Disney really knows how to pander to the lowest common denominator. They've done a great job of perpetuating racist and sexist stereotypes for years. The Aladdin live show continues this tradition by teaching children it is OK to steal things as long as you try to justify your actions by claiming that you're a good person at heart.

Sure the special effects were special. Yes, it was cute that they interjected the story with current pop cultural references and jokes for the adults. The basic premis of the plot is so NOT COOL for kids to believe. The main message for girls is to do what your parents tell you even if it goes against the truth in your heart. Once again, girls are being taught to wait for a man to fix all of their problems. Of course Aladdin teaches boys that it's OK to disobey every authority figure, lie, cheat and steal to get what you want as long as you continue to claim to be a good person deep down.

In the Disney universe, one kind act at the climax of a story arch is supposed to erase all of the continuous bad actions in the first two-thirds of the show. As a Christian, I believe in acts of redemtion but there was never any substantive recrimination - nor any acknowledgement of guilt or any gesture to make amends. Sure Aladdin made right with the Genie in the end but what about the townspeople, traders, guards and others he hurt along the way?

Ggreg Taylor thinks I'm making too much of a stolen apple but the lights, costumes and sparkling magic of live theatre go a long way toward shaping a child's imaginative perception about how to be in the world.

The best part of California Adventure is the roller coaster called "California Screamin." Sure doing a loop around the silohette of Mickey Mouse is a bit cheesey but that's what mice like...

The Twilight Zone Hollywood Tower of Terror wasn't worth the wait - badly executed and confusing story and there was so much jerking and jolting around that it just hurt. With all of the sudden drops It thought I would loose my stomache at least once. It would be better if they re-branded the ride with a Charlie & The Chocolate Factory theme. Then the story could be about the "Wonkavator" acting crazy - at least that way they could sell candy to people while making them wait over an hour...

Irwin loved the "Soarin' Over California" ride. We got free fast passes from a really nice lesbian couple we met at the Tower and thank goodness too because even with the passes, the ride was super crowded and we had to wait quite a while. I got a short bout of motion sickness and don't know if I'd want to go on it again but it was pretty cool how they made the environment "come alive" with the scent of pine, the ocean and flowers to correspond to images projected on the concave film screen.

The Hollywood mystic is strangely perpetuated in its own area. They never venture too closely to Universal Studios tour territory but it left the area feeling lifeless, bland and borring.

Northern California was vastly under-represented in California Adventure. They did have some wilderness bits that looked like the Sierra Foothills with a bear thing and stores that looked like a woodsy lodge. Here again, they have to be careful not to get too into the Gold Rush area because Knott's Berry Farm did it first and better than Disney ever could.

It was shocking to see some fake grape vines next to a place selling real wine. Disneyland is famous for continuing to be an alchohol-free bastion for family harmony. Are the Disney execs wineaux now? I mean it seemed so out of character and more than a bit tawdry to see people sipping wine a few feet away from the High School Musical dancers.