Halloween at Disneyland Part 3: Let it Go

Previously: We strolled a bit more as the sun was starting to go down. We had spent over eight hours in the parks. We had about seven more hours to spend before we wrapped up (aka the parks were closed). At about six-ish, we went to Astro Blasters as scheduled in our fastpasses. Fastpass schedule varies depending on the availability. We got a late hour for Indy because of how popular the ride was. But at least we still got them.
Astro Blasters was classics. Despite it being slow moving, somehow I found it mildly intense because I was always determined to get a high score. Last time I went here with my dad, I defeated his scores. Now I defeated Jess. I honestly didn't know how it worked. Aiming at the targets is hard, so I just randomly shot all over the place. As I did, my score was just getting higher and higher. So I wasn't sure how it happened.

Getting out of the Blasters, Jess and I went back to Fantasyland. But en route, we spotted The Avengers meet and greet with Thor and Captain America. The wait was forty minutes, which wasn't quite bad. When else would you meet the Avengers? Jess and I kept gushing about the resemblance of the Thor guy with Chris Hemsworth, and how I'd totally wish he really was Chris Hemsworth. The guy who played Thor at Disneyland actually nailed the accent but he looked less rogue-ish than Hemsworth. At least he tried.

I asked Captain America what he thought of the modern world. The recent movies revealed that he woke up after being frozen for over sixty years. Nick Fury was behind all of this. Cap said he liked what today looked like although he missed the forties. He must have missed Peggy. Sorry, the nerd out of me just couldn't help it. Jess asked Thor if he hated Loki. His answer was brilliant. “Do you havea sibling?” he asked. Jess said yes. “Well, you know the relationship you have with your sibling. You love him but you hate him. It's a love-hate relationship.”

By the way, I'm a HUGE fan of Tom Hiddleston (Omygosh he's adorable argh!). While Jess and Thor were talking about Loki, my mind just lingered slightly to Tom, whether as Loki or just as his charming self.

Then after the photos, the sun was down. We reached Fantasyland where we got on Pinocchio's Daring Journey. We eventually learned about the twisted nature of Pinocchio's story. I watched the movie before but I never realized about its disturbing nature. It's simply a story that lure kids to go to school, otherwise they'll end up becoming donkeys for circus. Really. Freaking. Twisted. Right? How is that even made as a Disney movie?

We were done with Pinocchio at about 6.15 pm. Jess and I had a reservation for dinner at Cafe Orleans in New Orleans Square. Seeing the park was crowded and it might take a while from Fantasyland to get there, we decided we'd started heading there. When the park was packed, you couldn't really jump from one themed land to another one within a few minutes. The people traffic could be crazy and it just got worse as the sun was done. The lighting in some corners in the park could be kind of bad.

Good thing we made a reservation. The line was long. Jess and I only had to wait for ten minutes max. While waiting, the waitress at the reservation counter kindly gave each of us Honorary Citizen of Disneyland pins for free. She decorated each pin with glitters. Apparently she did that to kill time. It must be nice to work at Disney.

Too bad, I didn't take pictures of our food. At this point, our phone batteries nearly died. My power bank ran out of battery too. But we ordered New Orleans Gumbo and Montecristo sandwich.

After the dinner, we strolled in the now-dimly park. We went to the Critter County and then back at the New Orleans Square, where I thought it'd be great to stay there for Fantasmic. The show wouldn't start until thirty minutes later.

Jess and I squeezed into the Fantasmic viewing spot that doesn't require any fastpasses. We waited for another fifteen minutes. We were too tired to stand, and even more, there was a couple making out in front of us. Sure the lighting was dim but that didn't make them completely invisible, and hello! We're at Disneyland! Mind the kids please. Jess and I decided to sit down, seeing nothing but a sea of feet in front of us. I fell asleep for a bit before finally, the show started!

This is the second time I saw Fantasmic after my other recent Disneyland visit. It was overall entertaining with the story of 'imagination conquers evil'. Maleficent, the Mistress of all Evil, appeared as the signature villain. She's so badass like always.

After the show was over, Jess and I rushed to the Main Street USA to get the best viewing for Disneyland Forever show and fireworks. The firework started right when we were walking towards Main Street USA. Iconic Disney songs began to play. Jess and I just sang along to them as we got stuck in the traffic in Adventureland heading to Main Street USA. The projection show would take place on the castle. I figured out that the show took places in some signature places in Disneyland. So you could view the projections in It's a Small World and Rivers of America as well.

I always went to Downtown Disney either solo or with a friend to watch the fireworks for free from outside the entrance. The new fireworks show (Disneyland Forever) was more immersive, hence the show took place in nearly all corners in Disneyland but shared the same firework. The music blasted all over the place and I could even hear it from outside the entrance. But experiencing it inside the park was even more magical.

The firework featured iconic songs of Disney movies, from the classic Lion King and The Little Mermaid to the overrated Frozen. At one point, the music grew quieter and the projection turned blue. The intro of Let it Go came in and Elsa's signature snowflakes appeared in Sleeping Beauty Castle. The whole park turned into a mass chorus of children singing to the powerful ballad. Children are addicted to this song. There's been stories that parents are getting tired of it. So when I heard a mom next to me groan and mumble “Here we go.” I wouldn't be surprised. Jess and I sang along with the other 5-10 year-old Frozen addicts. No need to be embarrassed. Disneyland is the only place we can let go of our inner child.

- To be continued