Today is a great day! I'm heading back to visit my family in preparation for our annual family badminton tournament called, The Golden Shuttlecock Tournament: Quest for the Dodge Cup. Unfortunately with the fun times with the family a sad thing will be occurring. For the past 159 days I have stepped foot in a Disney park somewhere in the United States. Each day was great and filled with a lot of fun, but my streak is coming to an end today. In honor of my streak, the wonderful Guest Relation cast members at Disney's Hollywood Studios gave me this Magical Moment certificate:

I'll see you on August 24th Walt Disney World and I swear I will last for at least 160 days in a row in the future!

Yesterday I stopped by Epcot to experience their newest dining experience over in the Italy pavilion, Via Napoli. A lot of people know that I love pizza. I could eat pizza, chicken, and ice cream all day every day and live a perfectly happy life.

When I entered Via Napoli I was somewhat hesitant about how my love of pizza would live up to this sit down restaurant (I'm usually more of a quick service person).

The restaurant itself was unbelievable!  The story line consists of a boy who leaves home, discovers the secret of making great pizza from Naples, and then returns home to turn his family's stables into a new pizza place. (See Pictures below)

I decided that since Via Napoli's specialty is pizza, I MUST have the pizza. I ordered the personalized Piccante pizza which consisted of Italian spicy sausage, broccoli-rabe, tomato, and mozzarella all baked within one of the restaurants signature wood-fired ovens. I'm no food critic, but all I can say is delicious! The restaurant had a great atmosphere, the pizza was well worth the wait, and the cast members, as always, went above and beyond!

Make sure you stop by on your next visit and make your dining reservation now because this place will most likely fill up in advance to your trip!

Lately on my Facebook and Twitter accounts I have been posting updates about Opeartion:Ball Pit. I have been receiving several emails asking what exactly Operation:Ball Pit is, so that's what I am going to explain to you today.

While at the parks a few weeks ago I was watching Block Party Bash and caught two of the Block Party Bash balls and a light bulb went off in my head. Since I go to the park every day, I may as well swing by Disney's Hollywood Studios around 3, collect some Block Party Bash balls, and then continue doing what I had planned on doing that day.

So I began to study the parade route trying to figure out where the best place to get the most balls were while not taking too many balls away from the children in the area. The first spot was the spot I typically watched the parade from so I stuck with it, but I had never watched Block Party Bash from it's second party zone. After trying a few spots out I figured out where the best spot was and continued to go there every day.

I was then reminded by a friend that after the parade goes backstage they used to shoot balls over the fence, but they had stopped doing that. I actually had experienced this wonderful occasion about a year ago. After he had reminded me about this I decided to follow the parade back there the next day and sure enough, they started shooting them over the fence again!

So what is my ultimate goal by collecting all of these Block Party Bash balls? To make a ball pit! Why? I just think it'd be cool/funny to tell people that I have a giant ball pit filled with just Block Party Bash balls. Right now I'm up to 51 Block Party Bash balls (which allows both of my feet to be completely submerged).

I know it will take a while to get to the entire ball pit status, but I figured if I'm going to the park every day, I may as well try to think of something no one else has done before to keep myself busy.

I've got to go! Block Party Bash is starting in an hour!

A while back I wrote asking people if they could submit me some challenges they thought would be fun to conquer in Walt Disney World. Unfortunately, no one wrote in so I called one of my other Disney loving friends to ask his opinion.

What happened next was something insane. We spent a good hour to two hours coming up with some of the craziest challenges you could think of while in Walt Disney World. Some are simple, while others are borderline impossible.

Of course our conversation got me thinking about how I can conquer each of our challenges coming up and I realized telling people on a blog that I did these things would be fun, but not everyone would believe me. So starting in the very near future I will be releasing a new video segment called, "Brent's Crazy Challenges."

How crazy are these going to be? Well, let's say one consists of riding every horse on Cinderella's Golden Carousel (I know! I know! It's now Prince Charming's Regal Carousel) in a single day. Another one is almost impossible, but I've been doing tons of research on how to make it work and I think it may be possible.

What is it you ask? The challenge of all challenges is going on every single water slide on Walt Disney World property in a single day. This consists of both water parks and every slide at a resort. A few of the obstacles are the fact that all slides on property are only open during certain portions of the day. In addition to that, two slides on property require room key cards in order to even enter the area.

What can you the reader do? Well, I would LOVE someone to accompany me on one of these challenges and help me record the craziness that will be occurring. If you would like to join me, send me an email: Brent@fromscreentotheme.com. If you have any more challenges you think I should attempt please send me an email as well!

I was featured in a newspaper back home! Read the full article here:

Disney Man Hopes Disney Dreams Come True

I just got back from the midnight showing of Toy Story 3 and absolutely loved it!

Without giving away what happens I'll say a few things. First off, the Pixar short at the beginning of the film was amazing! It was called Day and Night and was probably one of the most creative short cartoons Pixar has released so far.

As for the film itself I just want to point out a few things that you should look for. The number on the train at the start of the film has a nod to Toy Story. Can you figure it out?

There are several references to the original films at the beginning of the film and throughout the film to watch out for and I'm sure all you hardcore Toy Story fans will catch on to most (if not all) of them.

What is really amazing is Pixar has now released 11 straight great films (something practically unheard of in the film business). The film has everything. It is a great way to end the Toy Story trilogy. Make sure you see the film as soon as possible to figure out what crazy adventures Woody, Buzz, Rex, Hamm, the Potato Heads, and all your other favorite toys get into this time around!

No matter how big or small they are: Follow your dreams.

The Disney parks are constantly changing. There is no doubt about that. Every time an attraction, restaurant, show, etc. closes there are always those that are deeply saddened by the loss of something they hold close to their heart.

Over the years I have seen several different things change, but I have never felt so connected to something closing as I do with Wishes: A Magical Gathering of Disney Dreams, which will have its final show tonight until the summer is over.

Now I know what you are thinking: "I could go for a burger right now." For those of you not thinking of food though are probably yelling at me saying, "It's coming back you fool!" While that is true, I still think it will be weird not seeing a show that I have claimed as my own disappear.

Let's travel back to 2004. I had just gotten on the Walt Disney World College Program and there was one thing for certain: I was not a huge fireworks person. Typically when my family came to the parks we didn't watch the fireworks. I was bored with fireworks every 4th of July, and I saw fireworks time as a chance to hop on a ride while the lines were shorter.

Then, however, Wishes entered my life. Wishes had only been running for a month or two at the time and I had already heard from some people that it was an amazing show. While being trained my manager told me that I had a 12 minute break when Wishes was on that night so I could watch this nighttime spectacular.

There was something so personal about the show that I really connected to. I don't know if it's because I've always been a dreamer and wished upon stars, but that night I claimed the show as my own.

As the months passed, I talked to a few of the cast members that set up Wishes every day and they pointed out the spot in the park where Wishes was meant to be watched. I began to watch the show from that spot every chance I got to the point where some friends and Cast Members began to refer to it as Brent's Spot.

On my last night of the college program, I made sure that I watched the fireworks one last time from my spot and every trip after, you'd always know where to find me when Jiminy Cricket and the Blue Fairy came over the speakers.

Tonight I will be watching from my spot one final time to say goodbye to an old friend. I know Wishes will be back again some day, but until then we will always remember, "Wishes can come true. If you believe in them with all your heart."

So what's going on with www.fromscreentotheme.com? Quite a bit actually!

This site was intended to keep you, the fan, happy and I hope so far we are doing a good job! From now on, new trivia will be added to the site every Sunday night! Make sure you stop by either Sunday night or any time after that to get a chance to test your Disney knowledge!

In addition to that I am in the middle of editing about five different videos for the site. Some are similar to the Pooh's Playful Spot video, while others focus around answering your questions on what my Top 5 Favorite _____ are, and another one is to give viewers a closer look at what From Screen to Theme, the book, is all about!

Due to the popularity of the new Where in the World? game, I will be adding a new one in the very near future as well!

In addition to all these exciting additions to the website, there are also some exciting things happening outside of the internet world. For instance, in two weeks From Screen to Theme will be holding it's first official meet up, but it won't be any regular meet up. I have decided to combine my new loves, Disney and The Amazing Race, and make a From Screen to Theme Race around the Magic Kingdom. Right now we have a few teams signed up and some volunteers as well! If you are interested in either participating or volunteering and are available on May 11, 2010, please contact me by sending an email to BrentDodge@fromscreentotheme.com.

There will be some more exciting news announced in the coming weeks so make sure you continue to stop by the site!

There are several different challenges that people make up while in Walt Disney World. For instance there is the "Four Park Challenge" which consists of visiting each park in a single day. I'm not really sure why this is considered a "challenge" since it is extremely easy to do.

After I finished my College Program, one of my friends and I came up with a challenge that was a very tough challenge. Ride every attraction and watch every show/parade/fireworks show/etc. in all four parks in four days. This was a real challenge. We barely pulled it off, but I was happy to say that we did pull it off.

There are other challenges such as the "Hands Up" challenge on Splash Mountain. This one consists of getting in and out of the log with your hands up and never putting your hands down throughout the entire attraction. The tough part is your arms do get tired after a while and it's tough getting out of the log without using your hands.

Over at Epcot there is the "Drinking around the World" and "Eating around the World" challenges. In these you have to either drink or eat something that is unique to each country in World Showcase without getting sick.

I've been trying to figure out some new challenges to conquer and I am turning to you, the reader, to help me figure out what new challenge I should try to attempt. So send me an email over at BrentDodge@Fromscreentotheme.com with a suggestion for a new challenge or one I haven't heard of. I will do my best to videotape the challenge. Who knows, maybe your new challenge will catch on throughout the Disney community and you will gain fame and fortune?

I would like to start off by apologizing for the lack of updates on this blog recently. With the release of From Screen to Theme, working on The W.E.D.nesday Show!, and being near Walt Disney World it has been hard to keep on top of this as well.

While in the parks lately I have been thinking of new ways to keep this website interesting. For instance, in the very near future a new game will be added that will challenge your attention to detail. I have also added a new video that takes a closer look at the fun finds in Pooh's Playful Spot. I plan on doing a lot more of these videos. One is actually in the process of being edited!

In addition to the videos, keep stopping by the Updates section along with the Trivia section. These two spots are being updated on a more regular basis.

Please let me know what you like, and don't like, about the website. This website was created to give you a dose of Disney while away from the parks and I will do my best to keep doing that, but your feedback will help me figure out which direction to go in.

Thanks for reading this brief blog and I will do my best to update in the future! And, if you have any suggestions for what you'd like to read about in the blog, please send an email to BrentDodge@fromscreentotheme.com

A lot of people have been asking me what my favorite references are in the book, and I must say, it's extremely difficult to narrow it down to five from hundreds. Although these will most likely change on an almost daily basis, here are my top five Disney Animated Film references found throughout the Walt Disney World Resort:

Number 5: "Squeaky, uh, squeak, sqeaker, squeakin"

While in the Magic of Disney Animation building stop by the game, Digital Ink and Paint. This game is hosted by my favorite dimwitted sidekick, Kronk from The Emperor's New Groove!

Number 4: "I Only Count 100?"

Although not hidden, it definitely is a cool reference! While at All-Star Movies, stop by the 101 Dalmatians section of the resort. The two main figures in this section are Pongo and Perdita and if you look at the buildings you can find several puppies running through film strips. However, if you count the puppies you will realize there are only 98 (I have counted several times just to quadruple check)! These 98 plus Pongo and Perdita take you to an even 100. Where is number 101? On your next visit explore the area to find out (Don't worry, he isn't hard to find)!

Number 3: "Pablo the what?"

I love when Disney puts references to obscure Disney characters around the World. Pablo the Penguin (from The Three Caballeros) can be found in the main room of World of Disney in Downtown Disney. Where exactly? I guess you'll have to wait until From Screen to Theme is released to find out!

Number 2: "Baloo Me Away"

Each of the Kali River Rapids rafts has a different clever name written on their bumper. One of them is named, "Baloo Me Away," a nice little nod to one of my favorite characters from "The Jungle Book."

Number 1: "It All Started with Two Mice"

On the flight float of the Disney Dreams Come True Parade you can find Bernard and Bianca right behind Dumbo and just below Aladdin. Although not extremely hidden, this reference was one of the original references that caused me to begin looking for film references throughout Walt Disney World.

Every time I tell people the premise of my book they almost always ask the same question: "How did you discover the references within the book?"

The references in the From Screen to Theme series were all discovered through my own observations, or those of people I have talked with. Some of the references in the books are extremely obvious. For instance, Peter Pan's Flight is a reference to Peter Pan!

Not all the references in the parks were that obvious though. Talking with friends and Cast Members really helped in my search for references to different Disney films. Some people knew a lot about the area we were in, while some knew almost nothing. Every time I found a reference that was more obscure, I would run it by at least two other people before putting it in the final book.

This was also true with the fun facts you will find in the books. Each fun fact in the book has been verified by at least three cast members, usually ones that I called on the phone that had a list of actual facts by their sides.

There are hundreds of references to different Disney films found throughout the From Screen to Theme book series, and I can guarantee I missed some in my search. The Disney parks are changing on a daily basis and you never know what new references may arrive tomorrow and which ones will disappear.

Due to the changes in the parks, I made sure to only include references that were in the parks for at least nine months and appear to call the Disney parks their home for years to come. Some exceptions to this are references in Mickey's Toontown Fair and the back room of Exposition Hall. While these two areas will be disappearing in the very near future, I still wanted to give readers that were in WDW before the changes a chance to find these fun finds!

What are my favorite references? Stop by in a few days to find out!

I decided for this first entry I would give you a little bit of background on who I am and how the book, website, and podcast came into existence.

My name is Brent Dodge and I'm from Delafield, Wisconsin. I have been traveling to Walt Disney World with my family almost every year since I was one. When I was three I had two dreams. The first was to someday work at this magical place. The other was to someday own Herbie the Love Bug.

While in college I applied for the Walt Disney World College Program on November 18, 2003 (Mickey Mouse's 75th birthday). I was accepted into the program and worked as a custodian in Fantasyland. I had so much fun the first eight months I was there that I decided to extend my program so it would last from January of 2004 through January of 2005.

While working in Fantasyland one day, a guest approached me with a complex question: Where could he find every reference to Peter Pan found throughout Walt Disney World? After talking with the man for about fifteen minutes to half an hour he seemed satisfied that he would have no problem finding the boy that would never grow up.

The final thing the guest told me was, "There really should be a book out there about this." Being the genius I am, I instantly forgot about his comment and continued to sweep through Fantasyland.

A few months passed and I was watching the Share a Dream Come True Parade. Even though I had seen the parade several times before I noticed for the first time that Bernard and Bianca from The Rescuers films could be found on Aladdin's float. I began to look throughout the Walt Disney World Resort for any other references to the films. Unfortunately, the idea of a book still wasn't in my mind.

A few years passed and I was student teaching in a Kindergarten classroom. During rest time the students were watching Robin Hood and finally the idea came to my head. I began to write any reference to Robin Hood that I could think of in Walt Disney World. After a few minutes I switched over to Aladdin, The Lion King, and Peter Pan.

As soon as I got home that night I transferred all of my notes into my computer and began to look through family albums, guidebooks, and park maps for any other film references. I began to plan research trips and pretty soon I had a 305 page Word document of notes.

At that time I realized that a 305 page Word document would translate into an almost 500 page book. I decided that I had to break my one giant book up that consisted of animated films, live action films, and classic character references throughout all of Walt Disney World into two books. The animated films, which took up about half of the book, would appear in the first book, while live action and classic characters would make up the second book.

A few of my friends began to get excited about my updates on Facebook that they urged me to start a group so they could invite other Disney fans to follow my progress. A group that started with about 15 people slowly grew into a group of 600. In the process of all of this I started a few discussion topics on the Facebook group page and a few people took part in these miniature forums on an almost daily basis.

One day while answering questions about Disney to three people on the discussion boards, I decided to invite the three of them to a video chat box on ustream with the hopes that I could answer their questions a lot quicker. What I thought would be a five minute session turned into four hours and I desperately wanted to chat all things Disney again, so two days later we met up on the site once again.

At this point I realized that I would never finish my book if I kept chatting with people every other day for four hours. One of the three viewers, Mariel, suggested that we have a weekly chat day on Wednesdays due to the fact that the first three letters in Wednesday were Walt Disney's initials. I loved the idea and the three of us, along with a few others, began to meet every Wednesday. About four weeks later I attended the D23 Expo and wanted to share everything with my Wednesday chat buddies. They enjoyed the fact that I stayed on one topic the entire time that the following week I came up with a new topic and the W.E.D.nesday Show! was born.

On November 18, 2009, 6 years after my interview for the College Program, I announced the title of my book and what it was about to the fans of the W.E.D.nesday Show! I then created the From Screen to Theme fan page on Facebook and have been overwhelmed by the number of people that have joined.

So pretty much, a year and a half ago I had no intention of ever writing a book or doing my own podcast and now I feel like the luckiest guy in the world with the launch of this new website. So thank you for stopping by. The first book in the From Screen to Theme book series will be out in the VERY near future and I can't wait to share it with you!

P.S. I did eventually buy Herbie for those of you interested.

P.P.S. I apologize for how long this first entry is. I promise I'll keep it shorter next time!