Our Magical Goodbye To IllumiNations

Because I live here in Orlando it's easy to take Disney for granted. To focus on the crowds and annoyance and forget all those magical moments - cliche as that phrase can be - that take your breath away.

In fact, I've been SO focused on the negatives that I convinced John to let our passes lapse this year. We haven't been going as much, and even our weekday passes (the cheapest option) aren't cheap, you know?

Ahh, but then the Festival of the Arts started up at Epcot, and I really wanted to go.

Enter our friend Scott, who has the kind of job at Disney that makes me beg for stories every time I see him. He manages behind the scenes magic, and is in charge of the kind of private park parties you only hear rumors about. So yeah, total rock star, AND the sweetest guy. (Also single, ladies. Just sayin'.)

Before I turn this into a dating profile for poor Scott, let me tell you about the unexpected magic he made happen for us last week.

We made a date to see the Festival together one weeknight, and to save us paying parking, John and I picked up Scott at work - a building tucked way back behind the Magic Kingdom. As we were waiting in the parking lot, Scott texted to ask if we wanted a quick tour. Um, YES PLEASE.

I'm sad to say I have no photos to share of this, gang, but imagine a video montage of me silently (and not so silently) fangirl screaming in every doorway we walked through for the next 20 minutes. The costuming room took my breath away: more of a small warehouse, really, with racks stretching all the way to the rafters, and incredible showstopper costumes displayed on mannequins along the walls. Many were from special private events, so nothing you'd recognized from the parks - and one was even from this TV commercial!

We walked through the heavenly scented floral department, where workers at giant tables were assembling the most lush bouquets and centerpieces and gift baskets. Here's a small example from the lobby:

This was the most public part of the building, but I still asked before taking a pic, just to be safe.

We peeked into offices (including Scott's, of course) stacked high with the most drool-worthy collectibles, props, and concept sketches, plus we got to say hi to a few people still there. I'm sure I looked like a crazy person, grinning and waving at everyone we passed and trying to look everywhere at once.

Ahh, but the place I REALLY lost it was the Wig Room. There were work benches down one wall, storage aisles, fantastical displays of custom commissions (one wig was shaped like a Thanksgiving turkey, complete with little paper leg cuffs!) - and there, neatly display on a lower shelf just inside the door: a wig that looked a LOT like Dreamfinder's iconic 'do, including the handlebar mustache, beard, and spectacles.

I have no idea if they were original park-worn items, but they looked it, and I could NOT have been more gobsmacked. Just sitting there! On a shelf! No glass, no label, JUST SITTING THERE.
 

After a few seconds of flailing I was happy to note that my own styling attempts on John's wig are pretty close, though the cheap beard we dyed is nowhere near the quality of the Real Thing. This one was a lot curlier, and even had some gray hairs mixed in. Just... amazing.

 Just a reminder of how John & Figgie look in their Christmas overlay, because I love it.

Ok, now let's move on to stuff I CAN show you pictures of:

We headed to Epcot for the Festival, and spent a fantastic night touring the Showcase. I finally got to meet Ashley Taylor, who is just as warm and delightful as everyone says she is, and since the crowds were low our little group got to chat for a good 20 minutes. (Keep an eye on your local Box Lunch stores; she has some exciting stuff in the works!)


I didn't buy much, just one postcard print by June Kim:

Then we all tried some Festival desserts:

I've been making fun of the "Pop t'Art" for years now, but then a CM gave John one for free, and hold up, it's actually a really good pop tart. Lots of filling, and more like a sugar cookie crust.

Scott reported his flan & chocolate cake was just Ok, so I think my Almond Cake (the colorful Mondrian-inspired thing) was the clear winner. WHY have I never tried this before?! It's an incredibly dense  - like, hard to cut dense - almond cake with a thin layer of cherry filling between each layer, then thick chocolate ganache around the edges. Oh. MIGOSH. I've been dreaming of this cake every night since, you guys. My life now has hole that only this cake can fill. Am I overselling this? NO I AM NOT. Hnnnnnng.


Gotta show some Figment love while we're here:

That painting cracks me up.

There's tons of merch, of course, but this was my favorite for the art:

And here's John on one of the sidewalk chalk photo opps:

Now let me tell you about the second magical thing Scott did for us - with a little help from his castmates, of course.

He'd mentioned early in the evening that he'd arranged a VIP fireworks viewing for us, which I assumed meant the kind of preferred viewing you can get with a Fast Pass sometimes.

I'm pretty sure this wasn't that, you guys.

Here, I'll let John take over:

Here's a quick video to set the scene, so you know where we were standing. That's Spaceship Earth straight back when the video starts:

The second half with the boat pulling away is after the show. 

Now, prepare to see a lot of fireworks.

I don't know if it was a trick of the lens or the smoke bouncing light around, but there's a literal Reflection of Earth in this next shot:

See it just above the fountain? Wild!

These phone pics can't convey how awe-inspiring this view was. It felt like the whole show was just for us!

Don't ask how many photos I took. I lost count.

Illuminations is ending later this year, so I suspect this was our last ever viewing. One last time to hear the torches blown out, feel the Inferno Barge warm our noses, and sing along with the finale. I can't be sad, though, because dang, what a way to say goodbye.

Thanks for reliving this night with me, fellow Dizgeeks. It's one I want to remember. And don't worry, I'll still be visiting the parks from time to time, so I promise this won't be the last of the Pixie Dust. ;)