Up next in 10
Welcome to this week's edition of the Daps Magic - Disney and Positive Stuff podcast! This week, Mr. Daps dives into two major events at the Disneyland Resort that celebrate community, history, and the power of storytelling. From the heartwarming "Wishes Assemble" event to the massive timeline expansion at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, we explore how these moments shift our perspective from "what if" to "what is possible."
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## INSIDE THIS EPISODE
* Wishes Assemble & World Wish Day: Celebrating 45 years of partnership between Disney and Make-A-Wish.
* The Power of a "Possibility Mindset": How granting 175,000+ wishes helps families build emotional and physical strength.
* Star-Studded Recruitment: Avengers Campus welcomes Anthony Mackie, Paul Bettany, and top creators like MrBeast and Mark Rober to inspire Make-A-Wish kids.
* Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Timeline Expansion: The official shift on April 29th that brings original trilogy legends—including Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia—to Batuu.
* The Emotional Weight of Music: How integrating John Williams’ iconic themes changes the immersion and accessibility of the land.
* Legacy & Leadership: A look at Bob Iger’s Wishmaker Lifetime Achievement Award and Walt Disney’s personal dedication to children’s health.
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### A MESSAGE FROM MR. DAPS
"If you're not having fun, you're done. Fandom should be about making things better and adding positivity to the world. Whether it's through a kind word or a grand wish, we have the power to make the future a little bit brighter."
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0:12
Welcome to Daps Magic Disney and
0:14
positive stuff. I'm Mr. Daps and this
0:16
has been a fantastic week at the
0:19
Disneyland Resort for Disney and
0:22
positive stuff. But before we get into
0:24
all of that and what we'll be talking
0:26
about this week, I'd like to encourage
0:27
you just to take a moment and to
0:30
subscribe wherever you're watching this
0:31
if you haven't done this already. Leave
0:33
us a rating if you haven't done that as
0:35
well. Preferably five stars. That'd be
0:37
pretty cool. And share this with
0:39
somebody that you think could use a
0:40
little bit more of Disney and positive
0:43
stuff in their life. It's always a whole
0:45
lot more fun when we get to do these
0:46
things together and when we get to share
0:48
our love of Disney and positive stuff
0:50
together as well. With that, let's get
0:53
into this week. This is going to be a
0:54
little bit more news ccentric than
0:56
sometimes, but the news is good news and
0:59
I think it's worth covering this week.
1:01
So, let's get into it. This week, we're
1:04
going to talk about stories that remind
1:06
us why we love the Disney community.
1:09
There's stories of heart, there's hope,
1:11
there's history that all come together
1:14
to make a super week. Yes, I know what I
1:17
did just there because we had two major
1:20
things happen at the Disneyland Resort
1:22
this week. One of them being Wishes
1:25
Assemble. See the super thing right
1:27
there? And then the other thing was the
1:29
timeline shift or expansion for Star
1:31
Wars Galaxy's Edge. And we're going to
1:32
go into each of those things and uh
1:35
really give some nuance to them. I think
1:38
is a is a good thing to do as we geek
1:40
out about these things and provide some
1:42
context as to how they fit into the
1:45
bigger picture of the Disney experience
1:47
because as much as it is amazing to see
1:50
these individual stories come to life,
1:53
there's a bigger picture story that's at
1:55
work here and it's something that we
1:57
often forget. We see a cute moment with
2:00
a kid or a character or something like
2:02
that and we forget that that's just one
2:05
piece of a much bigger puzzle that is
2:08
the Walt Disney Company and the Disney
2:10
community as well. And all of these come
2:13
together to make some really special
2:15
things happen. The first special thing
2:17
we're going to talk about is the Wishes
2:19
Assemble event that happened this week
2:21
at the Disneyland Resort. And really,
2:24
this isn't just something that happened
2:26
this week.
2:28
Disney and Makea-Wish have a partnership
2:30
that goes back 45 years. And the first
2:34
wish, in fact, for Makea-Wish was to go
2:37
to Disney. And that wish was granted and
2:39
history was changed some 175,000 plus
2:43
wishes later. So on uh April 29th, which
2:47
is World Wish Day, uh Disney California
2:50
Adventure hosted this Wishes Assemble
2:53
event with nearly around 40 Makea-Wish
2:56
kids in their families. And they really
2:58
got to have this Avengers recruitment
3:02
experience throughout the day, which
3:05
honestly looked amazing. I would have
3:08
loved to have been there just to see all
3:10
of the different things that happened
3:12
and all the different interactions and
3:13
the heroes and the influencers or
3:16
creators, whatever you want to call
3:17
them. But this was really the
3:19
culmination of that 45 years that has
3:23
grown together with Makea-Wish and
3:25
Disney with that relationship that
3:27
they've been built building I should
3:29
say. And this is something that's really
3:34
it's beyond just creating magic. It's
3:37
beyond just creating fun experiences.
3:40
This is something that really helps
3:43
these kids and their families um build
3:47
emotional and physical strength. And and
3:50
this may seem dramatic, but it's not. Um
3:53
because when you look at what Make a
3:55
Wish and Disney does, they come together
3:59
for children that are battling critical
4:02
illnesses and I'm thinking of chalk as
4:03
I'm I'm speaking about this as well. And
4:06
really what happens is with these
4:08
makea-wish grants or wishes granted, the
4:13
what if turns into the what is possible.
4:17
And that mindset can make such a huge
4:19
difference in the lives of both these
4:21
children that are they're dealing with
4:23
these critical illnesses, but also their
4:26
families. Uh because they're generally
4:30
in in situations that have very
4:32
uncertain futures. And these stories and
4:35
these characters and these moments can
4:37
inspire them and provide the the hope of
4:43
going from a what if this happens, what
4:46
if I make it, what if whatever into a
4:51
week we could or what is possible. You
4:53
know, it creates a possibility mindset.
4:56
And a possibility mindset has a lot more
5:00
going for it in the future to build upon
5:03
than a whatif mindset. And there there's
5:06
some nuance in this as well because you
5:08
could argue that the what if mindset
5:11
could come from a possibility mindset as
5:13
well. But the the what if I'm saying
5:16
right now is the what if this happens.
5:18
What if this doesn't happen? The
5:20
uncertainty what if as opposed to the
5:22
possibility what if. And when you turn
5:25
from uncertainty to possibility,
5:28
then anything is possible. And and
5:30
that's really a strength that the
5:33
collaboration and the partnership that
5:35
the Walt Disney Company and Makea-Wish
5:38
has. And that's why it's such an
5:40
important thing that these kids get
5:43
these moments with creators and
5:46
characters and imagineers and so many
5:50
other different animators. We saw this
5:52
week. uh so many other different
5:54
experiences
5:56
that give them that possibility for the
5:59
future, that hope for the future, that
6:01
drive to overcome these obstacles that
6:05
seem insurmountable and to really just
6:08
make it happen. And and maybe that gives
6:11
the extra boost that's needed to get
6:14
through whatever it is. And and maybe it
6:16
doesn't. Maybe it's it's one of those
6:18
things where this becomes that thing
6:20
that you hold on to and and maybe the
6:23
outcome isn't what everybody had hoped
6:25
for, but you had that moment and you
6:28
have that memory and and that's
6:31
something that not just the child
6:33
carries on, but their family gets to
6:35
carry on as well. And part of that, you
6:38
know, has really come from the
6:41
commitment, the legacy of of Disney and
6:44
its leadership. Bob Iger, the former CEO
6:47
of the Walt Disney Company being one of
6:49
them. And he was actually honored for
6:52
his commitment to this legacy, which I
6:54
think is a part of his legacy as CEO of
6:56
the Walt Disney Company. But he was
6:58
given the inaugural Wishmaker Lifetime
7:01
Achievement Award that was given to him
7:04
by Makea-Wish. I think it was Make a
7:05
Wish America maybe. But during his
7:08
tenure leading the Walt Disney Company,
7:11
over 110,000
7:14
wishes were granted.
7:16
You think of that, that's over half of
7:19
the wishes that the Walt Disney Company
7:21
has granted were under his leadership.
7:23
And and I think really he set that
7:26
commitment and that tone for the Walt
7:29
Disney Company to be so connected with
7:32
Makea-Wish and to make these things
7:34
happen for these kids and their families
7:37
so that it can going back to what I said
7:40
earlier go from the what if to the what
7:43
is possible from the uncertainty to the
7:46
possibility. And that's a very Disney
7:50
approach to take for things in general.
7:52
You know, you think of Walt Disney and
7:54
it wasn't a what if this happened. It's
7:56
we could do this. It's he was always
7:58
looking at the possibilities of what
8:00
could come. So, it's very uh fitting for
8:02
the culture and the history of the Walt
8:04
Disney Company. And you look back at
8:06
Walt Disney's legacy as well. He helped
8:09
found the Children's Hospital of Orange
8:11
County. Now, what is it? Ray Children's
8:13
Health of Orange County. but he helped
8:16
found that organization. Children were
8:18
such a huge deal to Walt Disney. And so,
8:21
not only is this carrying on the legacy
8:24
of Bob Iger and Disney as a as a
8:28
corporation, it really is carrying on
8:30
something that Walt Disney found
8:32
important during his life, too. And it
8:35
was important enough to him that he
8:38
didn't just throw money at things. He
8:40
got involved. He made a difference. He
8:43
really tried to change the world around
8:45
him beyond just making the happiest
8:47
place on earth and making some of the
8:49
most beloved movies of all time. He also
8:52
wanted to make sure that children were
8:54
taken care of and that difference for
8:57
them would provide hope for the future
9:00
and really hope for us all as these kids
9:02
grow up and and learn from these
9:05
experiences that they've had and be
9:07
inspired by these experiences they've
9:08
had and inspire others with the
9:11
experiences they've had. We never know
9:14
who's going to be that next person
9:15
that's going to invent or create or um
9:20
inspire other people to make the huge
9:24
change in humanity. And for all we know,
9:28
somebody that was a Makea-Wish kid will
9:30
be that person that, you know, ends
9:34
world hunger, discovers the key to world
9:36
peace, you know, these really big ideas.
9:40
You don't know where that seed is going
9:42
to be planted. and and Make a Wish
9:45
really does plant a lot of seeds with
9:48
Disney through events like this and the
9:50
events that are happening literally
9:51
every hour of every day at a Disney
9:54
park, a Disney ship, a Disney resort, um
9:57
even Imagineering, like there's so many
9:59
different things that these two
10:02
organizations
10:03
partner together with to to really
10:08
make the possibilities happen as opposed
10:10
to the, you know, the uncertainties. And
10:14
so as we look at this week, some of the
10:17
fun things that happened is is you have
10:19
Anthony Mackey show up, you have Paul
10:20
Bettney show up. Um, you know, how cool
10:23
would it be to get to see Captain
10:25
America and Vision show up at Avengers
10:27
campus in the surrounding areas. And so
10:30
Anthony Mackey, he uh hung out with this
10:32
kid named Cohen. I think he was 9 years
10:34
old, Makea-Wish kid. And uh ultimately
10:37
they got to ride on Guardians of the
10:39
Galaxy Mission Breakout together. I
10:42
can't imagine what it would have been
10:44
like as a 9-year-old kid to get to ride
10:48
on one of your favorite attractions that
10:50
is superhero related with your favorite
10:53
superhero.
10:55
That's that's not just a costume at that
10:57
point. When Anthony Mackey shows up,
10:59
when Paul Bettney show up, they're
11:02
showing that there is a heroic side to
11:04
them. In reality, there is, you know,
11:07
they're not doing this for the paycheck.
11:09
They're doing this to inspire, to
11:11
provide hope, to provide that uh
11:14
possibility mindset for these kids and
11:16
really make their lives better and give
11:18
them that hope for the future of, hey, I
11:22
did this. This happened for me here.
11:25
What could happen in the future? That
11:26
could be a fantastic thing. And they
11:30
weren't just the only ones that showed
11:31
up on this special Wishes assembled day.
11:35
You had creators like Mr. Beast. You had
11:38
Mark Robber. You had Dude Perfect. You
11:40
had these incredible
11:43
creators that many millions of people
11:46
look up to and watch their videos or
11:48
follow them on social media coming to
11:51
Avengers Campus looked like rights
11:53
outside of Hyperion Theater and creating
11:57
content with these Makea-Wish kids. I
12:00
mean, I was watching some of the the
12:02
scientific experiments that my friend
12:04
Adam Bankhurst shared, and he's going to
12:06
come on here um in a in a future
12:08
episode, and we're going to talk more
12:10
about Wishes Assemble and Make a Wish
12:12
Week, uh because he got to experience a
12:14
lot of this firsthand. But I was
12:15
watching some of his videos and just
12:18
watching the science come to life by
12:22
these incredible creators
12:25
in front of these Makea-Wish kids in
12:27
their families and seeing the fun they
12:30
had. The science is
12:33
it's science, but it's almost magical in
12:36
the way that it's presented because it's
12:37
not it's not just a sitting there with a
12:40
beaker and oh look, I put two things
12:42
together and they started bubbling or
12:44
they changed colors. It literally is
12:47
things that you can see and you can
12:49
apply and you can understand
12:52
and and are also fun. You know, I think
12:55
one of the things that was maybe a
12:57
challenge for some of us that went
12:59
through schools a couple decades ago
13:02
um was science wasn't always fun. Math
13:04
and science were kind of the things you
13:06
had to do so that you could do the fun
13:07
stuff like art and music and theater and
13:09
all of that other stuff. And these
13:12
creators are coming in and really cons
13:16
continuing that possibility theme and
13:19
that mindset by showing what can be done
13:22
with science and how it can be
13:24
applicable and how it can be fun and how
13:26
it can be exciting. I mean like there
13:28
was an egg drop where you you know we've
13:30
all done it at some point I feel like in
13:32
school where you try to protect your egg
13:34
and then you drop it and how many kids
13:36
get to do it at the Disneyland Resort?
13:38
Coolest thing ever. I love that these
13:41
people used their platforms to create
13:45
moments that weren't just performative.
13:49
They were moments that really revolved
13:52
around these 40-ish kids and really made
13:56
them the stars and made them the center
13:58
of the stories as they're demonstrating
14:01
these incredible concepts and and
14:04
scientific uh feats. I guess you could
14:06
say they're, you know, they're not going
14:07
to the moon, but these little things,
14:11
which aren't so little, can be the start
14:14
and the building blocks for, you know,
14:16
the Artem Artemis mission. Armdes, no,
14:20
that is the uh the owl. Um, but
14:25
once again, I go back to you just don't
14:28
know who's going to be inspired to do
14:30
something great from something like
14:33
this. And it all comes from the change
14:36
of the mindset from uncertainty to
14:38
possibility. And and I love that such a
14:42
huge investment was made to make this
14:45
happen for these kids. And peripherally
14:49
for other kids around the globe. And
14:51
then there's that that ripple effect
14:52
that happens as all of us that weren't
14:54
there get to read these stories, get to
14:57
see these videos, get to see these
14:58
photos, and be inspired by them and be
15:03
inspired by their stories and turn our
15:07
our challenging days of the uncertainty
15:10
of is this going to happen? Will I be
15:12
able to do that? You know, how much is
15:14
gas going to be? all of these different
15:16
things into the possibilities of this
15:19
could happen. I guess I could do that. I
15:22
think I could do that. And and the
15:24
inspiration that comes from all of this
15:26
is beautiful. And I think there's
15:29
something very powerful for taking care
15:32
of the kids of society. Um especially
15:34
the sick kids of society. That is why
15:36
we're so dedicated to Chalk and
15:38
Chalkwalk. We believe firmly that we
15:42
need to be in a world where we take care
15:44
of those who can't take care of
15:46
themselves. And when we do that, we can
15:48
make the world a better place, a more
15:50
positive place, one person at a time,
15:52
one wish at a time, one dollar at a
15:55
time, one kind word at a time. And if we
15:58
can just add up enough of those, maybe
16:01
tomorrow can be a little bit better to
16:03
than today. And maybe next year will be
16:06
a little bit better than this year. And
16:08
we can make the future something that is
16:11
much more exciting and much more vibrant
16:13
and much more positive as we do these
16:17
steps one thing at a time. And and so as
16:21
we wrap up this big story of the week,
16:23
I'll return to it probably. I can almost
16:24
guarantee it. Um it's very important to
16:28
remember this isn't just something
16:29
that's a PR win for Disney. like they
16:32
don't do it because it it's going to
16:34
look good on a marketing campaign. That
16:38
that might be a, you know, side benefit
16:40
or something, but really they do it
16:43
because it's at the core of what Disney
16:45
does. Disney is all about using
16:48
storytelling to spread joy when it's
16:51
needed the most. And you look at the
16:53
stories going all the way back to, you
16:55
know, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,
16:58
it's always about providing joy and
17:01
inspiration through the dark times. It's
17:03
always about getting through the woods
17:05
to get to the other side where you have
17:07
the, you know, in this case, the love of
17:10
your life in the castle that you you
17:12
ride off to in Snow White and the Seven
17:14
Dwarfs. There's always that
17:17
there's always that inspirational
17:19
component that's in their stories of yes
17:22
this is a dark time but the light is
17:25
coming and the future will be better and
17:29
there is possibility for the future even
17:31
during the uncertainty and that's the
17:34
importance of make a wish that's the
17:36
importance of these days like wishes
17:38
assemble at at Disneyland resort or or
17:41
bigger uh bigger picture all of the
17:44
different things that were happening
17:45
around the world for World W World wish
17:48
week from the Walt Disney Company.
17:51
But World Wish Week wasn't the only
17:53
thing that happened this week. While it
17:55
the world was was focused on the wishes,
17:58
the world was also focused on the Force.
18:01
We are leading up into this coming week,
18:03
Star Wars Day, which is one of the most
18:06
fun fan days of the year in my humble
18:08
opinion. But ahead of Star Wars day, we
18:11
had a change that was fairly substantial
18:14
come to Star Wars Galaxy's Edge. And
18:17
this comes in the form of the timeline
18:19
expansion. So this was the official
18:22
shift that happened on April 29th as
18:24
well that really
18:28
expanded the stories and the characters
18:31
and the experience that could be had
18:33
when people visit Batau or Star Wars
18:36
Galaxy's Edge. And it really was a
18:39
fundamental shift. It it really changed
18:42
how people experience the land when they
18:45
walk in. It changes how they experience
18:48
the characters or who the characters are
18:50
that they experience. It changed the
18:51
shopping experience. It changed the um
18:54
even the visual experience. If you look
18:56
at some of the props and stores
18:57
throughout the land shopping, yeah, I
18:58
guess it's back to shopping experience.
19:00
But it really did make a fundamental
19:02
change as they broke that barrier of
19:05
being
19:06
of really being tied down to one moment
19:09
in time the moment that Star Wars
19:12
Galaxy's Edge opened in 2019. And and
19:15
that thought process was this is a time
19:17
when the first order has come to Batu
19:20
and is really putting its it's you know
19:23
planting its first steps into uh
19:25
Blackspire Outpost as the Millennium
19:28
Falcon is there and Ray and Chewbacca
19:30
are there and it really was centered on
19:34
that sequel trilogy of Star Wars that
19:37
came out in the last few years. Well,
19:39
more than a few years ago now. But with
19:41
this expansion, you're now seeing
19:43
characters like Darth Vader, Han Solo,
19:45
Luke Skywalker, um Leo Orana,
19:50
all of these characters that are more
19:52
from the original series now appearing
19:55
in Star Wars Galaxy's Edge. And they're
19:57
joining other characters that have come
19:58
to the land through the years from the
20:00
Mandoverseverse, whether it's uh the
20:02
Mandalorian and Grou or Ahsoka and and
20:05
Ray is still around as well. and and
20:07
R2-D2, I should say. But what we now
20:10
experience when we go into Galaxy's
20:12
Edge, where you used to hear as you're
20:13
going through the tunnels, you would
20:15
hear the the John Williams theme that
20:18
was the Star Wars Galaxy's Edge uh
20:20
symphony suite, I think is what it's
20:22
called. Um, now you're hearing Star Wars
20:24
music as you go through there and it it
20:26
definitely changes the vibe as you're
20:28
going in because while I think theme
20:31
park fans and and more diehard Star Wars
20:35
fans all knew the Symphonic Suite for
20:37
for Star Wars Galaxy's Edge, if you're
20:40
just a general guest that's, "Oh, yeah,
20:41
I like Star Wars. I've seen the movies.
20:43
Maybe I haven't seen all the shows.
20:45
Cartoons, I didn't know they had those,
20:47
but that sounds fun." You know, if
20:48
you're more of a casual fan or a I just
20:52
enjoy Star Wars fan, you may not know
20:54
that.
20:56
You do know the Force theme. You do know
20:59
Yoda's theme. You do know Han and Leia's
21:00
theme. Um, you know the music as you're
21:03
walking in and it envelops you as you're
21:06
walking into the park. And and let's say
21:08
you're walking in from kind of that
21:10
entrance near Fantasy Land. It's in
21:12
Frontier Land in that back walkway. um
21:14
you're walking in there and you have the
21:16
Thai echelon right there and you have um
21:20
you know you can buy your blue and green
21:21
milk and and you're noticing that the
21:23
first order banners are no longer there.
21:26
It's now more just
21:28
banners from Batu I guess is a good way
21:30
to put it because the Empire has just
21:34
arrived. In fact, they just landed. They
21:38
haven't even really made uh you know a
21:41
foray into Galaxy's Edge edge yet. And
21:46
what you get to experience in that
21:48
little square is the arrival of Darth
21:51
Vader. And so Darth Vader appears with
21:54
two Stormtroopers and they are looking
21:58
for Luke Skywalker. And it feels like
22:01
something right out of the original
22:03
trilogy of Star Wars. It's very fun. You
22:06
know, crowds are going wild for the
22:07
arrival of Darth Vader. No surprise
22:09
there. He then after a moment in front
22:12
of his ship, goes out in Tubatu looking
22:15
for Luke Skywalker or anybody who might
22:17
have information about him. Um, he kind
22:20
of goes over by the uh droid depot a
22:24
little bit, not kind of more towards the
22:26
entrance, but in that general area. Then
22:28
he comes back over in front of the area
22:30
near the ship and and interrogates a few
22:32
more people which gives chances for
22:34
photos as well. And and then finally he
22:37
hops back up on the stage or on the
22:39
landing platform I should say uh before
22:42
heading back into a ship and departing.
22:44
And
22:46
this was something that I've been
22:47
looking forward to for a long time. I
22:49
did not realize how cool it is to see
22:52
Darth Vader and Stormtroopers, the
22:55
characters that I grew up watching and I
22:58
guess you could say revering, fearing,
23:00
whatever all that is. Seeing all of
23:02
these come together and
23:06
come to life in an environment that fits
23:09
for the character. You know, it's great
23:11
seeing Darth Vader in uh Jedi Training
23:14
Academy in in uh Tomorrowland back in
23:17
the day or getting to meet and greet
23:19
with him in Tomorrowland.
23:21
It's even more amazing seeing him in a
23:25
world where you could imagine him
23:27
actually living and breathing and and
23:31
chasing after the rebels and and it
23:34
really was a great way to start walking
23:37
into Galaxy's Edge. But then you keep
23:40
moving further back and you find, you
23:42
know, the original Star Wars trio, Han,
23:45
Luke, and Leia. And they're kind of
23:47
found in the uh Millennium Falcon area
23:51
for the most part. Luke goes a little
23:52
bit further because um he kind of has
23:54
this ability to appear well and and it's
23:59
what we've seen on the screen is yes, he
24:01
appears with with um Han and Leia, but
24:03
he also is appearing with um Ahsoka. And
24:09
this was just such a interesting and
24:12
emotional thing to see the three
24:15
original heroes from Star Wars, you
24:19
know, before it was a new hope. Star
24:21
Wars, you see these three original Star
24:23
Wars characters uh roaming around under
24:25
the Millennium Falcon, which, you know,
24:27
so many of us grew up loving and geeking
24:29
out about and and pretending, you know,
24:31
oh, I'm flying the Millennium Falcon or
24:33
whatever. and getting to see them
24:36
interact and try to fix the ship and and
24:38
not only interact with each other but
24:40
also interact with guests and ask if
24:42
they've seen, you know, the Empire or,
24:45
you know, throughout most of the morning
24:47
we heard Leia looking for Han. And I
24:50
think Luke was looking for Han, too, at
24:51
some point and probably Chewbacca as
24:53
well. But, um, there were some some
24:55
comments made about, oh, he must be at
24:57
the cantina again. and and eventually
24:59
Han does show up and it really does feel
25:03
like a reunion of old friends and family
25:05
in the good way and uh and it really was
25:09
a wonderful thing to experience. And
25:12
then you couple that with the
25:16
I don't know like the the immersion that
25:19
comes with the addition of the John
25:21
Williams music which I will admit was a
25:23
little bit loud on opening day. I hope
25:25
they've turned it down a little bit, but
25:26
it was still great. But you start adding
25:29
in these familiar themes that you know
25:31
and love from John Williams. And it was
25:35
an interesting thing because I think
25:38
before this change, you're going to Star
25:41
Wars Galaxy's Edge. You're going to a
25:43
place that you feel like you're you're
25:48
living the story and you're living with
25:50
these characters that are live that
25:52
you've seen on screen and and it's very
25:55
hyperrealistic. It it's it's the world
25:58
of Batu. It's very um very very well
26:01
done. But then you add the Star Wars
26:04
music, the traditional John Williams
26:07
themes, whether it's Leia's theme or Han
26:09
Han and Leia or Yoda, whatever. You add
26:12
this music and the soundtrack to the
26:15
land comes to life and you're not
26:19
anymore just visiting a
26:23
planet with characters that you know and
26:25
love. You're now suddenly enveloped in
26:28
Star Wars. It's like you've gone from a
26:30
planet to yes, you're still at this
26:32
planet, but you're in the movie now. And
26:34
it and it feels
26:36
it adds an extra layer of immersion that
26:40
really brings it to life in a way that
26:42
that I didn't necessarily expect. I
26:45
thought it was going to be, oh, I love
26:46
this music. It's really cool seeing it,
26:50
you know, hearing Leia's theme as Leia
26:52
is right in front of you. Awesome. I
26:54
didn't realize the emotional impact and
26:56
the connection it has um until I
27:00
experienced it. And that's really
27:01
something, you know, we post lots of
27:02
videos and there's tons of videos on
27:05
YouTube and and Instagram and Tik Tok,
27:07
whatever it is, but the videos can't
27:10
capture the feeling necessarily. They
27:12
can't capture the magic of actually
27:14
being there and, you know, having these
27:17
things happen around you, having people
27:19
react around you. Um, the the vibe
27:23
that's picked up, the personalities that
27:26
come through, the swaggers, whatever. um
27:28
they just pick up what you see and what
27:31
you hear and not necessarily everything
27:33
else. And so you add the the the film
27:37
scores from these movies that we know
27:40
and love and it just changes the
27:43
emotional weight of the land. It adds a
27:46
depth to it that that I didn't
27:48
necessarily realize was was missing. And
27:52
I think it was a fantastic addition. And
27:56
you know, I know there's a lot of people
27:57
that have opinions one way or another on
28:00
the the change for this land, but I
28:04
think when you look at what Disneyland
28:07
Resort and Disney as a whole is trying
28:09
to do, they really are trying to make
28:12
the most amount or the greatest amount
28:14
of people as happy as they possibly can.
28:18
And I recognize there are
28:22
certain sects of fans that maybe are a
28:26
little bit more dedicated, maybe know a
28:28
little bit more, maybe recognize a
28:30
little bit more, maybe are a little bit
28:32
more, you know, educated about the the
28:34
details and the factoids of, you know,
28:37
whether it's Disney or Star Wars. and
28:41
they are a part of that bigger community
28:43
that Disney is trying to to make happy,
28:47
but they're not necessarily the main
28:49
part. I really think the main part is
28:53
the family that's coming together to go
28:55
to the happiest place on earth and make
28:58
core memories and experience Disney
29:00
magic and go home with the photos and
29:03
the videos and the and the
29:05
the experiences that they're going to
29:07
carry with them for a lifetime or until
29:10
they go to Disney again. And uh you know
29:13
it was interesting talking to Thomas
29:15
Maslam a couple I guess a couple months
29:16
ago now and and the thing about uh Magic
29:20
Bands came up and he was he was
29:23
mentioning that you know this really
29:25
isn't something that that makes sense to
29:26
invest in at the Disneyland Resort um to
29:30
expand its capacity just because at the
29:33
end of the day not everybody's going to
29:35
use them. It's not a it's not a thing
29:39
that a bulk of the fans at Disneyland
29:42
Resort are going to need or use. And so
29:45
he would rather invest, you know,
29:47
Disney, I should say, would rather
29:49
invest in things that are going to make
29:51
the most amount of people happy and get
29:53
the most bang for their buck. Um because
29:55
really their investments, the goal is is
29:59
to make people happier when they go to
30:00
Disneyland Resort. And and that is a
30:02
good business model because if they're
30:04
happier, they're going to keep coming
30:06
back. They're going to share with their
30:07
friends. They're going to spend more
30:08
money. They're going to, you know, have
30:10
a good time. And and this will everybody
30:13
wins. And and I think that's exactly
30:16
what this expansion of the timeline does
30:19
in Star Wars Galaxy's Edge is it reaches
30:22
a bigger swatch of fans that yes, I love
30:26
Star Wars, but you don't have to be a
30:28
Star Wars expert to know the nuance of
30:31
what's going on in the land to know, oh,
30:33
that's up there or over here, that's
30:36
what this thing is doing. And and that's
30:38
fun. like there's still a lot of that to
30:41
be experienced and found throughout the
30:42
land, but
30:45
it does make it so much more accessible
30:48
to the general populace. And you know,
30:50
as you think of both Disneyland Resort
30:52
and Walt Disney World Resort, really
30:54
focusing on family with kids this
30:55
summer, you know, whether it's Cool Kids
30:57
Summer at Walt Disney World or I think
30:59
it's Kids Rule here at the Disneyland
31:01
Resort.
31:03
They really do want to make things
31:04
accessible for everybody and not just
31:07
something that the super fan really eats
31:09
up. And I think that's a smart thing
31:11
because I think in general maybe a lot
31:14
of franchises have gone a little bit too
31:16
far into the super fans and that's made
31:19
things a little bit harder to be
31:22
accessed as a um as a casual fan. And
31:26
and I think that's something that you
31:28
have to find that balance because you do
31:30
want to cater to the super fan to some
31:32
level and give them their thing. But I
31:35
think the main thing needs to be the fan
31:38
that simply enjoys Star Wars, that
31:41
simply enjoys the Disney experience and
31:43
what Disneyland Resort has to offer. And
31:47
I think that's going to be why this
31:50
change is such a positive thing for the
31:53
Disney community and the Star Wars fan
31:55
because it's going to allow all of these
31:58
people to maybe not get all of the
32:01
characters that they love, but they're
32:03
going to get to experience experience
32:05
and meet some of their favorite
32:07
characters or heroes in stories. Um, and
32:10
it doesn't matter if it's this trilogy
32:12
or that trilogy or uh their favorite
32:15
Disney Plus show. And and I can tell
32:17
you, I've said this before multiple
32:19
times, what happens when you expand
32:22
these stories and you bring in these
32:24
other characters is you make it more of
32:27
a connection point for families. I've
32:30
seen multiple times now where you see
32:32
different generations connect with Luke
32:35
Skywalker or Leia or Han or Chewbacca
32:39
even. And and I've seen conversely other
32:42
times with newer characters where the
32:44
younger fans obsessed, happy, you know,
32:48
giddy as all get out and you see grandpa
32:50
or grandma happy that their kid is happy
32:53
but really aren't completely sure who
32:56
the character is that they're talking
32:58
to. They're like, "Oh, he looks cool."
32:59
or she looks cool or whatever. But by
33:03
adding characters that people know from
33:05
different generations,
33:07
you could be a brand new Star Wars fan.
33:09
You could have been a Star Wars fan in
33:10
1977.
33:12
You're going to find somebody that you
33:14
know and love that you're going to
33:15
connect with and and that's going to
33:18
help make that Disney magic happen or
33:20
Star Wars magic happen and and make that
33:23
trip to Galaxy's Edge that much more
33:25
memorable. And I think that's just such
33:27
a huge win on Disney's part. And I think
33:30
it's a kind thing to do also, just
33:32
because it it really does add to the
33:35
accessibility and the fun, which is
33:37
really what it's all about, to the
33:39
Disneyland Resort experience.
33:42
And so, as we as we wrap this up, this
33:45
has been a great week for positive
33:47
stuff. I love the stories that are
33:48
coming out of the Disneyland Resort this
33:50
week. You have all of the Makea-Wish
33:53
stuff happen. Did you know that Disney
33:55
volunteers put together over 10,000 wish
33:59
kits to help all of this happen?
34:02
Incredible. Like these these are the
34:05
kind of things that really do show that
34:08
a little bit of an effort by quite a few
34:11
individuals can really make a difference
34:14
in the world. I love that these kind of
34:16
things are happening and I love the
34:19
foundation it sets for the future
34:21
because we just don't know who's going
34:23
to be inspired by this, whose lives
34:25
going to be changed by this. We also
34:27
have all of the excitement going on in
34:28
Star Wars Galaxy's Edge and beyond
34:30
really because we had Hyperspace
34:31
Mountain return as well. But looking to
34:34
the future, later this month, we're
34:36
going to have the Mandalorian Grou come
34:38
to theaters. And with it, we're going to
34:39
get new missions and experiences for the
34:42
different members of the crew of the
34:44
Millennium Falcon on Millennium Falcon
34:46
Smuggler Run in Star Wars Galaxy's Edge,
34:48
which I can't wait for. We will be
34:50
talking about that and uh sharing about
34:53
that as it comes to life and uh and
34:56
we've experienced it. So, be ready for
34:58
that because we will have stuff on
35:00
dapsmagic.com and on our YouTube for
35:03
that that you won't want to miss. And
35:06
really what it all comes down to is I
35:09
had a a mentor once say, "If you're not
35:11
having fun, you're done." And that's
35:14
really what fandom should be about.
35:15
That's what life should be about. You
35:17
know, the things that we spend our time
35:19
and money on should be
35:22
making things better. whether it's for
35:24
somebody else or ourselves, it really
35:26
should be something that that boosts
35:29
things. You know, it should be better
35:31
because of what we've done or what we've
35:33
spent our money on or happier um as
35:36
opposed to to something that that really
35:39
pulls us down and drags us down. Uh
35:41
there's enough weight in the world to to
35:45
focus on without even trying. Things
35:48
like Disney and Star Wars really should
35:50
be fun. And and I love that I get to
35:53
cover these things and share them with
35:54
you and and comment on them on a daily
35:57
and weekly basis, monthly and yearly, as
35:59
well as we go 22 years in now. But, you
36:03
know, if I wasn't having fun doing this,
36:06
I would stop. And I think that's
36:08
something important to remember is at
36:11
the end of the day, Disney and Star Wars
36:13
and Make a Wish, all of these things are
36:16
really about adding positivity into the
36:18
world and making things better. And and
36:20
so I think as fans we have we have to
36:23
kind of take a step back and look in the
36:25
mirror and say, "Hey, um is the world a
36:29
little bit better because of these
36:31
things that that were done or is it a
36:33
little bit worse?" And then I would
36:35
argue with everything that came out this
36:37
week, the world's a little bit better.
36:38
It's a little bit more positive. It's a
36:40
little bit more inspirational. There's a
36:41
little bit more hope. There's a little
36:43
bit more joy. Then the part where we
36:45
look in the mirror is in the way that I
36:48
reacted this week. Is the world a little
36:50
bit better? Is it a little happier? Is
36:53
it a little bit more positive? Is it a
36:55
little more joyful or not? And and I
36:57
only say this just because I've been
36:58
observing the comments on our YouTube,
37:01
on our Facebook, on our Instagram, all
37:03
that stuff. And and it amazes me how
37:05
many people take a good thing and just
37:09
rip it to shreds. And and I don't know
37:11
that that's fandom. Like I think that's
37:13
something else. I think fandom is
37:15
something that you celebrate that you
37:17
build up that yes, you you you might um
37:22
focus on or maybe even borderline obsess
37:24
over at times, but I don't think it it's
37:27
a good thing when it becomes a negative
37:30
thing. And so I think we really have to
37:32
come back to if you're not having fun,
37:33
you're done. And if you don't like it,
37:36
don't do it. Um you know, if you don't
37:37
like these changes at Star Wars Galaxy's
37:39
Edge, that's okay. like they they maybe
37:42
they weren't for you, maybe they were
37:43
for that larger populace. And and I
37:46
think it's it's a moment to step back
37:48
and really reflect on what we're putting
37:51
out as as Disney fans, as Star Wars
37:54
fans, as
37:57
citizens of the world, for lack of a
38:00
better term, and and really think about
38:03
are the things that we're putting out
38:04
there, whether it's to the people around
38:06
us, to the to the cast members in the
38:08
park, to the other guests in the park,
38:10
um to the the ways we spend our money
38:13
and and the things that we today in
38:15
person, online,
38:17
are they making it better or are they
38:18
making it worse? Are we part of the
38:20
solution? Are we start part of the pro
38:21
problem? Are we adding to the
38:24
possibilities or are we adding to the
38:26
uncertainty? And I hope that this
38:29
community of Disney and positive stuff
38:31
is adding to that possibility is adding
38:34
to the positivity, is adding to the hope
38:36
and the joy, and is supporting the
38:39
children of the world, whether they're
38:42
broke, sick, whatever. I hope that we
38:45
are making the future better because of
38:47
the actions that we take today. So, as
38:50
we're moving forward, I encourage you
38:52
all to go to dapsmagic.com, check out
38:54
our coverage of Wishes Assemble and uh
38:56
all of the Star Wars Galaxy's Edge
38:58
stuff. We have a lot of it up there. You
39:00
won't want to miss it. We've also got
39:01
some Star Wars night stuff up there that
39:03
you won't want to miss as well. And I'm
39:05
going to ask you the question, and you
39:07
can respond wherever you'd like, whether
39:08
it's on social media or in the comments.
39:11
If you could grant any Disney themed
39:13
wish for someone else, what would it be?
39:17
Let me know in the comments. With that,
39:19
I'm going to say goodbye. Make it a
39:21
great week, everybody. Keep kind, and
39:23
we'll see you in the parks.