached the top, we began to explore all it had to offer.

Reflecting back on this visit, I think it is the fact it was such an unremarkable experience in such a grandiose place that makes it resonate with me. I was the epitome of a tourist, taking pictures on the observation decks with the Hollywood sign behind me and a California breeze in my hair. I wandered around the interior exhibits, reading plaques and walking through displays about the planets. I tried (and failed) to score a souvenir while meandering the gift shop. My family facetimed our relatives to show them the view, and my sister and I fished for quarters to use large, brassy binoculars to further observe the Los Angeles countryside. A textbook visit to a world-famous planetarium. And yet, it remains my favorite memory from a packed week in the state. Being able to just exist, and to allow white marble and green hills and the stars millions of miles away from you to eclipse your significance for just an hour or two is so powerful. God’s creation has a way of always taking my breath away, and Griffith Observatory allows over 1.5 million visitors a year to observe the exact same splendor. I hope that they can catch a glimpse of this natural glory in the same way that I did.

Some parting trivia about today’s wonder: you can see Griffith Observatory in the 2016 movie musical La La Land, the setting for Mia and Sebestian’s celestial planetarium waltz. Having just seen the movie a semester prior, knowing I was standing in the same place as Ryan Gosling was also a pretty big deal to 16-year-old me. Embedded below is the waltz, which takes place in the observatory’s starry planetarium. Enjoy one of the many stunning visuals from the film against the backdrop of one of my fondest traveling memories.

Mot joyeux d’aujourd’hui: “People love what other people are passionate about.” -La La Land (2016)

Much love,

Alyson