Beauty and the Beast

“Be our guest!” Okay I admit it. I am thirty years old and I have and will continue to watch the Disney movies as they come out. I have many, many times seen Beauty and the Beast. I absolutely love this movie and I can remember crying at the end when Beast dies and than later transforms into the handsome prince. So naturally the Beauty and the Beast musical is one of the attractions that is on my must see list in Hollywood Studios. This being the last say of highlighting live entertainment at Mouse Beat I decided to not only end on my absolute favorite live performance but also pull out the pictures I took from the first time I saw the show in 2003. Back then I was not as camera happy as I am now so each shot (although not good) was much more calculated. The three shots above are my favorite moments in the show. It is a fantastic show and if you have not stopped to see Beauty and the Beast definitely make time for it the next time you visit Hollywood Studios (oh a little note… if you click through on the picture you may notice that the title of one of the photos reads…MGM… yep the first time I saw the show it was still MGM. Does anyone know when it was changed and why to just Hollywood Studios?)

The show is located in Hollywood Studios across the street from Rock N Roller Coaster and next door to Hollywood Tower of Terror. Show times can be found in the show times guide that you pick up with your guide map.

Drummers in Japan

If you have ever walked by the large temple in front of Japan and wondered… “Huh what do they use that building for?” Well wonder no more! One purpose the temple serves is the stage for drummers that perform every so often in Japan. Three drummers take to the stage and bang out beautiful sounds. It is hypnotic to watch the three passionately drum. Definitely a live entertainment perform you do not want to miss.

Mariachis in Mexico

Each country in Epcot’s the World Show Case tries to offer some sort of cultural references and information about the country that it represents. In Mexico you will be able to find traditional Mexican music. They typically set up to play between the entrance to San Angel Inn and the entrance to the Gran Fiesta Tour staring “The Three Caballeros.” They perform several songs and one of the nice things about this perform as opposed to the other country’s live entertainment is that it is all inside the dark air conditioned building. So if you need a break from the heat head on over to Mexico and listen to traditional Mexican music.

The British Invasion

The British Invasion are perhaps a little known attraction in Epcot’s UK. Tucked back into the Tea Gardens they play three shows a night. The shows start around 5:30pm and will run until 8pm. Each show they play a different era of Beatles music complete with different costumes to match what the Beatles were wearing during that album. We both really enjoy their performances for two reasons, the music (who does not like some Beatles music) and the costumes. I love the attention to detail they pay. My favorite song that they play is “I wanna hold your hand.” It is great time!

For more pictures of The British Invasion head on over to my Flickr set.

Flights of Wonder

“Flights of Wonder” is a bird show located in Animal Kingdom’s Asia. A variety of birds entertain the audience with their talents. From the crow who takes money from the audience to the crane who flies across the audience to be hand feed by the tour guide the birds are amazing and entertaining. Not all the birds are trained with neat tricks some, like the Eagle above just come out to show off their beauty. Of course like many of the exhibits and shows at Animal Kingdom there is the message of conservation and preservation. During the show they talk about endangered birds and how the efforts of some groups have actually brought birds like the bald eagle off the endangered species lists. It is a must see live show at Animal Kingdom.

“Flights of Wonder” is located next door to the Yak and Yeti In Animal Kingdom’s Asia. For show times (there are usually about 4 a day starting around 11am) make sure to pick up the show times guide when you grab your park map at the park entrance.

For more photos of Flights of Wonder head on over to my Flickr set.

Stay tuned all this week for highlights of live Disney Entertainment.