A Mouse, A Party, and A Green Army Guy

Anyone who has visited the Disneyland Resort knows this well. For those of you who have yet to have the privilege, allow me to offer some illumination. There are two parks at this amazing resort. There is Disneyland Park - the original park straight out of the prodigious vision of and overseen by one Walt Disney. And then there is Disney's California Adventure Park, or as my sister calls it, Ghetto Disneyland. This park could be anywhere. It lacks both the magic and charm of its sister park. It seems the powers that be know this and are addressing it - and how! Over the next few years a major overhaul of California Adventure will take place that looks both promising and fun. I'm excited to see how it comes together. But I digress.

In spite of our relative lack of enthusiasm for the ghetto (we spent almost ALL of our time in Disneyland Park), we committed to spend an entire evening there. You see, during Halloween Time California Adventure Park hosts Mickey's Trick or Treat Party. I've heard of other parks doing this kind of event and never felt compelled to join in the festivities. Nevertheless, the Disneyland reps made this particular party sound so great, we decided to join in. And so, on the "middle evening" of our trip, we traipsed down to California Adventure with the girls bedecked in full princess attire not sure of what we might find, but willing to give it the old college try. As it turns out, we had a lot more than fun. We had an absolute blast!

We simply had no idea what we were walking into that night. The park was decorated to the hilt with character photo-ops at every turn. Princesses and Monsters mingled with Bugs and Toys, with ALL of Disney's iconic pirates in tow. As if that wasn't enough, all of the rides were open to a relatively reduced crowd, treat stations were set up throughout the park, and numerous dance parties kept everything hopping all evening. The girls were beyond excited! In spite of the harried pace we'd kept, and the fact that the party started just shy of their bedtime, Bug and Bear fully embraced the moment. Ginny boogied down with Flik and Sulley, and Ellie had a private lesson in the art of the curtsy from Cinderella. Together, they had King Triton's carousel almost to themselves and gathered a haul of candy they couldn't have obtained after HOURS of going door-to-door back home. As usual, however, it wasn't the any structured activity that made the night so memorable. Like Ginny's encounter with Snow White the day before, we couldn't have planned the moment that would set this night apart.

At the end of the evening, many characters from throughout the park - from classic Disney to Pixar - made their way down the main drag in a Halloween parade/dance party. As was the case throughout our trip, we had remarkable luck and managed to claim a bench right in the middle of the action - so much so that a cute and most unintimidating witch came up to Ellie and asked her to walk out and dance with a few of the characters. Now, Ellie doesn't usually do this kind of thing. She's too much like yours truly. Ellie loves the idea of being apart of things, but when it comes right down to it, fear and bashfulness get the better of her. (For and illustrative example, check out the post about her school program last May!) Such was not the case on this night. It seems that the folks at Disney not only make dreams come true, they instill super human bravery in little people to ensure they have more fun then they could possibly imagine.

Yes, our Ellie danced! And danced! In the parade! With a witch and, most importantly as it turned out, a Green Army Guy from Toy Story who is officially my hero for how he treated my little girl. She was out there in the middle of the street for the ENTIRE dance and boogied her heart out. I only wish you could have seen her face when she ran back to me. She was overflowing with joy and pride as she hugged me and triumphantly reported, "I was really good and really brave, huh mom!" Yes, my little Bug was SO good and SO brave I nearly wept like my grandma right there and then. Luckily, something caught my eye and distracted me from a potentially embarrassing public display of blubbering. Ellie's Green Army Guy had run after her. He gently took her hand and led her back out to the street. (Ellie was MOST willing. She ADORED "her" Green Army Guy at this point!) One more little surprise lay in store for our jubilant Bug - a button specifically designed for and given to those kids who displayed enough chuztpah to dance in the parade. Apparently the Green Army Guy was almost as excited about Ellie's performance as we were and wanted to make sure she got one. (Bless his green plastic heart! I want to put him in for a medal!)

And so ended our unbelievably fabulous evening at Mickey's Trick or Treat Party. It was nothing short of awesome - something I truly did not expect. The girls had yet another ridiculously magical experience to add to their ever-growing list, and we (aka the adults of this motley crew) were reminded how much fun Halloween, Disneyland, and dancing in the street can be thanks to the enthusiasm of the under five set. As for Ellie, she wore her button like a badge of honor for days. Even now it has found a place of honor on the bulletin board in her bedroom. And every once in a while she reminds me that she got this most precious of all treasures because she was "so brave and was such a great dancer!" Who knew that a relatively minor character at a relatively ghetto park had the capacity to bring my girl - my buddy - out of her shell and allowed her to shine in front of Mickey, Minnie, their friends, and hundreds of strangers? And who knew I would be forever grateful for a guy dressed in green plastic and covered in green makeup? You just have to hand it to that proverbial Disney magic. It makes heroes of the most unexpected characters. And makes great brave dancers out of the most unsuspecting little girls.