i've gotta admit being really impressed by the care and attention the disney people have given to these rides. from the outside, one assumes that the lack of sophistication of disney movies (pixar excluded) carries over to the thousands of acres of entertainment, but it doesn't. the safari we went on, every detail of the ride, of the people welcoming you felt SO authentic, it makes your head spin. you get to believing you're actually in a foreign country overrun by american tourists. it's deeply confusing. the tibetan village at the foot of mount everest, which you can, of course, ride a rollercoaster on, was the most thoughtful re-creation of all. unfortunately, god was angry after us for having too much fun that day and made it rain which prevented us from meeting the yeti on the mighty mountain.

disney knows manufactured happiness inside and out and leaves you no choice as to whether to accept it or not. but the amazing part is that even though i hate that kind of manipulation, i didn't resent it one bit in the end. it took about an hour for the magic to work on me and it didn't let go, still hasn't, and i don't mind...