Thrillography: Disneyland + Universal Studios Hollywood *IN HD* Trip Report

Yes. :} We have returned to the happiest place on earth.

It had been over five years since my last visit to Disneyland when I reunited with the little Anaheim park in April.

Comparatively speaking, no sooner had I reunited with Disneyland than did the follow-up reunion occur – a mere three weeks later! :}

Say hello to Jackie's work wife, Angela, and her daughter Kara!

And here's Jackie's future husband, Craig. :}

As promised in my last update, Thrillography now has a new camera! Welcome to Thrillography *IN HD*!!

To celebrate the occasion, I bought new ears. Can you guess which ones I got? :}

Off we go to the little castle!

Take a look at Jackie and Craig holding hands. Aren't they just precious??? XD

New camera + tilt shift = bliss

I SEE YOU MATT. I CAME BACK FOR YOU!

No Star Tours for us on this visit. Next time!

Gotta snag those Hyperspace Mountain FastPasses!

Now for something we missed on our last visit:

It's Jungle Cruise! :D

Fresh from its routine rehab, Jungle Cruise is ready to celebrate it's 60th birthday!

Kara's looking a little apprehensive about this cruise. She probably has a pretty good idea of what we're in for.

KITTY

DANGER NOODLES

Why are the elephants all naked? Because they won't keep their trunks up. ;}

I don't know what these creatures are, but they sure look uncivilized.

Look at these creatures! Wonder what they're up to...

Aww, look! The kitties invited that striped-pajama thing for a sleepover.

Woah woah woah… I don't know what's going on here, but it probably shouldn't be seen by children!

I love that the hippo scene still involves firing a pistol. I'm in the last generation of people who can recall when the skipper actually still shot at the hippos, instead of just firing in the air to "scare 'em off."

*NATIVE UPRISING*

*BACKSIDE OF WATER*

(it doesn't get more Disney than this, the 8th natural wonder of the world)

Love the piranha. They're relatively new, I think. Last ten years, maybe?

I just love Jungle Cruise. :}

Now for a cruise of a different variety. :}

It's a lovely morning in the French Quarter.

Lookie what this camera can do! A nice, appropriately-lit shot of the entrance scene for Pirates. :}

Mansion time :}

Look! They're at it again! X}

My newfound love for Splash Mountain continues to grow.

I think it has risen to my Top 5 Disneyland attractions. :}

2nd favorite Disneyland retail spot after the small world toy shop. :}

I just love Critter Country. :}

Disney snacks are best snacks.

Obligatory Splash tilt shift.

If you love Haunted Mansion, you'll love all the special Haunted Mansion goodies for sale in the courtyard. :}

Now we need a Splash Mountain store. :}

Look how clear and lovely the blue sky is! My old camera wasn't very good at blue skies; it would always come out grainy!

Hub shot!

Castle shot because castle.

My spirit animal <3

Tomorrowland time! Let's take a trip into Hyperspace!

There they go again!

Tilt shift isn't just for looking cool; it also helps draw attention away from anything that isn't the subject of the photograph.

Something else I can do now that I couldn't before is get some solid, up-close movement shots in low-light conditions. I can't get enough of people's reactions when they return from Hyperspace Mountain!

Scenes like these really benefit from a good flash, which I've never had before. :}

Tomorrowland Terrace is currently hosting a great little Star Wars show.

Look who just re-opened from a major refurbishment! It's Autopia!

Like Hong Kong Disneyland's Autopia, the Disneyland Autopia now features sponsorship from Honda!

It's now been over 15 years since we lost Rocket Rods, and over 20 since we lost the Peoplemover.

I honestly believe that if they restored Peoplemover and held a major grand re-opening event, it would be one of the highest-attended days in the resort's history. I'm just saying...

Autopia's updated fleet features a variety of body styles and colors. :}

The most distinct color of the fleet is this vibrant orange. :}

It's very busy. :}

Look who I found to drive me around! It's Derek!

XTREME AUTOPIA POV MADNESS!

We got a red car. :}

I think this sign is leftover from the Chevron sponsorship. It just has that look to it.

Let's drive over to Matterhorn!

So pretty :}

Offroading!

A little light traffic today.

Hello!

Ok! Matterhorn time!

We'll be back later, Hyperspace Mountain.

*______*

Finally! Reunited with my favorite Disneyland ride. <3

And we're going to take full advantage of the single rider line because 45 minute wait. Apparently I'm not the only one excited to ride Matterhorn again!

The new trains look great! They've recently added padding to the bottom, so I found them quite comfortable too.

I love taking pictures of Matterhorn. There always seems to be a train in view!

I could watch it all day. :}

Back to New Orleans Square for a moment. :}

And now Frontierland!

BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN RAILROAD HD!

Still living for the new trackwork. It's got a lot more zip in it's zip-a-dee-do-dah these days!

2 trains!

Yeah yeah yeah the train is blurry but I like the pic. Bear with me here.

Shots like this are soooo much better with the new camera. I'm really enjoying learning how to use it!

Fantasyland Skyway Chalet, still awaiting its fate.

Oh! This is important!

MATCHY-MATCHY!!! :D :D :D

I'm also matching its a small world because I'm wearing my "I conquered it's a small world" shirt that I bought last time. :}

Like Splash Mountain, I would now say that small world is in my Top 5 Disney rides. I bet you can figure out what all 5 of them are. ;}

On this visit I just took pictures outside, but next time I'll have nice pictures on from this inside!

One of my favorite faces. :}

It's still daylight out, but it's almost time for us to leave. :{

After one more Hyperspace Mountain ride, it was time to say goodbye...

…but then I came back six days later! :D

If you look closely, The Fantasyland Skyway Chalet is visible forward of the Matterhorn. Supposedly it will be devoured by Star Wars Land, but so far that hasn't happened.

Now for some fancy camera stuff.

Yay for racking focus!

Ahh! My favorite place to start a Disneyland day!

MONORAIL IS OPEN! TODAY IS A GREAT DAY!

The Monorail goes very fast these days! How long has it done this!?

I feel like we came barreling into Tomorrowland at like 30mph.

Even at breakneck Monorail speeds, there's plenty of time to take good pictures!

small world in it's natural habitat. :}

Hyperspace Mountain hiding behind the trees!

Matterhorn was the first ride of the day this time. :}

Today we're in for some quality Fantasyland time! :}

We'll make a couple of visits to Storybook Land. :}

Might get eaten by a whale.

There is a roller coaster hiding in this picture! Do you see it? :}

Today we're riding something that we haven't ridden since Disneyland Paris!

PAN!

40 minute wait for Peter Pan's Flight = random shots of Fantasyland.

No sign of the Evil Queen today.

Love having time for some flower shots. :}

Peter Pan's Flight has received some nice technical updates since my last ride,

But it's still the same-old Peter Pan it's always been. :}

Made some new friends in line! Say hi to Tyler and Katey!

(GO SHARKS)

While we're at it, say hi to the Matterhorn Bobsleds. :}

GO MONORAIL!

Now for a cruise on the Storybook Land Canal Boats!

I SEE YOU JR!

The Matterhorn is right at home in Pinocchio's village. :}

Curiouser and curiouser :}

In an ever-changing world, it's comforting to know that after all these years, Disneyland is still full of rides that showcase the simple wonder of transportation. :}

And, to this day, I'm pretty sure Casey Junior is still powered by a lawnmower motor.

Chuggin' right along by Sultan's Palace.

These look a bit like giant croquet wickets to me. It's like we're the croquet hedgehogs from Alice in Wonderland!

I believe this is Cinderella's castle, but I can't quite recall. All the different castles can be hard to sort out.

This shot has extra magic for no particular reason.

Elsa's castle is new in Storybook Land,

as is Arendelle. :}

I miss the charming Old Mill scene, but obviously the Frozen representation is a slam-dunk.

Here's a more normal-looking version of that extra jazzed-up picture from earlier. Slightly different angle. :}

Hey Prince Eric! You around?

The little garden area between Astro Orbiter and the castle is quite lovely. :}

Like, I'm sure this was here in 2010, but I have no recollection of it.

(Do any of you know what infamous 1957 Tomorrowland attraction once stood here?? :} )

Let's be honest; Sleeping Beauty may technically be the focal point of Disneyland Resort, but Matterhorn always steals the show!

Let's go for a little stroll, shall we?

I feel like we haven't checked out "the rest of California" in a while!

I think one of the nicest touches in Buena Vista street is immediately to the left of the park entrance – Oswald's!

Stage coaches in Main Street U.S.A. are complemented by the SanFran-esque red trolleys of Buena Vista Street.

Normally I'm not a fan of power lines in pictures, but the cable car lines are all part of the experience. :}

Now here's something I haven't ridden in over a decade! It's Grizzly River Run!

If Splash Mountain is America Sings and Song of the South with a little water, Grizzly River Run is the Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland with a lot of water.

Well actually this ride takes place in the northwest, not the southwest like Nature's Wonderland. I don't know where I was going with that analogy. I tried. x}

I SEE YOU FUN WHEEL.

Ok, so I don't really condone using fancy cameras under circumstances of wetness...

…putting away the camera now! I got my bear shot!

With Silly Symphony Swings (still) under major referb, the Zephyr closed due to high winds, and Goofy's Sky School closed for no immediately apparent reason, Jumpin' Jellyfish was the only functioning ride between Little Mermaid and Fun Wheel today!

Someday I'll put up with the wait time to ride this again. Today is not that day.

Here are my attempts at mid-launch photos for California Screamin' with the fancy camera.

Still a work in progress. Managed a few shots that were't unbearably blurry. x}

"I'm just going to take a picture with the train sitting in the brakes. It's easier this way."

I'm sorry Paradise Pier, but even with your beautiful roller coaster, you're not the best place in the park to take pictures anymore.

Things are always rockin' and a rollin' at Radiator Springs Raceway!

What wasn't rockin' was the 45 minute single rider line.

But next time for sure!

Just fun pictures this time with the fancy cam. :}

I waited around for a bit for a yellow car. As soon as I gave up, a pair of them raced by. x}

Of course the Rollickin' Roadsters are dancing away!

The ride has only been open a couple months and it's already "a thing" for everyone to throw their hands up in the air when the cars spin around!

Almost all hands up in the air, every time.

Hands come back down once everyone realizes how dizzy they are.

Now here's something I always forget about. Disneyland Resort has bumper cars!

(literally the world's weakest bumper cars, but still)

New ride for me, and one of Derek's favorites! It's Heimlich's Chew-Chew Train!

Heimlich's narrations as he eats his way around A Bug's Land are just priceless.

The candy scent in the Casey Jr. Cookie box is a nice touch!

Rumor has it there's a 4-leaf clover somewhere in Bug's Land. :}

Thanks for the tour, Heimlich!

Is it too early to just start calling it "Guardians"?

Ok, so this is amazing. I've never seen this model before, but I immediately recognized it from some old concept art.

Back to the Magic Kingdom. :}

Orange Fanta float! Really hit the spot!

This is a good trivia question! Where in Frontierland is Big Thunder Mountain located? :}

Crisp waterfall. Blurry train. Sorry, guys.

This is better, right?

How about this?

Here is a family of geese. Surely this pleases you!

…and over here we have an over-sythesized picture of Thund because why not?

Ahh, perfect! All of the crowds have gone. :}

Wait just kidding they were hiding over here.

Magic stuff :}

IMPORTANT!

I love this ride now more than ever. It never seems to be the same experience twice. :}

And this droid's commentary is a riot. Especially now that I work for the airline industry. ;}

This sure is a snazzy-looking place at night. :}

I wish I could take credit for how this picture turned out, but honestly it just sorta happened.

Nighttime is the best time for a tea party. :}

Especially when it's a LONG EXPOSURE tea party!

WOOOO COLORS!

Please, pay no attention to the blurry lanterns.

Wow ok this one is a little nauseating. Enjoy. ;}

KAC at night. :}

All aboard the night train!

(attempts at pictures taken from Case Jr. at night were made, but I am saving you the grief of bearing witness to their existence. You're welcome)

Obvously it is TIME FOR SMALL WORLD NOW!

small world gives excellent night rides. ;}

But first! Classic Disneyland popcorn.

HEY! Who turned out all the lights?

That's better! ^_^

The nightly fireworks were beginning just as we were boarding our cruise. :}

Are you guys ready for Small World pictures that are ACTUALLY IN FOCUS???

Oh I'm so excited.

Ok this one isn't super in-focus, but it's still cute.

YAY FOCUS!

Oh I am so pleased.

We all know flash photography is a no-no in dark rides, which is why I'm so impressed at what I ended up with.

Hello, boys!

I think the Eiffel Tower could benefit from having a giant obnoxious ribbon tied to it.

Kinda looks like the small world façade…inside small world.

#smallworldception

Merrily drifting our way further into Europe.

The Old Mill may be gone from Storybook Land, but the windmills are alive and well in small world!

Well! Aren't you cute.

Cuckoo :}

The struggle is real for that magic carpet guy.

Quick stop in Thailand!

Not the greatest picture, but these little bobble-head frogs are some of my absolutely favorite props in small world.

Africa!

Fiesta time!

Now that there is a serious Mexican Hat Dance. :}

The second-to-last room is such a delightful hodgepodge. It's Hawaii, Australia, under the ocean, and the rainforest all rolled into one!

I think small world's focus on Hawaii has something to do with the state's particularly noteworthy admission to the union less than five years before the ride's debut. :}

I love the rainforest scene. One of the best things about Hong Kong's small world is it's little independant rainforest room. :}

Hawaii's representation in Hong Kong's small world is about the same, but their Asia room is huuuuuuge.

I think it's also worth pointing out also that Hong Kong's small world has a larger North America room, too!

I guess what I'm saying is Hong Kong's small world is just huge. I hadn't notice the size differential as much until now.

Amazingly, Hong Kong's North America room is less reliant on the cowboys and indians trope than this one is.

Finale room!

Hong Kong's finale room has a paddlewheel boat (a la Splash Mountain) and a Ferris Wheel. I miss them!

Now I need to get back to Paris and ride theirs! I don't like the façade of that one as much as the ones in Anaheim, Hong Kong, and Japan, but I'm sure the inside has lots of unique details!

Looks like one of the sunbeams needs some imagineering!

Back outside, the firework show was just wrapping up.

Like the buildings of Main Street, small world makes for a great projective surface!

This part almost made me cry.

Watching the finale of the show isn't nearly as fun as watching people watch the finale. :}

More light sequences dance on small world after the show. :}

Matterhorn was having issues after the fireworks and didn't re-open for the last couple hours of park operation that day.

Good thing we have Hyperspace Mountain!

...which has a mega-crazy line after the fireworks.

Good thing we have FastPasses!

We still have a little time! What to do??

Something in Adventureland?

Something in New Orleans Square?

Of course! Splash Mountain!

Hehe. Not my camera flash. :}

We also got on one of the last cars for Indiana Jones that day!

Goodnight, Disneyland! Until next time! :}

Good morning NEW PARK FOR ME!!!

Saw all this and got excited for the E.T. ride and then remembered it closed 10 years ago.

Universal Hollywood's CityWalk is amazing! I think it might be even bigger than Orlando's.

My fav <3

My other fav <3

Almost to the entrance!

Woohoo!

(please pay no attention to Derek wearing a Gryffindor robe with a Slytherin polo)

x}

Universal Hollywood makes a great first impression!

Their Main Street-ish area is very nice!

But let's be honest; this is the reason we're here.

Fresh-out-the-box and ready to rock, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter made triumphant landfall on the Hollywood Hills this past March.

Like Universal Orlando, the new area features an elaborate full-scale depiction of Hogsmeade Village, which is the only township in Great Britain entirely occupied by practicers of magic.

(I had to look some of this stuff up in the Harry Potter Wiki. Don't judge me)

As anticipated, the execution is on point.

At the edge of Hogsmeade is the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (it's location in relation to Hogsmeade in this case may or may not be canonically accurate).

Inside is the most dazzling, breathtaking, and utterly nauseating attraction ever conceived: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. From what I could glean, the journey is forbidden because, as muggles, we aren't really meant to see any of this.

Be that as it may, a fleet of enchanted, muggle-proof flying benches whisk adventurous thrillseekers through a series of unforeseen cirucmstances related to the present climate of the magical universe. 10/10 would fly again.

For those seeking a less nauseating adventure, Flight of the Hippogriff promises a more belly-friendly adventure.

With Hagrid's permission, muggles can take flight on a stunt dummy replica of a hippogriff. It's just as much fun as the real thing, only way safer and doesn't require nearly as much legal paperwork.

As far as kiddie coasters go, this thing rocks. It even has TWO TRAINS!

When in Hogsmeade, one is best served to take in as many local extracurriculars as possible. Seen here is the Hogwarts Frog Choir. :}

We'll be back for more wizarding fun later! But first, let's grab a butterbeer to go. :}

When you're getting lost in Hogsmeade, you almost forget that there's the whole rest of the park to explore!

Let's enjoy the infamous escalator ride to the Lower Lot and see what spoils await us!

Nice view.

(Spoiler Alert: the weather clears up later, so I have a better version of this shot)

Into the Lower Lot!

Here we have one of Universal Studio's greatest successes! The Jurassic Park River Adventure!

Twenty years after its debut, the ride still delivers!

The same cannot be said for Mummy, which after only 10 years feels like it's ready for redevelopment (at least the Hollywood one, anyway. Aside from a very cool first scene, the ride is just hilariously bad. Nothing like glow-in-the-dark plywood ghosts and an unapologetic anticlimax to really make you grateful for that 5 minute wait).

And then there's the Transformers ride, which is basically the Adventures of Spiderman with robots...

…which is honestly totally fine. Excellent ride with nice robot characterization.

Aside from Harry Potter, this is probably my favorite ride in the park.

In a park full of movie screens and 3D glasses, it's so refreshing to ride a ride that is actually a ride, ya'know?

Hello dinosaur friend!

I feel like I'm being judged.

Around the corner is Hadrosaur Cove, where everything is totally fine and nothing bad ever happens.

Here's a good idea of what you might deal with on a typical day in the park.

Derek and I walked the stairs to the Upper Lot because we're insane.

The Simpson's ride is great!

And Springfield is just an awesome area for the park.

Okay, guys! Time for the ride that started it all!

It's Studio Tour time!

The walkway to the Tour affords a lovely view of Hogwarts.

*EXCITEMENT*

Our tour guide was great!

This tour immediately made me realize what a joke the "studio tour" at Disney Studios in Paris is.

I love that parts of this tour are just riding around in very normal-looking streets inside the studio.

Before movie star trailers were a thing, movie stars would live on set here in these little bungalows!

Here's a nice view of Hollywood's very extensive New York City set!

Shoutout to my Back to the Future fans!

I came all this way from Queens just to end up back here again at a theme park.

Oh. Great. Yeah, let's go in this direction.

King Kong 360 is AMAZING. Universal Orlando is in for a treat!

Now for the car lot portion of the tour.

Some vehicles are great pieces from largely forgotten films,

others are integral pieces of multi-blockbuster film franchises.

And unlike the Disney Studios tour, not all of the vehicles are 15+ years old!

There's a LOT going on on the tour. You never know what's around the next bend.

Aww! What a charming and unsuspecting Mexican village.

Surely nothing perilous ever takes place here.

Oh! It's raining! In southern California! Alert the newspapers!

!!!!! THIS IS NOT IDEAL!

DRIVE DRIVE DRIVE DRIVE!!!

We escaped unharmed. :}

Sometimes, super-big things in films are just tiny-little things!

Great, a subway station. Just what I wanted to see.

!!!!!???? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING

THIS IS NOT WHAT I SIGNED UP FOR

WELL. It's been on honor writing for you guys, but it looks like this it for me.

We're all going to die but THIS GUY's got his phone out. Probably on snapchat.

Wow ok so in a miraculous turn of events we survived the subway mishap and then narrowly avoided being eaten by a damn shark. What is with this ride?

Honestly I just feel like this whole park is trying to kill me. Dementors, velociraptors, Decepticons, mummies, natural disasters, sharks...

Everyone on the tour seems to be handling the trauma pretty well.

Of course, none of the threats we've faced so far could prepare us for our greatest danger yet:

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES!!!

(literally saw three guests get torn limb-from-limb by Eva Longoria)

Fortunately Eva's rampage was cut short when the Grinch came down from Mt. Crumpet and ran her over with his sled.

Fun Fact: The Bates Motel is actually located in East Whoville.

You know what, guys? I'm done. I don't feel like pushing my luck any further at this point.

I sought refuge in this old house for only a moment before I heard a large explosion just outside.

Wow. I don't think anyone here is having a good day today.

As I was looking through the wreckage for survivors (strangely I couldn't find a single person, dead or alive), I couldn't help but geek out over being surrounded by a decimated Boeing 747.

The 747s are actually being phased out now. Fly on one before they all get sent to Universal Studios to be used as props!

Right after the plane crash set is Fast & Furious: Supercharged which, like King Kong 360, is super awesome. Makes for a great finale for the Studio Tour.