Daorceyland

While I appreciate good theatre, ballet, opera, classics in literature and film, independent music and local television, I have a few cultural guilty pleasures. Next time you visit, take notice of the DVD collections: Three editions of the Indiana Jones Trilogy, two editions of the original Star Wars trilogy plus at least one of each of the new films and both volumes of Clone Wars, The Best of the Muppets DVD series, Lord of the Rings extended edition, Futurama: The Complete Series, etc, etc.

I guess the point is that I'm all over some of the most accessible artifacts of pop culture. I can't help it, but I get a huge kick out of Star Wars and Indy (the archeologist, not the style of car or under funded art). If only they could make a theme park for me; one that lets me interact with the characters I've come to think are so cool.

Oh, wait, they did.

Disneyland is more than Sleeping Beauty's Castle, Dumbo and It's a Small World. Since the park teamed up with Lucasfilm in 1988 to produce Star Tours, Disneyland has become a homing beacon for experiencing the films I enjoy. Add to the mix Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye, and we have two great rides for Daorcey. Not to mention Muppets 3D with a real live Sweetums!

Lego Vader - Just outside of Disneyland

Holy crap! Now I can fly through the Death Star and race past snakes, rats, bugs and a rolling boulder.

To make it even more geek-tastic, Disney is embracing Star Wars even more with a Jedi Training Academy and plans to do an updated Star Tours. Plus, there are tons of cool Star Wars toys in Tomorrow Land from lightsabres to Imperial Blasters to collectible Jedi Mickeys.

Who knew the little girls loved Stormtroopers?

So on our last day there, we made sure we enjoyed the Star Wars experience fully. I put on my Darth Vader shirt, and we got to Jedi Training early. Sadly, we were too old to participate, but not too old to push kids out of our way for a front row seat. I was excited.

Elbows up! Make way for the "adult" geeks, kids.

And then out comes the Jedi Master with his rad light sabre moves and they get 20 "younglings" to learn the light sabre basics. On one hand, so cute. On the other hand, so cool.

Admit it: cool and cute.

And then, in the middle of learning how to thrust and parry (or whatever), who should show up but Darth Vader, Darth Maul and two Stormtroopers.

Darth Maul is hard core.
Unfortunately, Vader's crippling arthritis got the best of him.

Next thing you know, kids are living the dream and dueling with the Dark Lord, himself. One kid was even so good that he broke through Vader's defenses and was accosted by the Stormtroopers. But before anything bad could happen, the Jedi Master yelled out "Use the Force!" and the kid threw up his hand to Force Push the Stormtroopers back against the wall.

I may have freaked out.

Some days I wish I was actually 12 years old... not just acting like it.

Point being, in the absence of a Daorceyland in which I can live the movies I love, Disneyland will have to do.

He liked my t-shirt. Gave me a thumbs up.