Search Results for: blog a personal history of disney video gaming

A Personal History of Disney Video Gaming

I’ll admit that next to reading, video gaming is one of my primary hobbies. My love for Disney has always been a part of my video gaming experience. In the early 1990s I had single-game bright plastic colored handheld devices. One, bedecked in perfect princess purples and pinks contained a “Beauty and the Beast” game wherein, as Belle, I had to race to Beast’s castle ahead of Gaston in order to warn the Beast of the advancing mob. My other game, in frankly lurid shades of orange and turquoise, tied in with the Disney afternoon kids show “Rescue Rangers.” Disney’s … Continue reading →

Walt Disney and NASA

Walt Disney visiting Wernher von Braun at the Marshall Space Flight Center When preparing my article on the Walt Disney Family Museum’s video contest, I searched a stock photography website for historic images of Walt Disney. I was baffled to find a NASA-owned picture of him alongside scientist Dr. Wernher von Braun. My husband didn’t understand my incredulity. He said that’s what top executives do: rub shoulders with other powerful people. Walt Disney was a great mover and shaker in his day and it makes sense that he’d hang around NASA or any other large company or government institution. I … Continue reading →

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom Expands to Tabletop Game

I haven’t reported on Disney World’s live action role-playing game Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom since its debut in February. The game was out, it seemed well-received, so there didn’t seem to be much else to say about it. While I was focusing on other Disney news, however, the game’s done more than just be a success. It’s a total smash. Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom (SMK) is so popular at Disney World that there just aren’t enough portals available for all of the guests that want to play. Because I haven’t talked about SMK for a while, here’s a … Continue reading →

Two “Epic Mickey” Sequels in the Works

It seems that despite some gamers’ somewhat reserved opinions (including my own) Disney Interactive has decided that “Epic Mickey” was, well, epic enough to deserve not one but two sequels. In fact, “Epic Mickey” will follow in the footsteps of the other most famous, or at least the most popular, Disney video game: “Kingdom Hearts.” After KH’s release it was succeeded by two more games: a proper sequel out on its same platform, the PlayStation 2, and a smaller game bridging the two larger ones made for Sony’s handheld device. Gaming website IGN has details on the two games. The … Continue reading →

Epic Mickey: Fun, But Not “Epic”

“Epic Mickey” for the Wii is a fun game that, despite its enjoyable game play, still manages to be mostly a tale of wasted potential. I say this from two points of view: both as a gamer thrilled by the early edgy concept art, and as a blogger for a family website determining its appropriateness for children. Nothing in “Epic Mickey” should frighten either the kids playing the game or their parents questioning its suitability. It’s not too scary or violent; in fact, the morality system allows for a non-violent option when facing enemies. Mickey wields a paintbrush and with … Continue reading →

Goofy’s Sky School

Remember those silly Goofy shorts? At first glance that sentence seems redundant, but anyone reading a Disney blog knows exactly what I’m talking about. I’ve spoken of them before; even though I’m a handful of generations out from the 1940s and 50s, the years of greatest Goofy short prevalence, even I encountered one or two in my life, and not just for fun. The last Goofy short I remember from growing up was in my high school Driver’s Education class. We watched a grainy film, clearly made decades before, of Goofy learning how to drive and causing several accidents along … Continue reading →

Princess Tricycle Recall

Unfortunately, today I’ve got to announce another Disney products recall here on the Disney blog. This time the item in question is being recalled not just by one but by two governments, the United States and Canada. The Consumer Products Safety Division and Health Canada are recalling the Disney Princess Plastic Racing Trikes. These bright pink child-sized tricycles were produced by Kiddieland Toys Limited and sold at Target, JC Penny, Meijer, and H.E.B. stores. They could also be obtained on target.com After receiving reports of children suffering facial lacerations from the trikes, the safety institutions determined that the toys posed … Continue reading →

Club Penguin

In 2007 Disney bought out a website called Club Penguin. The site had been gaining popularity as a popular online destination for kids, so of course Disney couldn’t resist that siren’s call. Club Penguin is a MMORG, or “massive multiplayer online role-playing game,” for children. Users play online with others from around the world, controlling characters they design themselves. Because Club Penguin is meant for children between the ages of 6 and 14, large emphasis has been placed on keeping the game safe. The creators of Club Penguin have taken several measures to keep children safe in an online community … Continue reading →