Saturday, December 31, 2022

J-Man Jokerz Wild: Batman Beyond the Sea Returns


 The world of the futuristic Batman Beyond animated series is terrorized by a gang of thugs called the Jokerz.  The most Jokerish looking of the Jokerz is a dapper guy named J-Man.  J-Man is the second character I've built from Batman Beyond, using shells, rocks, and shark teeth found on the beaches of Venice, Florida.  J-Man was voiced by none other than Batman The Animated Series artist and legend, Bruce Timm.

There are some very sinister looking members of the Jokerz gang.  One of them, named Scab, looks like one of Santa's Elves from 1983's A Christmas Story (the ones that are rough with Ralphie and Randy at the department store).

Sunday, December 4, 2022

Peter Pan’s Flight: From Disneyland to DisneySea


My introduction to Disney's Peter Pan was riding Peter Pan's Flight at Walt Disney World in Florida as a small child back in 1983 (I did not see the Peter Pan film until it was released on VHS in the 1990s).  The attraction was definitely my favorite thing at The Magic Kingdom at that time, particularly because it seemed like the least threatening of all the "dark rides" there.  I made Peter Pan and Tinkerbell using shells, shark teeth, and other sea junk found on the beaches of Venice, Florida.

Peter Pan's Flight can be found at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Shanghai Disneyland.  In addition, a brand new Peter Pan "land" with a brand new flying attraction is coming to Tokyo DisneySea in Japan.  It will be part of Peter Pan's Neverland in the new "Fantasy Springs" expansion planned for 2024.

All the Peter Pan's Flight attractions are slightly different.  I've only ever been on the versions in Florida and California.  But from ride videos I've seen, I think Tokyo Disneyland has the best one, as it looks to have taken the Florida version and expanded and upgraded the experience.  If you are a fan of Peter Pan, Tokyo seems to be the place to be.