Monthly Archives: December 2016

Once Upon a Time Foods

Once Upon a Time Foods; Magical Edible Goodies in OUAT

Once Upon a Time foods are often over-looked in ABC TV’s Fairy Tale drama, Once Upon a Time. Whatever magical land our storybook characters find themselves in, they must get hungry. Especially in Storybrooke, we find many foods mentioned in the show.

Can you remember them all? We will list out as many as possible here. If we left some off of our list, be sure to let us know in the comments below. We want to make this the most comprehensive list of all Once Upon a Time foods anywhere.

On this list, we will strictly stick to those foods seen, served or mentioned in Storybrooke. We will (try as best as we can) mention the episode that the particular food was in as well. All this talk about food is making me hungry, what about you?

Once Upon a Time Foods

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

In OUAT episode 4X14 “Unforgiven” Charming runs into Hook and Emma going to Granny’s for a ‘Grilled Cheese’, but Charming pleads with her to help him stop Ursula and Cruella and their dastardly deeds.

I enjoy a good grilled cheese sandwich now and then. My favorite cheese is Swiss cheese. The pairing I enjoy most is a Grilled Cheese sandwich and a good Tomato soup. Good stuff. It would even be better with the cast of Once Upon a Time. Just sayin’

Grilled Cheese sandwich fun facts: (via http://mobile-cuisine.com/did-you-know/grilled-cheese-fun-facts/)

  • April 12th is National Grilled Cheese Day.
  • April is National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Month.
  • The actual term “grilled cheese” doesn’t make an appearance in print until the 1960’s. Before then it was all “melted cheese” or “toasted cheese” sandwiches.
  • The most popular additions to a grilled cheese sandwich are bacon, ham and tomato.

Onion Rings

In OUAT episode 4X13 “Unforgiven”, OUAT episode 5X01 “The Dark Swan”, OUAT episode 5X06 “The Bear and the Bow” and OUAT episode 5X08 “Birth”, Onion Rings were mentioned.

Sure, I love french fries but Onion Rings “ups the ante” with a crunchy outer shell covering a vegetable. A vegetable. That’s healthy, right?

My favorite place to get Onion Rings is Red Robin. It’s not just two or three, but a TOWER of Onion Rings. Granny, you might want to try this at the diner.

Onion Rings fun facts: (via http://mobile-cuisine.com/did-you-know/onion-ring-fun-facts/)

  • June 22nd is National Onion Ring Day.
  • The first recipe for Onion Rings was a Crisco ad in a 1933 issue of the New York Times Magazine.
  • A&W is credited with popularizing the onion rings in fast food restaurants, introducing it to its menu in the 1960s.
  • Eating parsley will help get rid of onion breath.

Once Upon a Time Foods

Our journey finding more Once Upon a Time foods continues, but this next one can be dangerous.

Apples, Apple Turnovers and Apple Pie

Apples have been mentioned, seen, used throughout this series. Here are two examples;

Famous Regina monologue scene about apples from the OUAT episode 1X02 “The Thing You Love Most”

Shocking Apple turnover scene in OUAT episode 1X21 “An Apple Red as Blood”

The Evil Queen likes Apple Pie best

I used to eat only Red Delicious apples, but Costco helped me expand my horizons to other types like;
Honeycrisp
Sweet Tango
Gala
Fuji
Cameo

Apple fun facts:

There are many more Once Upon a Time foods for us to discover, let’s continue –

Rocky Road Ice Cream

When I eat ice cream, I enjoy ice creams like Rocky Road, because it has stuff in it. Not only did it include Chocolate Ice Cream, but it included nuts (originally it was Almonds, but now it’s usually Walnuts) and then diced Marshmallows. The only tweak I would suggest is peanut butter instead of Walnuts. I can’t help it – I love Peanut Butter.

What kind of Ice Cream do you like?

Remember the Snow Queen serving Rocky Road Ice Cream in OUAT episode 4X03 “Rocky Road”?

Ice Cream fun facts:

Bear Claw (Donuts)

When I enjoy a donut, it usually is a Bear Claw. Bear Claws are normally the size of 2 donuts, so that’s always great. Unfortunately, getting healthier meant saying goodbye to donuts and Bear Claws, so I will now give all my Bear Claws to Emma. 🙂

Do you remember when Graham brought Emma Bear Claws in the episode “The Shepherd” 1X06? Back then I thought that it was a clue that they would introduce characters representing the Three Bears, but I was wrong.

It would be years til we would be presented “The Bear and The Bow” episode. That’s the only Bear we would get.

Donut Fun facts:

Let’s continue our trek to find more Once Upon a Time foods –

Tacos

On of the more funny and awkward moments in Once Upon a Time (“The Cricket Game” 2X10) was when Emma and Henry (with all the fixings to make tacos) came into Mary Margaret’s apartment to find Snow and Charming (as Charming try to explain to Henry) helping each other to rest.

Later, Emma brings Tacos to the Welcome Home party at Granny’s in “The Cricket Game” 2X10

Taco Fun facts:

  • October 4th is National Taco Day.
  • Ensenada, Mexico is said to be the birthplace of the fish taco.
  • One of the first taco trucks is thought to have started in New York when in 1966 two New York housewives operated an early version of the taco truck. Although the truck did not have a full kitchen, it was available for catering.
  • Tacos predate the Europeans in Mexico and were discovered to be the food of choice by the indigenous folk in the Valley of Mexico. Obviously the Spanish wanted to stake their claim on such fine fare, and dubbed them “tacos.”
Want to revisit the early days of OUAT? Check out our Beginner’s Guide to OUAT here

Hamburger and Fries

One of the coolest things in Once Upon a Time Season 1 and 2 was when the storybook characters were introduced to things in our present day. For instance, on Belle’s and Mr. Gold’s first “date” at Granny’s (“The Crocodile” 2X04), Belle had her first hamburger and fries.

Hamburger Fun facts:

  • May 28th is National Hamburger Day
  • 60% of sandwiches sold globally are actually burgers.
  • Hamburgers are also known by the name “Liberty Sandwich”. This name was introduced by American soldiers during WWI because they wanted to avoid any German name.
  • McDonald’s holds the record of selling 300 billion burgers till date. The company sells 75 or more burgers every second.

Lasagna (with and without Pepper Flakes)

Regina brings her Lasagna (with Red Pepper Flakes) to the Welcome Home party at Granny’s in “The Cricket Game” 2X10

Regina served Lasagna to Kurt Flynn and Owen in “Welcome to Storybrooke” 2X17

Regina using her Lasagna to bribe Mr. Hyde in “The Other Shoe” 6X03

Unfortunately, it is said that Granny’s lasagna isn’t quite as good as Regina’s. Maybe Granny should add some Red Pepper Flakes.

Once Upon a Time Foods

Our journey to discover more Once Upon a Time foods continues –

Meat Pie

Remember when Zelena served Rumpel Meat Pie in “It’s Not Easy Being Green” 3X16? He mentioned the Spinsters used to serve it to him when he was a boy.

Meat Pie Description:

The beginnings of the meat pie can be traced back to the Neolithic Period, around 9500 BC. The ancient Egyptians’ diet featured basic pies made from oat, wheat, rye, and barley, and filled with honey and baked over hot coals.[3]

These pies were eventually adopted by the Greeks, and it is there that a flour-water paste substance closely resembling pie pastry was created and was first filled with meat.[4] In Greece, these pies were usually fried or cooked under coals. The Romans, tasting the delicacy from the Greeks, incorporated it into their own diet with little changes. According to the records kept by the wealthy, Romans used a variety of meats, oysters, mussels, lampreys, and fish as filling and a mixture of flour, oil, and water to keep it in. This ‘pastry’ cover was not meant to be eaten and was thrown away.[5]

In combination with the spread of Roman roads, the invading crusaders encountered the dish and brought the recipes to Medieval Europe. In Northern Europe, cooks created the pastry using fats like lard and butter to make a stiff dough to hold an upright pie.[6] These medieval pastry dishes were called “coffins/coffyns”, which means a basket or box. According to Janet Clarkson in Pie: A Global History, the “coffins” were: Read more about Meat Pie

There is more Once Upon a Time foods to discover –

Chili (without beans)

Charming buys chili (without beans) for the dwarves as they dig in the underground caves in “Lacey” 2X19.

Chili Fun facts:

  • February 23rd is National Chili Day
  • Chilis most commonly used are jalapeno, serrano, poblano, yellow wax, birds eye, habanero, and cayenne.
  • Chili peppers were used in ancient cuisines in Europe, the Caribbean, Asia, and the Middle East.
  • A number of variations of chili have become popularized over the years. Texas-style chili doesn’t contain beans; vegetarian chili (aka chili sin carne) typically replaces meat with corn and other vegetables; chili Verde uses pork, tomatillos and green chili peppers in lieu of beef and tomatoes; and white chili uses white beans and chicken or turkey.

Did we miss any Once Upon a Time foods? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks

How to Find Once Upon a Time at Disneyland

How to find Once Upon a Time at Disneyland – A Guide to More Magic

If you’ve wanted to know how to find Once Upon a Time at Disneyland, then this blog post is for you!

If you are a fan of ABC TV’s Once Upon a Time (like we are), you will enjoy a fun “treasure map” of how to find Once Upon a Time at Disneyland. So, put on your OUAT lenses and let’s hop over to Disneyland in Anaheim.

Note: This post will always be updated. If you’ve spotted a representation of OUAT that we may have overlooked, PLEASE leave a comment letting us know. We need your to help. Thanks.

How to Find Once Upon a Time at Disneyland

Let’s journey through Disneyland and find representations of ABC TV’s magical drama, Once Upon a Time.

Our 1st stop is Snow White’s Scary Adventures in Fantasyland.

Fun facts;

This attraction is one of the few attractions that has been opened since the park opened.
Originally, the ride did not depict Snow White. The idea was that the rider was Snow White experiencing everything first hand, but during the 1983 refurbishment, the Snow White figure was added as well as other modifications to the ride.

If you touch the “golden apple” in front of the attraction you will either hear lightning crashing or the Old Hag cackling.

How to Find Once Upon a Time at Disneyland

In this attraction, we see; Snow White, the Seven Dwarfs, and Evil Queen and the transformation to The Old Hag. Oh, and lots of apples.

Once Upon a Time at Disneyland

Don’t forget to look outside the attraction for the Evil Queen, because every once in awhile, she’ll be looking for you.

ABCs Once Upon a Time at Disneyland

Once Upon a Time characters spotted in the attraction;
Snow White
Prince Charming (in the final painting)
Evil Queen (5 times)
The Magic Mirror
Grumpy
Dopey
Doc
Sleepy
Sneezy
Happy
Bashful

Once geeky Once Upon a Time tidbit, in the audio intro while you are waiting in the line queue, you will hear the narrator use the word ‘dearie,’.

How to Find Once Upon a Time at Disneyland

Our second stop is Snow White’s Grotto.

Hidden away on the path on the front eastern edge of Sleeping Beauty’s castle is Snow White’s Grotto. It features an anonymous gift from an Italian sculptor of Snow White, the Seven Dwarves and various woodland creatures. This issue was that all the human sculptures were the same height. To rectify the situation, the dwarves were placed closer to the viewers and Snow White was placed farther back. This would give the illusion of proper height for the characters.

How to find once upon a time at disneyland Snow White Grotto

Also in the Grotto is a replica of Snow White’s ‘Wishing Well’. From inside the well, we can hear Snow White singing, “I’m Wishing (For the One I Love)” which is on a loop. Many have proposed marriage from that spot. I even considered it.

Want to revisit the early days of OUAT? Check out our Beginner’s Guide to OUAT here

Once Upon a Time characters spotted in this area;
Snow White
Grumpy
Dopey
Doc
Sleepy
Sneezy
Happy
Bashful

We continue on our quest on How to Find Once Upon a Time at Disneyland

Our third stop is Peter Pan’s Flight.

This was another early attraction that gave the rider entry into the story (or in this case, the animated feature) of Peter Pan. This was another attraction that was opened when the Disneyland park opened. Similar to Snow White’s Scary Adventures, the attraction did not feature a Peter Pan figure in the attraction until the massive Fantasyland renovation of 1983.

How to find Once Upon a Time at Disneyland

Peter Pan’s Flight Fun Facts

The line for this attraction is normally very long. There are many reasons for this;
It is a classic story,
The ride system isn’t an omnibus (constantly moving ‘ships’ that load patrons onto it (Like Haunted Mansion Doom Buggies)). The ships stop until the patrons load the ships, then fly off into the attraction,
Some believe that the location “draws” people to it. The location is the first attraction on the right in Fantasyland. People seem to almost always want to “ride the first ride” on the right.

Prior to the massive Fantasyland renovation of 1983, there was a huge replica of the Jolly Roger in a small lagoon with Skull Rock toward the back. The pirate ship was officially called The Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship and Restaurant and as you can guess, it was sponsored by Chicken of the Sea.

How to find Once Upon a Time at Disneyland

To tie this fact in with the Peter Pan’s Flight, some of the fixtures from the pirate ship were added to Peter Pan’s Flight after the renovation.

Once Upon a Time characters spotted in the attraction;
Peter Pan
Tinkerbell
Wendy Darling
Michael Darling
John Darling
Captain Hook
Mr. Smee
The Crocodile (representing Rumpel)
The Lost Boys

Our fourth stop is Pinocchio’s Daring Journey.

This “dark ride” showcasing the morality play about the saga of a wooden puppet becoming a real boy replaced the Mickey Mouse Club Theater in 1983. It has the feel of the other Fantasyland rides and fits in well. It uses older visual tricks like “Pepper’s ghost (Used a lot in the Haunted Mansion)” and newer digital projection technology was utilized to show the donkey transformation (used on Snow White’s Scary Adventures).

For me, I love the little touches like;
Jiminy Cricket telling Pinocchio to go the other way (the “right” way),
Geppetto calling for Pinocchio during his search. This gets me every time.

Once Upon a Time characters spotted in the attraction;
Pinocchio
Blue Fairy
Geppetto
Jimminy Cricket
Monstro

Our fifth stop is Sleeping Beauty Castle Walk-Through.

Even though Disneyland park is “small”, the space in which its exists is used extremely well. Unless you knew wheat to look for, you might not even know this attraction existed. There isn’t a grand facade with ride vehicles announcing it, but indeed you can ‘walk-through’ the story of Sleeping Beauty in Sleeping Beauty’s castle.

How to find once upon a time at disneyland sleeping beauty castle walkthrough

It is interesting that this attraction was the one that actually met one of Walt Disney’s goal of having a walk-through attraction (Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Alice in Wonderland attraction were all originally conceived as walk-through attractions). You feel like you are walking through the streets portrayed in the animated feature. As always, Disney’s focus on detail is everywhere. There are doorways, shadows, etc with fun visuals and sound effects that you need to pay attention and stay just a bit longer in certain areas to observe, interact with and enjoy.

Oh, and there are stairs.

Quite a few stairs actually.

The story of Princess Aurora is laid out with passages from the ornate storybook leading to dioramas. The previous dioramas were cool, but also looked dated. The updated dioramas are great. The use digital projections to add magical elements and make it worth it to climb all those stairs.

Once Upon a Time characters spotted in the attraction;
Princess Aurora
Prince Phillip
Maleficent

Our journey continues of How to Find Once Upon a Time at Disneyland

Our sixth stop is Alice in Wonderland.

Have you ever wanted to fall into a magical rabbit hole and enter a magical land? You can in this Disneyland attraction that originally opened in 1958 in Fantasyland.

How to find once upon a time at disneyland Alice in Wonderland

You will see things like; the Red Queen in all her fury, an Un-Birthday party hosted by the Mad Hatter, a musical garden, smiling cats and more.

Once Upon a Time (and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland) characters spotted in the attraction;
Alice in Wonderland
White Rabbit
Red Queen
Mad Hatter
Queen of Hearts

Want more Alice wonderment? You can ride the Mad Tea Party ride right next door. I hope none of the cups are chipped, but they are fun.

You may also want to buy a hat at the Mad Hatter. I’m pretty sure not of the hats are a portal to other OUAT worlds, though.

Our seventh stop is Storybook Land Canal Boats.

How to find once upon a time at disneyland storybook Canal Boats

If you’ve ever wanted to a tour seeing miniaturized versions of homes of many of the most famous storybook characters that have been in many Disney animated features – from a boat, then this attraction is for you. It also includes seeing what Pinocchio and Geppetto saw going into Monstro’s mouth, seeing the Cave of Wonders and more. If you normally pass this attraction by, do yourself a favor and take this ride next time.

How to find Once Upon a Time at Disneyland Monstro

Once Upon a Time (and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland) character homes/lands spotted in the attraction;
Alice in Wonderland
White Rabbit
Peter Pan
The Darling family
Aladdin
Jasmine
Jafar
Snow White
7 Dwarves
Cinderella
Fairy Godmother
Lady Tremaine
Anastasia Tremaine
Drizella Tremaine
Gus
Anna
Elsa
Olaf
Kristoff
Sven
Hans
King of Arendelle
Queen of Arendelle
Pinocchio
Geppetto
Jiminy Cricket
Monstro
Blue Fairy
Ariel
Prince Eric

Our trek continues of How to Find Once Upon a Time at Disneyland.

Our eighth stop is Fantasyland Fantasy Faire.

This area once was the Carnation Gardens Plaza and it was a favorite place of mine to watch the fireworks show. Now, this is an area that resembles a storybook village that you can meet some storybook Princesses and see a show and dancing.

How to find Once Upon a Time at Disneyland Fantasy Faire

Whether it’s Snow White, Cinderella, Belle or other princesses, this is where you might be able to meet them. The rotate the princesses that are available, but I would bet there is always on you’d love to meet.

This area is broken up into three parts;

The Fantasy Faire courtyard. This is the main area with a magical Tangled tower that you must see in the evening. If you look around, you will see Figaro.

The Royal Hall. Where you can meet the princesses that take time away from their adventures to meet you.

The Royal Theater. Would you like to watch a fun re-telling of Beauty and the Beast, Frozen or Tangled? Would you? If so, then this is the place for you, lords and ladies.

Oh and if your hungry or thirsty, you can visit Maurice’s Treats.

How to find Once Upon a Time at Disneyland Maurice's Treats

Once Upon a Time characters spotted in the attraction;

Once Upon a Time (and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland) characters spotted in the attraction;
Belle
The Beast
Anna
Elsa
Rapunzel
Cinderella
Maurice

Our ninth stop is Pixie Hollow.

Picture the Fantasyland Fantasy Faire, but for Tinkerbell and her pixie friends. Meet Tinkerbell (or if she’s busy another pixie) and say hello in this shrunk down version of places just for pixies in the forest.

Once Upon a Time (and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland) characters spotted in the attraction;
Tinkerbell

Our tenth stop is Fantasmic show.

Lighting up the Rivers of America since 1992, the incredible show Fantasmic! You will see many characters from Once Upon a Time represented here. This story of good, evil and Mickey Mouse’s imagination is a massive tale told on the original Tom Sawyer Island and in the waters of the Rivers of America.

During the finale, the Mark Twain steamship (or sometimes on the strange on the old Tom Sawyer’s island) will be stock full of characters. They rotate who appears, so what I would suggest is to keep your eyes peeled as to which characters you will spot.

Once Upon a Time (and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland) characters spotted in the attraction;
Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Marching broom
Pinocchio
Jiminy Cricket
Monstro
Peter Pan
Wendy
Hook
Mr. Smee
The Crocodile
Belle
The Beast
Ariel
Prince Eric
Snow White
Prince Charming
Ursula
Chernabog
Evil Queen (including Old Hag transformation)
The Magic Mirror
Maleficent (including Dragon transformation)
Tinkerbell
(See note about the Mark Twain finale)

Our eleventh stop is the It’s a Small World.

We all know the song and the attraction. The cool thing is that during the 2008 refurbishment many new characters were added in their respective lands.

Once Upon a Time (and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland) characters spotted in the attraction;
England room, look for Alice and the White Rabbit from OUAT in Wonderland, and Peter Pan and Tinkerbell
France room, look for Cinderella and Gus
Italy room, look for Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket
China room, look for Mulan
Middle East room, look for Aladdin and Jasmine
South Seas room, look for Ariel

That ends our journey of how to find Once Upon a Time at Disneyland. Stay tuned for our post detailing how to find Once Upon a Time at Disney California Adventure, and more.

Once Upon a Time Merchandise | Magical Products for You

Once Upon a Time Merchandise here (All products utilize Affiliate Links. We receive a small percentage of your purchase. Thank you for helping support what we do here.). Since ABC’s fun, fairy tale drama appeared on our TV’s on October 23rd, 2011 we have been enthralled by its story and characters.

Once Upon a Time Merchandise

Whether you are an uber Oncer and have it all or a new Oncer, we have what you need. Make sure you take a look at all the Once Upon a Time Merchandise here. We know you will want to get some Oncer gifts for you or for your friends.

OUAT Seasons 1 and 2 Blu Ray Discs

In Season 1, we are introduced to Emma, Henry, Mary Margaret, David, Mr. Gold, Regina, Granny, Archie Hopper, Sheriff Graham and more. We watch as Emma steps into her destiny and unlock the mysteries of the residents of Storybrooke and their connection to their Fairy Tale Land selves.

It was and always will be my favorite season.

In Season 2, we continue the story of Emma finding the strength in herself as she battles new foes, including Regina’s mother, Cora. Hook also sailed into Storybrooke and we meet Princess Aurora, Prince Phillip, Robin Hood, Mulan, the Darling family and others.

OUAT Seasons 3 and 4 Discs

OUAT Season 5 Discs and OUAT Season 1 – 2 Discs

OUAT 2017 Calender and Funko figure 6-pack (Snow, Charming, Regina, Rumpel, Emma, Hook)

Welcome to Storybrooke Junior T shirt and OUAT Hoodie

OUAT Baseball hat (Black) and OUAT Baseball hat (Red)

Once Upon a Time Wish You Were Here Review and Analysis

The OUAT Winter Finale is here! Welcome to our Once Upon a Time Wish You Were Here Review.

Once Upon a Time Wish You Were Here Review

Wish You Were Here Review

#Spoilers, obviously

Quick Once Upon a Time Wish You Were Here Review

We find out what life in (a parallel “dream” universe of) Fairy Tale land would have been like if Emma would have never been the savior. Henry is knighted and acts knightly. We learn the negative and positive aspects of the Regina and Evil Queen “connection”. The Dark Fairy kidnaps Gideon from the Blue Fairy and shows him the ‘Dark Side’. We learn that the hooded figure is Gideon and that he has the power to turn the Evil Queen into a metallic living Cobra (which I think looks a lot like Jafar’s staff, just sayin’). Belle and Rumpel will do what they can to rescue Gideon. As Regina and Emma use a bean acquired from Rumpel, Robin appears and the portal (which has a time limit) closes before that can use it to leave.

Once Upon a Time Wall Calendar (2017) (Aff link)

Oh yeah, there are LOTS of Evil Queens, some real, some are cosplayed by Regina.

Once Upon a Time Wish You Were Here Review

7 Things That Stood Out in OUAT Wish You Were Here

1. I hope they give Grumpy a raise. Grumpy does a very important job, warning towns/castles that danger is coming or is already there. It’s an important job, for sure. Now he’s hauling around a makeshift bird cage we hope has been retrofitted to keep a metal Evil Queen Cobra from biting him. All this danger he is constantly in is reason enough for a raise AND a date with Nova. Nova’s cute, remember?

2. The Mystery of the Red Jeweled Sword. Now, I think Emma is making a huge mistake. Belle is a fantastic researcher. She needs to find out what magic is infused in that sword that Emma is carrying around. I’ve mentioned before that I think that the red gem in it points to Jafar. If I’m wrong about that, the color red in nature means danger, so there’s that. I mean the Evil Queen drinks red Appletinis for heaven’s sake. Red is bad, people. Red is bad. Belle could research what the sword represents and how Emma can use the sword properly to destroy the hooded figure, but no Emma won’t ask her. Belle isn’t just another pretty face – or pretty legs. Emma, just ask Belle. Pretty please?

3. Lots of Disney in this OUAT episode tonight;
A. Emma wished on a star and blew out a cupcake star candle (like she did in the Pilot),

Want to revisit the early days of OUAT? Check out our Beginner’s Guide to OUAT here
B. Team 7 (actually only Team 5 and Grumpy is too cool to whistle. 😉 ) were whistling ‘Heigh Ho’ as they walked down the road in ‘dream’ Fairy Tale land,
C. Emma was humming ‘Someday My Prince Will Come’ frolicking in the forest. She’s a good frolicker. Seriously, she is.

4. Rumpel, I mean Gollum was great. In the ‘dream’ FTL, Rumpel sounded very much like the Rumpel we met way back in the Pilot. I thought it was more Gollum-like as well.

5. Tempting, isn’t it? Rumpel was back to his old tempting ways in the ‘dream’ FTL when he convinces Regina to “be evil (like she used to be)” to convince Emma that she is the savior. The script didn’t go the way I thought they were going with it. I thought Regina would begin to like her return to evil and want to stay that way. However, they played it for comedic value mostly.

6. Okay, what is it with Aladdin’s Magic Lamp? It now has a Genie attached to it with 3 wishes that will be granted. Why in the world didn’t the Evil Queen hide and/or protect it better than leaving it sitting around for anyone from Regina, Charming and Jasmine to walk around the Mayor’s desk and pick it up? I mean come on! Evil Queenie, I love you and your cleavage, but you need some more magical protection spell training.

7. Surrender? Really? Regina (posing as the Evil Queen) had to dig deep into her dark past to push Emma to use her magic. When we doubt ourselves and listen to the negative voice in our heads it can take difficulties in our lives for us to be who we really are. We all have gifts and strengths and we need to use them and refine them, not hold back. Many times in OUAT, we see characters accept and become who they really are or who they should be.

Most Valuable Player for OUAT Wish You Were Here

Regina

I know, I know I’ve said it many times before. Regina is one of greatest characters on TV. She struggles, yes, but we also see her helping others and being second to allow others to be first. Even when she chooses to stay in the ‘dream’ version of Fairy Tale Land to be with Robin. What if we were in a similar situation and we found a loved one in a dream – we would definitely want to stay for awhile. Regina isn’t a squeaky clean 1950’s Superman, she is like us. She has good moments and bad moments. The key to life is not to be perfect, but to learn and grow in life.

Regina (Evil Queen) w/ fireball Funko figure (Aff link)

Once Upon a Time Wish You Were Here Review

Final Thoughts about OUAT Wish You Were Here

To me the reveal of the hooded figure was a bit like Scooby Doo, it was someone we knew briefly, but hopefully the ‘why’ will make sense. We still need to figure out if Emma’s vision will be true or not. Will the red-jeweled sword help or hurt Emma? I think it’s bad, but we’ll see.

Belle and Rumpel

The one thing I think Adam and Eddy are setting up is Belle and Rumpel joining forces to free their son, Gideon. This storyline is similar to Han Solo and General Leia working together to help bring Ben Solo to the light side of the force. Two people fighting against a foe can create a bond, so we’ll see if this will bring Belle and Rumpel together.

Your Turn for Your Thoughts on OUAT Wish You Were Here

These are our thoughts, but what are yours? Leave them in the comments below.

Ginnifer Goodwin brings OUAT Magic to Disneyland Event (Updated)

On December 3rd and 4th, Ginnifer Goodwin brings OUAT magic to Disneyland Special Event, the Candlelight Processional.

Ginnifer Goodwin brings OUAT Magic to Disneyland Special Event

Some Candlelight Processional History

Every year, Disneyland and Walt Disney World hold a special Winter narrated and musical holiday event called the Candlelight Processional. On December 20, 1958, the first Candlelight Processional was held at Disneyland. Even with all the ‘Disneyized Holiday decorations, parades, shows, etc, the processional was a way to highlight the more traditional aspects of Christmas.

Normally, there are two presentations for two nights at Disneyland. It was tried as a special event in a separate enclosed area at Disneyland, but then it was decided to hold the event on Main Street. It is a ticketed event with seats roped off only for the Candlelight Processional, but you may be able to catch a peek at the event if you are visiting Disneyland.

Many great choirs are chosen to participate in this great event singing Holiday songs as well as traditional Christmas carols.

ginnifer goodwin brings ouat-magic to disneyland special event

A List of Great Narrators

The names of the narrators of the Candlelight Processional are a who’s who of Hollywood’s greats;

Cary Grant,
James Earl Jones,
John Wayne,
Dick Van Dyke,
Geena Davis,
Beau Bridges,
Blair Underwood,
Kurt Russell,
Molly Ringwald,
Lou Diamond Phillips,
John Stamos,
Jane Seymour and much more

Storybrooke has loaned this special event some narrators as well. In 2015, Lana Parrilla narrated the Candlelight Processional at Disneyland. Here is a video of the event (via Daps Magic):

Ginnifer Goodwin brings OUAT Magic

This year, Ginnifer Goodwin (Snow White from ABC’s Once Upon a Time) will be narrating all performances of the Candlelight Processional (12/3/16 and 12/4/16) at Disneyland. It is a special Christmas event with a special treat for all Oncers.

ginnifer goodwin brings ouat-magic to disneyland special event

Full Video w/ Ginnifer Goodwin from 12/3/16 (via Daps Magic):

For a long time, I felt that Once Upon a Time never got that much attention from the Disney parks, but it’s nice that some of the OUAT cast were chosen to participate in this event.

Have a great holiday season!