My Dreams of Disney

Exploring Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and beyond!

Sinclair Oil Corporation Inspired Pixar’s Dinoco

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The Sinclair Oil Corporation is an American petroleum corporation, founded by Harry F. Sinclair on May 1, 1916, by combining the assets of 11 small petroleum companies. Originally a New York corporation, Sinclair Oil reincorporated in Wyoming in 1976. The corporation’s logo features the silhouette of a large green dinosaur. And there is where the Disney/Pixar tie-in begins!

Dinoco is an oil company/gas station that has been seen in Toy Story and Cars. In Toy Story, the logo is an Apatosaurus. In Cars, the logo is a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Dinoco may have been based on the Sinclair Oil Corporation, because it also uses an Apatosaurus as its logo (above).

I recently came across a vintage promotional film for Sinclair service station owners entitled Sinclair: You Are a Retailer. It likely dates from the early 1960’s if the vehicles in it are any indication.

This was an extremely well done film for an in-house effort! And it yielded many interesting images…

    Sinclair Sales Video 006

Directly above, you can see what a typical Sinclair service station looked like back in the days of full-service and friendly attendants. Below is what a Dinoco service station looked like in Toy Story:

Dinoco Station Toy Story

Let’s compare all three dinosaur logos side by side. First will be Sinclair, then Dinoco from Toy Story, and last Dinoco from Cars:

    Dinoco Toy Story         Dinoco Cars

The first two dinosaur logos are very close, but it appears the Dinoco of the Cars franchise decided to power up their Dino!

It was a real treat to find this vintage promotional film from Sinclair! And it is good to see that Disney/Pixar is paying homage to companies that have helped to shape the landscape we pass through on a daily basis.

Ding Ding! Fill’er up please!

Book Review: Disney-Pixar Comics Treasury

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I was going to be away from home for a while and wanted something to take with me to read. So I went to my local Chapters and found this book in the discount section:

    

HarperCollins Publishers Inc. 2014

It contains 14 adaptions of the Pixar films with 1 extra bonus story involving Wall-E. I’ve read about half so far and have found a pattern developing, even though different writers are responsible for some of the titles.

         

Being as I know the stories inside-out, I can follow the edited versions presented in the book reasonably well. But for first-time readers, many panels would not make sense, as crucial details are left out. It is obvious that these adaptions were not penned by seasoned comic book writers, individuals with a consummate knowledge of conveying a bigger story into the sometimes limiting space of comic book boxes.

         

Now is as good a time as any to mention the bonus story entitled Wall-E: Recharge. As you would expect, there is no dialogue to help you understand what is happening, and because of the aforementioned inexperience of the writers with this medium the story is all-but incomprehensible!

         

The best part of this treasury is the artwork! Every artist brought a great sense of the original story to each title with some truly breath-taking visuals. As a comic book fan from way back, this was a treat to read based only on the pictures (yup, I’m a picture guy).

         

Not to be too tough on this treasury, it’s still a fun read with good work done by all of the creative talent involved. I would definitely recommend it to any Disney parent who would like a nice book of bedtime stories to share with their little Disney fans-to-be!

    

Why Pixar Shorts are the best thing since sliced bread

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Pixar_Logo_HD

Pixar.  The name is synonymous with such great movies as Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., and many others.  I’d dare say that there are billions of people out there that know the name Pixar, and have a favorite movie that is made by Pixar.

Talking about Pixar feature films is a post for another day, but today, I want to write about a trend that I think is absolutely cool — the re-introduction of the short film before a feature film starts.

In days gone by, back in the heyday of Disney shorts, there was always a short cartoon prior to the feature movie.  In many ways, that is how Disney first made a name for itself.  Then, for years — heck, even decades — there were no shorts prior the feature film…

One day, though, and don’t ask me to remember when, because I’m sorry, I don’t remember, all of that changed, and changed for the better, in my opinion.

What are your favorite short films that have started playing before the feature film?  Here are mine, let me know what you think in the comments, and thanks!

One Man’s Band

This Pixar short film was the introductory short before the great movie Cars.  I remember it very well, I have always enjoyed it, and I think you will too!  Here’s the YouTube video of it for you to enjoy:

Presto

What a great short — I had almost forgotten about this one!  Do you remember the story — the unexpected consequences when you forget to feed your rabbit before the big magic show!  Enjoy!

La Luna

This short is another favorite of mine — but it’s a little more cerebral in it’s approach.  Take a look at it, and let me know what you think of it!

The Blue Umbrella

I really like the Blue Umbrella.  This is one of those shorts that takes you right into the scene — in this case, a rain storm, and the emergence of the Blue Umbrella, who finds a friend in the Red Umbrella.  It’s a great story, all without saying a word, and here it is for you to take a look at.  Enjoy!

Paperman

The last video I’m sharing with you isn’t a Pixar video — it was created by Walt Disney Animation — but I am of the belief that Disney went this route because of the success of the Pixar shorts, so I’m going to share it with you here.  Of course, I’m a sappy romantic, so I love this short.  Enjoy, and let me know what you think of it, please.

Wildest Shots of Toy Story Mania!

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Toy Story Mania
Toy Story Mania is great because it is like being a part of Andy’s Toy Box!

Hello everyone!  As we continue our look today at Toy Story Mania, today I’ve got some great Facts and Figures that you may not have known about.  I hope you enjoy!

Toy Story Facts and Figures!

  • Toy Story Mania is the first attraction that Walt Disney Imagineering designed for two parks at the same time — Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s California Adventure!
  • This is the first attraction that Walt Disney Imagineering designed where the Imagineers had to wear 3-D glasses to art direct all the black-light paint elements.
  • In Toy Story Mania, every person experiences life the size of a toy.  So, a 5 1/2 foot tall person is seeing the room the size of a 14 inch toy!
  • Each ride vehicle weighs as much as 8,580 Woody dolls.
  • In each of the Toy Story Mania! games, there is at least one “easter egg” — targets that can trigger the appearance of bonus high-value targets and other changes in the scene.

This is a lot of great information, but there are even more things for you to discover.  Did you know about the easter eggs?  I know that I didn’t!  While I imagine that I may have hit one at some point, I don’t know which one was it, or even if it still exists.  What about you?  Thanks for stopping by today for our #DisneyTrivia post!  Don’t forget to see my friend Jodi’s post at Magical Mouse Schoolhouse and my friend Heidi’s post at Heidi’s Head!  They always have great trivia that is so much better than mine!

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Wordless Wednesday – Disney Parades!

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Daisy rides tall on top of the Fire Engine in the Disney Family Fun Day Parade!
Daisy rides tall on top of the Fire Engine in the Disney Family Fun Day Parade!

Hello everyone, and welcome to this week’s Wordless Wednesday post!  I would like to thank my friend Deb from Focused on the Magic for hosting this great series, I’ve been absent the past two weeks as things caught up with me, but today, I’m back and ready to enjoy this week’s series of posts!  The theme this week is Parades!  There are some great Disney parades out there, and I thought I would start with one that we saw way back on June 18, 2008 — nearly six years ago!  What I really like about the Main Street Family Fun Day Parade is that you get a great shot of the Fire Engine, and even better shots of Daisy Duck, that sassy duck that you don’t see that often in the parks!  Here’s another shot of her that I think you’ll enjoy as well!

Daisy Duck waves to the crowd in the Family Fun Day Parade!
Daisy Duck waves to the crowd in the Family Fun Day Parade!

Of course, in my opinion, nothing compares to this parade — the Main Street Electrical Parade!  I know that some of you love it, and some of you don’t, but for me, it is my favorite!

The Main Street Electrical Parade is incredible with it's improved lighting!
The Main Street Electrical Parade is incredible with it’s improved lighting!

I’m having a memory cramp and can’t remember what the name of this parade is, so if you know, please let me know in the comments.  What I do know, though, is that it had some great floats and characters to take pictures of!

Goofy enjoys the parade with the rest of us!
Goofy enjoys the parade with the rest of us!
Jessie from Toy Story fame is enjoying her part in the parade!
Jessie from Toy Story fame is enjoying her part in the parade!

For me, I think my favorite character is Minnie Mouse — and this picture of her was taken from the parade that we going by the Liberty Tree Tavern right after we finished lunch there.  It was Disney Magic at it’s finest, and I was fortunate to be able to get the picture!

Minnie Mouse waves to the crowd by the Liberty Tree Tavern
Minnie Mouse waves to the crowd by the Liberty Tree Tavern

In a seldom seen character shot, Jiminy Cricket was holding balloons as he marched along Main Street, U.S.A., as part of the procession of champions for the 40th Anniversary of the opening of Walt Disney World!  It was great fun to see him and the other characters!

Jiminy Cricket walks in the Champions Parade for the 40th Anniversary of WDW!
Jiminy Cricket walks in the Champions Parade for the 40th Anniversary of WDW!

Last, but certainly not least by any stretch, I’m sharing a picture with you from the Pixar Pals Parade over at Disney’s California Adventure Park.  I can’t believe it’s already been seven months since we were at Disneyland!  The time has flown by way too fast, but at least we are fast approaching our next trip in June!

Sully beats to his own drum in this Pixar Pals Parade!
Sully beats to his own drum in this Pixar Pals Parade!

Thank you everyone for stopping by this week and visiting with me!  Now, please click on the button below and check out the rest of the great entries for this week, and thanks again for stopping by!

Focused on the Magic

Disclaimer

My Dreams of Disney is a Disney Fan Blog, and is not in any way affiliated with Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney, or the Walt Disney Company. In it's purest form, My Dreams of Disney is a site showcasing the love I and my family have for Walt Disney's creative genius and the legacy he has left behind. If it weren't for Walt Disney, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, the other Disney parks spread across the world, and this site would not exist. Click to view our Privacy Policy.

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