Photo of the Week

On a recent trip to Seattle, we had to stop and visit the Freemont Troll. While the troll has been hanging out under the Aurora Bridge since 1990, he also appeared in a few episodes of the final season of Disney's Once Upon A Time.

Quote of the Week

Disney

You know what the issue is with this world? Everyone wants some magical solution to their problem, and everyone refuses to believe in magic.

- Jefferson (The Mad Hatter), Once Upon A Time

Quote of the Week

Disney

People are gonna tell you who you are your whole life. You just gotta punch back and say, "No, this is who I am".

- Emma Swan, Once Upon A Time 

Once Upon A Time Portraits

Once Upon a Time returns to ABC soon, but with a major twist. At the end of last season, a grown-up Henry met his daughter, who was looking for his help to save their family. It appears that the former residents of Storybrooke have been placed under a whole new curse in a whole new town. Welcome to Hyperion Heights.

ABC

Young Henry is all grown up, but he seems to have forgotten all about his magical past.

ABC

Hook, minus Emma, is a police officer named Rogers in Hyperion Heights.

ABC

Lucy, following in her father's footsteps, has come to Hyperion Heights to prove to Henry that magic is real. And that he is, in fact, her father.

ABC

The Evil Queen has a new look and a new job: barkeeper at Roni's. And you guessed it, she's Roni.

ABC

Rumplestiltskin's new identity is a mystery, but he seems to have given up suits.

ABC

Cinderella, known as Jacinda in this world, is Lucy's mom, so we can expect to see Cinderella and Henry's romance this season.

ABC

Drizella, Cinderella's wicked step sister, goes by Ivy in Hyperion Heights.

ABC

The Princess and the Frog's Tiana, who goes by Sabine, will get her origin story this season.

ABC

Alice, or should I say Tilly, has left Wonderland behind for Hyperion Heights.

ABC

And finally, what would Once Upon a Time be without a villain. Lady Tremaine, Cinderella's evil stepmother, goes by Victoria Belfry now.

With all of the changes, I can't wait to see how it all turns out. Which character are you most looking forward to? Catch Once Upon a Time's season 7 premiere on Friday, October 6 on ABC.

Red's Untold Tale

I found a cool new book at my favorite used bookstore recently. It's a Once Upon a Time story called Red's Untold Tale. I can't wait to read it.

Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop

While exploring Hollywood Studios in June, I discovered that one of the shops had a new name.  It appears that Once Upon a Time has landed in Hollywood Studios in the guise of Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop.

When I returned to the area last weekend, I noticed that the window display is filled with objects from Storybrooke. The clocktower and the windmill from David's front yard with Katherine.

There is Henry's Once Upon a Time storybook, 

as well as the Heroes and Villains book from last season. 

 

a lantern that may have been used by the Dwarfs in the mine,

 and a box that reminds me of Regina,

The Sorcerer's Hat, Prince Charming's Sword, 

 

Regina's Spellbook and an hourglass,

 Doc and Stealthy's Axes, and a magical sword,

 Cinderella's glass slippers,

the box they used to trap Peter Pan, 

 

magic wands, the egg that Maleficent "guarded" that contained Rumple's true love potion, 

and a set of tea cups, one of which is chipped.

I could spend all day looking at the objects in the window. It's a lot of fun for Once Upon a Time fans to look for all of the hidden meanings behind the magical objects.

And don't forget to look down near the door of the shop. That's where you'll find a stack of The Daily Mirror newspapers with a headline from the first season "New B&B Regulations."

Once Upon a Time Season 5

Disney

We love watching Once Upon a Time. The way they've combined so many fairytales into one story is both unique and fascinating. The first four seasons have seen many changes for the main characters, both for good and for evil, and it looks like Season 5 will be no different.

A lot of those changes will likely revolve around Emma Swan and the fact that she has become the Dark One. This new trailer from Comic Con is calling her the Dark Swan.

And it appears that she will live up to the name.

There will also be several new characters this season. Liam Garrigan has been cast as King Arthur, representing Camelot, and characters from Brave will also be making an appearance, which ought to make Bean (and a lot of other fans) happy. Here's a preview of Princess Merida, played by Amy Manson.

It looks like were in for a wild ride in Season 5, which premieres on September 27, 2015 on ABC. If you've somehow missed an episode or two along the way, Seasons 1-3 are currently available on DVD and Blu-ray, and Season 4 will be available on August 18.

Quote of the Week

Disney

"The queen may be evil... but I'm wicked.

And wicked always wins."

- Zelena, Once Upon a Time

ABC Commissary Dining Review

If you're looking for a wide variety of great dining options in one Quick Service location, look no further than the ABC Commissary. Located on Commissary Lane at Disney's Hollywood Studios, the ABC Commissary features dishes inspired by the ABC lineup of tv shows. The Art Deco interior is filled with half booth tables and some tables with chairs. Most of the tables will only seat 4 but are close enough together to be used for larger groups. There is also limited outdoor seating at umbrella covered tables.

One of my favorites is the Chicken Curry with Rice. It's a wonderful curry, the perfect blend of spices, chicken, and rice. They also have a great Asian Salad, which is a vegetarian option. The servings are typically large. We often order the curry and salad and split it amongst three adults. ABC Commissary is part of the Disney Dining plan with Quick Service meals and Snacks.

Menu items range from $7.00 to $10.00 and include Chicken Curry, Asian Salad, Chicken Blue sandwich, Couscous Salad, Seafood Platter and an Angus Cheeseburger. Kids entrees are fairly basic and include a Cheeseburger, Chicken Nuggets, a Turkey Sandwich, or a Power Pack which includes carrots, a cookie, goldfish, cheese stick, yogurt, and milk. Drinks include the usual Coke products, but Beer and Wine are also available. Desserts include Strawberry Parfait or Chocolate Mousse.

The ABC Commissary has a lot of seating, but can get very crowded. The lines can be quite long and orders can be filled slowly when it's busy. Fortunately, if you avoid the normal meal times of 12-1 pm and 5-7 pm, the crowds aren't too bad.

The dining room stays very cool in the summer, and can be a wonderful break from the heat. In the dining room, there are usually a few costume displays from ABC shows such as Once Upon a Time and Modern Family. TVs play segments from the shows and fun behind-the-scenes looks. The last time I was there, they were playings interviews from Once Upon a Time and Dancing with the Stars. They're actually kind of fun to watch. The displays change with the current ABC lineup. In the past, they had behind the scenes looks at LOST and Desperate Housewives.

Due to its location, the ABC Commissary shares its bathrooms with the Sci-Fi Dine In Theater. Since they share, it can be a rather long wait for the restroom. The extreme air conditioning makes this room ridiculously cold, which can be an issue when looking for a place to change a baby.

Whether you're looking for something unexpected at a reasonable price or just a nice place to cool off, be sure to stop in at the ABC Commissary. You'll be glad you did.

Once Upon a Time Teaser

Disney

Have you seen the new teaser trailer for Once Upon a Time? I can't wait to see what happens this fall! Bean is going to love the appearance of this new character...

Once Upon a Time returns to ABC this fall.

Once Upon a Time Season 2 Preview

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I loved season one of Disney's Once Upon a Time and I can't wait to see season 2. After the cast wrapped up their panel at Comic Con, they thanked the audience and promised this next season will be even better. Here's a preview.

Once Upon a Time

Disney

Disney has a new show airing this fall on ABC. Once Upon a Time promises to be an updated version of some classic fairytales. The show, which premiere's on October 23 at 8PM ET, begins with the story of Snow White. The Evil Queen uses her powers to casts a spell to prevent Snow White and her Prince Charming from living happily ever after. They are suddenly transported to a town in our time, but without their fairytale memories, except for the Evil Queen.

Snow White is now Mary Margaret, a teacher. Prince Charming is a John Doe, and the Evil Queen is now Regina, the mayor of Storybrooke, Maine. The battle between good and evil has begun. Enter Emma Swan, a woman who is somehow connected to the characters of Storybrooke, but will she embrace her destiny? Other characters include Rumplestiltskin who becomes Mr. Gold, Jiminy Cricket who becomes Archie, and young Henry, Emma's son, who seems to know that the inhabitants are escaped fairytale characters.

I love fairytales and as such, I am really looking forward to the premiere of Once Upon a Time.