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Good evening, everyone! Today I want to discuss on how everyone can get on the ride called Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. So, let’s get started, shall we?! So, the first thing you have to do is make sure that you have the Disneyland app on your phone. If you don’t have the app, then you need to download it on your phone. Then, you will go on the Disneyland app that you installed and sign into your account or email with all of your information. After that, you are going to click on the one that says My Tip Board. You definitely need a reservation at Disneyland Park. The ride will require you to use a virtue Que or the individual lightning lane.
Now, this is going to have two different times: One at 7:00am and at 1:00pm for the virtue que. Those are the times that the virtue ques will start. If you are going to do a 7am virtue que, then you need to have a ticket for Disneyland. If you are going to aim the 1:00pm virtue que, then you don’t have to aim for the 7:00am, but you still definitely need to be in Disneyland. If you are in California Adventure Park, then you need to have a Park Hopping ticket to transfer to Disneyland. Back to after you click on the tip board, then you are going to scroll down and find the new ride. The virtue que does not cost any money so it is free. I also want to warn you that the virtue que boarding group fills up very fast so you have to stay focused at all times. Then, you click on the virtue que on the ride and it will take you to the page where it will say refresh on the bottom of the screen. Then after you do that, you are going to watch the clock and when you see it hit 6:59 and when you see that the big hand hits 10 seconds until it turns 7, start hitting the refresh button and don’t start doing it right at 7. Because if you start hitting the refresh button at 7, then you will miss your spot on the virtue que. Just keep hitting the refresh button until it turns 7 and the refresh button turns blue, then click on it and it will tell you what number you will be getting on and click done. Now if you have 8 people with you, the best tip is for everyone to do it as well by keep hitting the refresh button 10 seconds before the clock turns 7 because it actually gives you a better chance to get a better number for the virtue que. Your friends or someone can tell you that you are 10 seconds away. If you are not sure what time you will go get on Mickey, then you can go to My Day and it will tell you the time to go. The notification will give you a signal when its time to go on the ride so you are going to have to watch it very carefully. Sure you can get off your phone and have fun riding some rides or whatever you want to do, but also keep an eye on it so that you don’t realize that you might miss your spot. If you miss your spot at 7am, then you can try again at 1pm.
For the Individual Lightning Lane, it typically will cost you around $15-$20. You can get an individual lightning lane if you miss your virtue que boarding number. Hopefully you won’t have a hard time paying for the lightning lane. Now I also want to warn you that the lightning lanes for the ride will go out very fast because someone will snatch it away from you quickly. So, if you want to use it in the morning, snatch it before someone else snatches away from you. When its time to redeem it, you are going to click on redeem. You will do that when you are about to get on the ride. You will see it on your phone eventually. The cast members will also help you through the process if you are struggling to try to get on the ride. They are always nice to you!!
Now, if the ride breaks down while you are waiting to be called, then you can let the cast member know and they will tell you what to do.
So, what are your thoughts about the new ride virtue que and the individual lightning lane? Are there any questions about the ride itself like break downs or things like that?
I would love to hear your thoughts, opinions, comments, questions, or concerns down below!
Stay tuned for Disney updates.
The post How To Get on Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disneyland appeared first on The Nerd Element.
Here’s the first entry in the ‘Hidden Gem Anime Series to Enjoy’ series for you all to enjoy in the new year of 2023: The Case of Hana & Alice. I randomly came across this animated film while looking through the Tubi app and jotting down some of their anime offerings. I glimpsed and saw an animated film with two girls. After watching, I knew I found a gorgeous and offbeat film about random happenings and friendship that I wanted to write about.
What is it About:
When Alice transfers to a new school, she soon hears about a local urban legend: a male student who disappeared the previous year and is suspected to have been killed by his fellow students. The new house that she and her mother have moved in is the one he used to live in. To make matters worse, she now lives next door to a supposedly haunted home now occupied by a reclusive girl who ends up being one of the classmates of said student whose name is shrouded in mystery. Her name is Hana, and with Alice’s help, they decide to investigate this “murder case.” Yet, their lack of detective skills, bad timing, and overall carefree attitudes prove to be obstacles in solving the case and means for a great adventure in the making.
It is important to note that The Case of Hana & Alice is based on existing material: not manga but a 2004 film titled Hana to Arisu. Directed by Shunji Iwai, a Japanese film director, writer, and documentary maker perhaps best known for his filmography centering Japanese youth, especially young women .( Fun Fact: he was a writer for 2018’s Fireworks, which was based on his 1993 live-action TV drama Fireworks, Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom?) While the original live action film runs more rom-com than mystery, Hana and Alice was first introduced with a big emphasis on their friendship and the hi-jinks they get involved in due to a boy. Here in this animated feature also directed by Iwai, the two titular characters do the same with a different narrative lens: solving a mystery and in a different format: animation.
Get in Loser, We’re Solving a Mystery:
Folks that The Case of Hana & Alice could appeal to include:
- Folks who are looking for coming of age anime
- Folks looking for anime based on existing works such as film
- Folks who are looking for anime centering on girls and their friendships
- Folks who are looking for a single, self-contained animated film, not a series
- Folks looking for an oddball but charming piece of animation to watch
What Makes this Film Standout:
Here’s the thing, The Case of Hana & Alice is a slow starter. It is a film that took me by surprise. It is an animated film that is subtle until it isn’t. Fourteen-year-old Tetsuko (who will soon be nick-named Alice in her new town) is experiencing an upheaval: she’s moved with her mother to a new town in the boonies. They have moved there without her father as her parents have called it quits. She’s starting at a new school where she doesn’t know anyone, and she instantly finds herself the target of a group bullies.
Alice is just trying to get her bearings in a new place and survive. It is when she is given the seat of a student that she has been told was murdered, she realizes nothing will change if she keeps her head down. Determined to find out what happened, Alice begins investigating the death and the strange happenings around it. The audience and Alice may see a glimpse of Hana just a few minutes in but the two don’t speak and truly interact for the first time until about forty minutes in, when the rising action leads to their meeting face to face for the first time, finally.
What can NOT be understated is how The Case of Hana & Alice points to being hilarious, bizarre, oddball, and heartwarming all in one film. It is a difficult thing to categorize this film: sure it’s drama but not quite slice of life. The girls set off to solve a mystery, but there’s more to the story than that. Unexpected encounters, random acts of kindness, and failed stakeouts all find their way to these two girls, and it all colors the overall narrative.
There’s something really beautiful to behold in the silliness of losing rock paper scissors and having to dance down the center of a train car to an unassuming audience. Watching students scream and chant a not-exorcism in the classroom with no adults anymore makes more a bizarre and hilariously unexpected scene. The ante is upped when Hana and Alice leave home to find out more about the missing boy and what’s become of him. Every leg of the journey to uncover the truth leads them further from the truth and closer to the true heart of the matter. The film deals with guilt, speculation, gossip and failure with steady hands. Hana and Alice are just teenagers caught up in something bigger than them but also a mystery that is much closer to home.
The Case of Hana & Alice features rotoscoping, a technique used in animation to trace over live-action motion picture footage frame by frame. This was a surprise to see and honestly made me fall down a rabbit hole to see what films I had watched that used rotoscoping. I found a plethora of films and not just animated! Everything from early Disney films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to a favorite of mine, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.
I really, really love the visual look of this film. At times, the lines are simple, minimalist even. But combined with the backgrounds? The film features these really stunning, water-colored inspired backgrounds. There’s a depth to some backgrounds like Alice’s bedroom and the front of Hana’s house that are too beautiful to not drink in with my eyes that I recommend you taking a closer look at. Some of my favorite scenes in the entire film are the ones where Hana is in motion: the dancing and running scenes in particular. There’s a measure of grace and sophistication spread throughout especially the scenes where she’s sprinting with purpose, like this one. Simply put, The Case of Hana & Alice is worth watching and dissecting for the artwork and animation alone.
The Case of Hana & Alice heavily emphasizes the weird and offhand everyday life of teenagers and the shenanigans they get into when they put their minds to accomplishing something: Whether that is solving a local mystery, trading stories on whose mom is more embarrassing, or changing your social status at school by reinventing yourself. This is a film I’d recommend watching to see why stories about the friendships between girls are always worth watching. Iwai ‘s animated version of Hana and Alice is a charming addition to the animated film. It is also an animated offering that serves as a reminder that the most offbeat stories have characters to belong in them and lessons we can all learn from them.
You can find The Case of Hana & Alice streaming on the Tubi app.
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The post Hidden Gem Anime Series to Enjoy: ‘The Case of Hana & Alice’ appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
Among the big announcements from James Gunn about the future of the DCU was news of a new Batman in a film called The Brave and the Bold. This movie would have our first big-screen Robin in 25 years. But that Robin won’t be Dick Grayson, but Damian Wayne, Bruce’s biological son. Gunn described Damian as “a little son of a bitch.” This might confuse some out there who remember Robin as just a fun kid in a colorful costume. But before we get into the history of the fifth Robin, we’ve got a brief history of his four predecessors.
A Brief History of the Robins
Robin has been synonymous with Batman since 1940. The original Robin, Dick Grayson, became a household name thanks to the Batman ’66 TV show. He filled the sidekick role for 44 years. Until DC finally allowed him to grow up and become Nightwing in 1984. His successor as Robin, Jason Todd, had a far more brief career. Fans disliked him, and actually voted to have him killed in 1988. But only a year later, Batman had another new Robin, in the form of teenage genius Timothy Drake. That Robin proved popular with fans, and remained as the main one for 15 years. For a brief time, his girlfriend Stephanie Brown was Robin too. This brings us to Robin #5, the only Boy Wonder who is Batman’s biological son.
Son of the Demon: The Early Origins of Damian Wayne
Although he did not officially appear until 2006, Damian Wayne’s origins actually go back further. They began in the 1987 graphic novel, Batman: Son of the Demon. In that story, Batman and Talia al Ghul, the daughter of his enemy Ras al Ghul, finally became an official couple. She got pregnant, and Bruce Wayne vowed to quit his Batman career and raise the child. But realizing that the world needed a Batman, Talia fakes a miscarriage and asked Bruce to leave.
The epilogue of that story showed that nine months later, Talia gave birth to a baby boy, who she gave up for adoption. The child was never seen or heard from again in any Batman title. Eventually, one of DC’s multiversal crossovers, Zero Hour, erased this whole story from continuity. Although a few Elseworlds stories and alternate futures would feature different characters as grown-up versions of Bruce and Talia’s child. None were named Damian, and remained out-of-continuity characters.
Batman and Son: Damian Wayne Enters Mainstream DC Continuity
In 2006, writer Grant Morrison began an epic run on Batman, starting with the story “Batman and Son.” In this story, Talia reappeared and revealed to the Dark Knight that their tryst a decade prior had resulted in her becoming pregnant. Whether or not that tryst was consensual remains the subject of much debate, as the implication was that Talia drugged Batman. That child was Damian Wayne, trained by Talia and her father’s League of Assassins to be the ultimate warrior. By the age of ten, he was one of the world’s deadliest killers, and worthy of inheriting the al Ghul legacy. But she wanted him to know his father, so she left Damian in the care of Bruce Wayne.
Damian was rude, entitled, and ready to kill an enemy at the drop of a hat. He believed his intense training since he was a toddler meant he was the superior Robin. He beat the snot out of the then-current Robin, Tim Drake, and essentially took on the Robin mantle without his father’s permission. Bruce agreed to train him, and guide him away from becoming a horrible little murder brat. But not long after that, DC Comics’ God of Evil, Darkseid, killed Batman (spoilers: not really). During the time the world believed Batman dead, Dick Grayson became the new Caped Crusader. He took on Damian as his Robin, and the two formed a special bond, despite Damian’s initial dislike for his father’s original partner.
The New Dynamic Duo
Damian and Dick made for an interesting Batman and Robin. After all, Dick was essentially Damian’s older brother. And unlike Bruce, he was a Batman who understood what it was like to be a Robin. Even when Dick returned to his Nightwing role, their time together as partners forged a bond between them. When Bruce returned from the grave, he and Damian officially became a father/son Dynamic Duo.
But Bruce always kept a watchful eye on Damian, fearing he might give in to his original training and kill one of his enemies. Batman and the whole Bat-family did everything they could to curb Damian’s natural tendencies toward killing. Not to mention his propensity to just be a selfish little brat. He even talked back to Alfred. Under their watch, Damian truly became a better person, and ultimately rejected the ways of his mother and grandfather, choosing his father’s path in life.
Damian Wayne’s Death and Rebirth
Batman and Robin became a real team, both as superheroes and as father and son. It’s during this time that fate took Damian away from Bruce. Realizing that her son had chosen her father’s ways over her own, Talia created a clone of Damian’s who was force-grown into an adult. The clone, named Heretic, does battle with Damian, and he killed the younger version. A broken Bruce Wayne buried his son, but before long, his mother and grandfather stole the body, hoping to resurrect him in one of Ra’s’ Lazarus Pits.
Although Bruce stopped then from bringing his son back, during this time he was given the choice to use the Chaos Shard, a crystal that once belonged to Darkseid. Fueled by the power of the Omega Sanction, it allowed Bruce Wayne to make a terrible “Sophie’s Choice” — to bring back his parents, whose death caused him a lifetime of pain, or bring back his son. He realized he loved his son more than he missed his parents, and Damian Wayne returned, restored. (He also had superpowers for a time, but they faded).
Making Friends His Own Age
Realizing that Damian needs friends close to his own age, Nightwing suggested he join the Teen Titans. Despite being younger than his teammates, he quickly became team leader. While his partnership with the Titans was always fraught with tension, he found a true friend in Jonathan Kent, the son of Superman and Lois Lane. The kind-hearted Jon saw past Damian’s rough exterior. Much like their respective fathers, they saw past their night and day differences and became best friends, known as “the Super Sons.”
Recently, Damian, now a teenager, split from his father and went off on his own again, making Tim Drake Batman’s partner once more. But it won’t be long, in our humble opinion, before Damian Wayne is back at his father’s side. We are pretty sure that this is one Dynamic Duo that is in for the long haul. Especially once he makes his cinematic debut.
The post Damian Wayne, Batman’s Son and the Current Robin, Explained appeared first on Nerdist.
Prime Video’s fantasy series Carnival Row introduces us to a brand new, original world to play in. Untethered to an adapted work or rebooted original, the ambitious series has a lot of world-building ground to cover. To help you explore this strange new world, we’ve assembled this quick primer of some of the major groups and locations you can expect to see in Carnival Row seasons one and two.
The Fae of Carnival Row
In the world of Carnival Row, the Fae are races of beings whose history extends well prior to that of humanity. Their homelands, such as Tirnanoc, were long considered a place of myth and legend. While the Fae races mostly kept to their ancient traditions, human technology grew. Eventually, the humans began to invade and plunder the Fae lands for resources. This ultimately led to a war between human nations. The Fae we encounter on Carnival Row are refugees from that war, living in the human city known as The Burgue, mostly laboring as indentured servants, paying off debts to humans who sponsored their voyages there.
Carnival Row‘s Fae Races
The first season of Carnival Row primarily focuses on two races of the Fae: the “Pix,” full-sized pixies who would pass for humans if it weren’t for their fluttery wings, and the “Pucks,” satyr-like beings with horns and hooves. It’s unclear if either term originates from their own culture or are human slang terms they’ve had to begrudgingly adopt. But the term “Critch” is a collective slur term for all Fae in Carnival Row‘s universe.
We do get glimpses of at least three other Fae races on the show. We meet Carnival Row‘s “Trows,” likely another slang term meaning troll, Kobolds, small, almost gremlin-like spritely creatures, and Centaurs who are, well, centaurs, varying from their more classic look with fur over the more humanoid parts of their body.
The Burgue: Carnival Row‘s Primary Location
The primary setting for Carnival Row is called The Burgue. The Burgue is a sprawling city that resembles Victorian-era London and serves as the capital for a larger nation known as the Republic of the Burgue. This republic is led by a parliamentary-style government that meets in a shouty chamber full of Proctors, with clashes between its Chancellor, Absalom Breakspear (Jared Harris), and the leader of the opposition minority party, Ritter Longerbane (Ronan Vibert). Like London, the city has stark class divides, with living conditions ranging from aristocratic splendor to polluted squalor. The Burgue’s religion vaguely resembles Christianity, with iconography focused on a figure referred to as “The Martyr.”
The Burgue allows Carnival Row‘s Fae are to reside in the town, but heavily polices them and treats them as second-class citizens. Businesses won’t allow Fae to enter unaccompanied. Pix are prohibited from flying. Many working off debts must wear corsets designed to lock their wings down. Their magic is frowned upon and considered sinful by those who worship the Martyr. At the end of season one, all the fae in the Burgue were confined to The Row, setting the stage for conflict to come.
Tensions are high. The fragile peace between the humans and Fae of the city is on the verge of collapsing. An overworked Constabulary is barely keeping order in Carnival Row‘s world.
The Constabulary
The policing organization of the Burgue has the name of Constabulary. The precinct tasked with patrolling the area nearest the Fae-inhabited Carnival Row is Constabulary No. 6. Most officers of the constabulary don’t tend to have much concern for the well-being of the Fae unless they can make a quick dollar off of them in the form of bribes, with the exception of Inspector Rycroft Philostrate (Orlando Bloom). Murdered Fae aren’t even given the courtesy of an autopsy. The Constabulary won’t risk squandering resources that could be focused on human victims. The Constabulary, however, become very aware of the Fae whenever they commit a crime, of course.
Carnival Row
Carnival Row is where most of the Fae residents of the Burgue live. Originally a place of wonder and fascination, ‘The Row’ is now equal parts immigrant quarter and red-light district. Fae merchants hope to avoid bribe shakedowns from the uniformed constables. Street performers try to make some quick coin. Fae sex workers with brightly dyed hair catcall potential customers from the balconies of the Tetterby Hotel, a popular yet scandalous haunt for humans with money to burn seeking winged companions for the evening. The Fae residents of Carnival Row expect the constabulary to turn a blind eye to violence committed against them. Some, like the Black Raven’s underground criminal network, have taken up their own forms of justice.
Other Places in Carnival Row‘s World
Tirnanoc
Tirnanoc is one of the ancestral homelands of the Fae, long considered a place of myth and legend to the nations of man, and the original home of Vignette Stonemoss (Cara Delevigne). Seven years prior to the start of Carnival Row, The Burgue withdrew from the Great War. Tirnanoc fell under the harsh control of their rivals, The Pact. Bullets and barbed wire traps fill the air of the once-idyllic land. The Pact violently slaughter the Fae, forcing them to flee to the Burgue.
The Pact
We don’t know much about the Pact, the chief rivals of the Burgue on Carnival Row, and the apparent victors of the Great War for Fae lands like Tirnanoc. Their soldiers’ uniforms resemble the Russian military uniforms of the same period. A nod to the Crimean War as an inspiration for the Great War over the lands of the Fae, perhaps. The Pact have far less regard for the lives of the Fae than even the Burgue. Or at least the Fae that fought against them in the war. Their tactics are far more brutal as well. The Pact shooting faeries on sight. They line the trees with barbed wire traps to tear them apart if they attempt to fly. They even utilize werewolf-like savage beasts in battle.
We’ve only just scratched the surface of this new world, and who knows how different Carnival Row will look as we enter season two. In a world of faeries, anything could happen. Carnival Row and its world return for more episodes on February 17.
Originally published on August 27, 2019.
Editor’s Note: Carnival Row is a co-production of Amazon Studios and Legendary Television. Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.
The post A Guide to the World of CARNIVAL ROW appeared first on Nerdist.