| abstract
| - Disney and New York City have a long history together. In 1928, Mickey Mouse made his debut in Steamboat Willie at what is now the Broadway Theatre. The famed "it's a small world" attraction was designed for the 1964 World's Fair in Queens. More recently, the "Disneyification" of Times Square from a less-than-family-friendly locale to a popular tourist playground- for better or for worse- started with Disney's renovation of the New Amsterdam Theatre on 42nd Street in the mid-'90s. Surprisingly, the Mouse House themselves haven't had a home to call their own in Times Square- and for that matter, in New York City itself ever since the World of Disney on 5th Avenue closed down a few years ago. On November 9, that changed. If you've been reading articles in major newspapers and business and entertainment magazines, you know Disney has high hopes for Phineas and Ferb. (Heck, the most-watched late-night talk show host even recently mentioned them at a major event in the nation's capital.) With that in mind, it's not surprising that the most famous non-mustached fictional siblings at the moment played an important part in bringing the House That Mickey Built back to Times Square. I happened to be in town for the big event, showing up in the middle of Times Square early for the official announcement. By the time the crowd had swelled for the big announcement, I had seen Buzz Lightyear show up on stage, as well as Gregg Sulkin, who had filmed the intro for a "Disney 365" promo for Disney Channel. I found myself standing in between a blogger who was live-tweeting the event for Disney fan site Stitch Kingdom and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, the wife of composer Robert Lopez, who won a Tony Award for co-writing the music for Avenue Q and who along with Kristen has composed a number of songs for Disney, including an original (and very catchy) song for the opening ceremony called "The World Is Something You Imagine." Around an hour or 30 minutes before the event officially began, the billboard outside the store started showing trailers and promos for upcoming Disney movies and products, including a very nice-looking trailer for the Epic Mickey video game. On hand were also a number of music videos, including the world premiere of the video for Phineas and Ferb's take on We Wish You A Merry Christmas, as heard on the Phineas and Ferb Holiday Favorites album. Ms. Lopez in particular seemed very amused by their take on the familiar song, the music video for which featured clips from the Christmas special alongside new animation. Eventually, it was time for the event itself to begin. An emcee and Robin Roberts of Good Morning America soon found themselves on stage alongside a large gathering of Disney characters, who made their way to the stage one by one. And yes, Phineas and Ferb were among the Disney A-list who came to New York, taking their place alongside Disney Princesses, Lightning McQueen, and the stars of Tangled. Soon enough, Mickey and Minnie Mouse themselves made their way onto the stage, along with Buzz Lightyear, who handled the technical aspects of the opening as Tinker Bell provided the Disney magic. Although even Disney magic is susceptible to a few technical hiccups now and then...Tinker Bell showed up on the billboard to wave her magic wand after the fireworks went off. I guess that's why Buzz Lightyear was there too. From my vantage point, my view of the speakers- which included Disney CEO Bob Iger and Mayor Michael Bloomberg- was obscured by the Disney camera crew, but I was able to get a very good look at the characters, especially Phineas and Ferb, who, among other things, seemed to do a little dance as New York, New York played introducing Hizzoner. A few hours later, the store itself opened to the public. And I must say it's a very nice store. Most of the merchandise is on the second floor of the store, which features various "neighborhoods" devoted to various Disney characters and/or brands, such as Mickey and friends, Toy Story, Marvel, etc. Not surprisingly, Phineas and Ferb have a neighborhood all to themselves, with shelves of merchandise labeled with silhouettes of the characters and familiar phrases such as "So, whaddaya wanna do today?," "Well, that's serendipitous," and "What'cha doing?" The merchandise is the same as that as you can find in most Disney Stores across the U.S. and Canada as well as their website, but since I myself haven't been in a Disney Store for years, it was all new to me. I did see some products I had not yet seen anywhere, as well, such as a Koosh-like ball in the shape of Agent P, the second wave of JAKKS Pacific action figures, and pencils with their tips in the shapes of various characters. As I left the store with my new Phineas, Ferb, and Candace beanbags in my new Phineas and Ferb tote bag, one of the cast members added a "What'cha doin'?" as she bid me farewell and wished me a magical day. Since both Disney and Phineas and Ferb are known for doing things big, it's no surprise that the both of them didn't fail to do so as they came to New York City. Hopefully this is a sign that Phineas and Ferb have become part of the Disney elite and will have a place in Manhattan- and elsewhere- for a long time to come. After all, if they can make it there...well, you know.
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