Catal Restaurant in Downtown Disney at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim

We've been to the Disneyland Resort a number of times, more than most people we've ever met.  We are always looking for new experiences and great places to eat. Last week we were invited to a hip spot at Downtown Disney District in Anaheim that we had never eaten at. Fine dining right in the heart of Downtown Disney at Catal Restaurant, sounded like a fantastic evening to us.

Since we had never been there, we checked out the menu before we arrived at Cattail, it offers Mediterranean-inspired cuisine. We couldn't wait to try it. The restaurant has "a relaxed, elegant setting with floor-to-ceiling windows and patio terraces offering spectacular views from it's second story location, perfect for watching the Disneyland night time fireworks shows." Start out with their tapas or appetizers, meats and cheese platters, soups, pastas and specialities, like grilled seafood, and fresh salads. The food that we sampled was great. Jessica's favorite was the Paella. (You've gotta try it!) Her husband's favorite was the cheese platter. The favorite drink of the evening was the Sangria. Although Jessica also recommends the Shirley Temple!

 

Disney Sisters Tip 1: The best seats in the house are out on the patio terrace, overlooking Downtown Disney. It might be a good idea to make reservations, to ensure your spot.

Disney Sisters Tip 2: Catal Restaurant has a great vibe, Jessica brought her husband, it's a great place for Date Night or for a Girl's Night Out! The UVA Bar downstairs is the perfect spot to grab a drink and hang out.

Disney Sisters Tip 3: Gentlemen don't feel left out, there is a full bar upstairs with a TV, which was a nice surprise for our husbands. It's playing any given basketball, baseball, football game on - perfect for the Guys night out too!

We hung out with old friends and met some new ones, wining and dining while watching "Believe in Holiday Magic Fireworks Spectacular." It was a lovely evening sampling cocktails and appetizers. We are often asked by our family, friends and readers where do we recommend to dine while staying at Disneyland resort and we're happy to add Catal Restaurant to that list.

Catal is part of the Patina Restaurant Group whose other eateries include the UVA Bar & Cafe, Naples Ristorante Pizzeria, Tortilla Jo's and Taqueria in Downtown Disney. For private rooms, special events or holiday parties call the Special Events Manager (714) 776-4000.

Disclosure: We were invited to a Media Night for a small sampling of the menu. The thoughts and opinions read on this blog are 100% magical and 100% those of Disney Sisters only.

Disney Pixar's Brave: A valuable lesson for mothers of daughters

Being a mother to a daughter who's fiercely independent isn't easy. 

(Understatement of the year.)

Before I had children, I dreamed about possibly raising a daughter one day. I had all of these thoughts on who she was going to be and what she was going to be like. So when I got pregnant and found out I was having a girl, the preconceived notions of "my little princess" began. She would be sweet. She would be delicate. She would be made of sugar and spice and everything nice. . . 

Then she was born and my dreams of my days being filled with tea parties and playing dolls fell by the wayside. Her first 5 years of life have taught me many things, especially she is nothing like I had expected. She is rough and tough. She doesn't like wearing frilly stuff the collars, lace and crowns irritate her. She'd much rather play in the dirt than sit and sip tea. She is so independent that it boggles my mind, mostly because she is only 5. Yes she is intelligent, healthy, pretty and has a great sense of humor. She is truly amazing and I am very grateful to call her my own. But she is definitely unique, a true individual. Not to mention she is the exact opposite of me, which has also proven to be a challenge to say the least. One of the most difficult things is allowing her to just be herself and not trying to change her. I never thought I would be "that mother" but I do find myself saying things like, "Why don't you do it this way." or "Are you sure you don't want to choose this thing, not that thing." It may seem small and insignificant, but I have realized that I am unintentionally trying to make her choices, more like my choices. 

The Disney Pixar film Brave deals with similar issues and really looks at the complex relationship between mother and daughter, Queen Elinor and Merida. The film tells the tale of the newest Disney princess, Merida and the ongoing battles she has with her mother. Then one day the headstrong young girl makes a wish that changes her family's fate forever. It's a beautiful movie set in the ancient and magical Highlands of Scotland, but even more gorgeous is Merida's long red curly locks, that like Rapunzel had me completely captivated the entire time. A strong female lead and a story based upon family values are what Disney continues to do so well, and Brave is no exception. It really has me taking a deeper look into my relationship with my own daughter, and letting her be the person that she wants to become instead of the person that I am trying to change her into. ~ Jessica

Brave debuts on DVD on November 13, 2013. 

Just in time for the holidays, it would make a perfect addition to any Disney or Pixar movie collection. (Disney Sisters Tip: Some scenes may be scary for younger viewers. It's a darker film and the angry bear scenes especially had my daughter, 5 covering her eyes.)

Here are some activity pages for your little Brave fans:

Disclosure: We received a copy of Brave to help facilitate this review. Images of film, provided by Disney. The thoughts and opinions read on this blog are 100% magical and 100% those of Disney Sisters only.

Once Upon A Time: A Cinderella Story now on Blu-Ray and DVD

Once Upon A Time . . .
It was said that one shoe could change your whole life . . .
Cinderella is fairy tale that proves it, Fairy Godmother and all. The Cinderella story that only Disney can tell is back . . .

Cinderella came out on Blu-Ray and DVD on October 2. One of the most classic Disney movies of all time is available and out of the vault for a limited time, and now on Diamond Edition! So hurry up, you don't want to be late for the ball or miss out on a chance to own this happy ever after story. It's pretty special to watch this movie for the first time with your child. Jessica's daughter really loved all of the adorable animals, especially the mice and Gus in particular.

We just got our own copy of Cinderella and it's just as magical as we remember it. The prince is just as handsome, the step family is just as evil and Cinderella is just as beautiful. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo is now out on Bibbidi Bobbidi Blu. (Blu-Ray and DVD that is!) You'll also get the Tangled Ever After short film included on the disc. 

One of our favorite parts of Disney's Cinderella is the music. One of the greatest songs ever to come from a Disney Movie is, "A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes." And who could forget about, "So This Is Love." As a special tribute we have decided to put the lyrics to music of Cinderella as sung by Ilene Woods, written and composed by Mack David, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston.

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes

A dream is a wish your heart makes

When you're fast asleep

In dreams you will lose your heartaches

Whatever you wish for you keep

Have faith in your dreams and someday

Your rainbow will come smiling thru

No matter how your heart is grieving

If you keep on believing

The dream that you wish will come true

A dream is a wish your heart makes

When you're feeling small, yeah

Alone in the night you whisper

Thinking no one can hear you at all

You wake with the morning sunlight

To find fortune that is smiling on you

Don't let your heart be filled with sorrow

For all you know tomorrow

The dream that you wish will come true

A dream is a wish your heart makes

When you're fast asleep

In dreams you will lose your heartaches

Whatever you wish for you keep

You wake with the morning sunlight

To find fortune that is smiling on you

Don't let your heart be filled with sorrow

For all you know, tomorrow

The dream that you wish will come true

No matter your heart is grieving

If you keep on believing

The dream that you wish will come true

For more crafty fun, 

click on this link for some downloadable Cinderella Coloring Pages:

Disclosure: Once Upon a Time... We were given a copy of Cinderella to review. All opinions are 100% Magical and 100% those of the Disney Sisters only.

DisneyNature Chimpanzee and other Monkey Business

Watch the jungle's most adorable orphan find a family ...

As Disneynature CHIMPANZEE is now released on Blu-ray Combo Pack.

The latest DisneyNature film is now available on DVD bringing the magic of the Animal Kingdom into our living rooms. This is the fourth documentary style film from them, this time they're following a group of chimpanzees through the African forest. Unfortunately we didn't see it in theaters, but we did get a copy to review - Yay!

 The inspiring film follows the True-Life Adventure of Oscar, a young chimpanzee whose curiosity and showcases the intelligence and ingenuity of some of the most extraordinary personalities in the animal kingdom. Bonus material includes a making-of documentary, the "Rise" music video from McClain Sisters. This film really showcases family bonding in a special way, and we're all about family films!

Some interesting facts about chimps that you may not know:

"At the turn of the 20th century, there were between 1 and 2 million chimps in the wild. Now there may be fewer than 300,000."

"Humans and chimpanzees share roughly 95 to 98 percent of the same DNA."

"Chimpanzees can develop lifelong family bonds, especially between mother and child."

We also really want to get the word out about "See Chimpanzee, Save Chimpanzees": 

To celebrate the in-home debut of “Chimpanzee,” Disneynature is proud to continue the “See ‘Chimpanzee,’ Save Chimpanzees” conservation program initiated with the film’s theatrical release. For every purchase of the movie through August 27, 2012, Disneynature will make a donation through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund to the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) to conserve chimpanzee habitat, educate the next generation, and provide care for orphaned chimpanzees.

The conservation program tied to the theatrical release will help protect 129,236 acres (202 square miles) of wild chimpanzee habitat through infrastructure investments in the expanded Tchimpounga Nature Reserve in the Republic of Congo (Congo); educate 60,000 schoolchildren about chimpanzee conservation; and provide food and medicine for nearly all of the orphaned chimpanzees at JGI’s Tchimpounga chimpanzee sanctuary for at least the next year.

We took these special Chimpanzee photos during our trip to WDW. There was this awesome sand castle display in Epcot to promote the movie. We were thrilled to be able to see it in person, it was really cool!

You can get down to Monkey Business with this slideshow of photos that the crew took while working on location. Did you know that it took more than 700 days to film Chimpanzee?

Did you catch Chimpanzee in the theaters or are you planning on buying it on DVD? Have you seen any other DisneyNature films: African Cats, Oceans or Earth?

Stay connected with the latest “Chimpanzee” information:

“Like” the Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/Disneynature

Follow on Twitter www.Twitter.com/Disneynature

Website and Mobile Site: www.Disney.com/Chimpanzee

Disclaimer: We were not given any compensation for this post, but we were given a copy to help facilitate our review. Thoughts and opinions shared on our blog are all our own.

Olloclip Gone Disney: A Magical Review

There is nothing more magical than taking photos inside any of the Disney Parks. 

But we found something that can take the magic to a new level. 

Meet the Olloclip.

It's an attachable lens that you put on your iPhone.

100% compatible with both the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S.

It transforms your iPhone lens into a Macro, Wide-Angle or Fish Eye.

We couldn't wait to get our hands on this baby. Look at how cute it is.

The people at this company are firm believers in the "the most important camera you have is the one that is with you." And since all of us don't go anywhere without our phones, whatever we can do to improve our images is awesome! That's the beauty of the Olloclip. It's the quality of 3 major lens' in one pint-size package that fits in your pocket. SWEET!

We just came back from our first trip to Walt Disney World and we got some amazing photos. 

Keep in mind that these were taken with an iPhone AND Olloclip.

It's kind of mind blowing what this little thing can do.

But we're not the only ones who have flipped over it.

Check out the Olloclip Flickr Group

Follow Olloclip on Twitter 

Like Olloclip on Facebook

Search the tag #Olloclip on Instagram 

Order your Olloclip Tell them Disney Sisters sent ya! And get ready to make your own Magic!

Are you on Instagram? So are we @disneysisters 
Leave your name in the comments below so we can follow you!

Disclosure: We were given our own Olloclip to review. We were not asked to write about this product but we couldn't be more happy with it. Thanks to the company for this fantastic product and excellent customer service. Plus they are a local So Cal business that we're proud to support.

Puppy Love

"This is the night it's a beautiful night, and we call it Bella Notte. . ."

Love is the most powerful thing there is. No matter if it's the love shared between humans or animals. Love needs no words, just feelings. When it comes to the love between animals, we have our own little Lady and the Tramp in our family. Tracey's two dogs share what could arguably be called one of the greatest love stories of all time. She didn't get the pups together. They both came into her life at different times, but the bond they've created over the past few years is priceless. It's everything any of us could hope for in a true love, and lifelong companion. Meet "Grady and the Scamp" aka Grady and Junie and their obvious affection for one another is the stuff that Disney Animated films are made of. 

We call it Puppy Love.

Speaking of Puppy Love, we recently got our copy of the classic Lady and the Tramp and are falling in love with it all over again. And our kids are too! The animation, story line and songs still hold up for this generation. There's also many added bonuses in this Diamond edition combo pack from Diane Disney Miller called Remembering Dad, which is all about Walt. It's a great addition to our Disney movie collection.

Here is a video of two dogs re-enacting the famous spaghetti scene in Lady and the Tramp. It's pretty charming and we just had to share. 

Disclaimer: We were not paid for this post. We received a copy of the DVD for reviewing purposes only.

Disney's Prep and Landing

In case you haven't heard the two newest rising stars at DISNEY, aren't actually stars at all... They're Elves! Straight from Kringle Academy (they work for the big guy himself) and they're turning up everywhere!

In the house...

In the yard...

Hanging from the Christmas Tree...

No one does stealth like an elf!

If you haven't yet had the pleasure let us introduce you to Lanny and Wayne. two of Santa's finest. They make up an elite squad of special elves who ensure that homes around the world are properly prepared for their visit from Jolly Old Saint Nick. Truth is he could never do it without these guys.

Their new DVD comes out today including Prep and Landing & Operation: Secret Santa. You will enjoy watching these tiny little men on their big adventures on the night before Christmas. We've had it DVR'd all year long & are thrilled that we now have the DVD to watch. It has definitely been added to our list of Holiday Favorites.

Fans got to meet and greet some of the creators of Prep and Landing at the D23 Expo this summer. Director Kevin Deters,  Producer Dorothy McKim and Co-Director Stevie Wermers spoke to, shook hands and signed autographs for Disney lovers of all ages. They were busy promoting the upcoming special this December called Naughty vs. Nice which will premiere on Monday, December 5th and repeat on Thursday, December 22nd @ 8:30PM ET/PT on ABC.

During the holidays at the Disney California Adventure Park Lanny and Wayne even make a special appearance in the spectacular show World of Color. Not bad for a couple of guys who wear red and green tights, eh?

Can't get enough of Lanny and Wayne... Check out their webisodes HERE.

"Like" Prep and Landing on FACEBOOK.

FYI: No elves were harmed in the making of this post.

Cars 2: The Fast and the Hilarious

We've been known to hang out with Lightning McQueen at parties.

He's let us touch his stickers once or twice.

Tow Mater calls us close personal friends of his.

We've even been known to hang out a Flo's V8 Cafe!

We are big Pixar fans, and have loved CARS since the first movie came out. Actually we have loved every movie they have made. (Ahem - Especially Wall-E & Up)

The new movie CARS 2 recently came out on Disney Blu-Ray and DVD. (Go get it!)

We think it would make the perfect gift for the Lightning McQueen fan in your house.

It's twice the action, twice the funny, and twice the Mater. 

Because really, everyone needs some more Mater in their life.

Coming soon to Disneyland is CARS LAND in the summer of 2012 and we couldn't be more excited!

D is for Dumbo

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment invites audiences to let their spirits soar with the release of the beloved animated classic DUMBO, for the first time ever in high definition as a 70th Anniversary Edition on September 20, 2011. -Press Release

My youngest daughter has just recently had her first ride on Dumbo at Disneyland, and has seen him flying during the fireworks show. So when we got our copy of the movie and I showed her the DVD cover, she immediately recognized him, got excited, and asked to watch the film. I was happy to watch it with her for the first time so that I could get her reaction. (That's how I am about Disney Movies - Total Geek.)

DUMBO, the classic movie that we all grew up with has finally been rereleased on Blue Ray and DVD in HD for the first time, for a new generation to experience. It was made 70 years ago, can you believe that? But don't wait too long to get your copy because in true Disney Movie fashion, it's only available for a limited time. (Before it goes back to the vault.)

Even the opening is very entertaining with the brightly colored Circus Poster titles. The movie is filled with animals, and an overall circus theme so kids love it. (My daughter especially loves the baby animal aspect of it.) The use of a train as a character is a great way to engage children too. Casey Junior is definitely a hit with my little one. The soundtrack has the usual classics, and Dumbo won an oscar in 1941 for best scoring of a musical picture. The 3 main elements in this movie are Family, Friendship and Flying. As long as you have the unconditional love from a parent, a best friend who believes in you and a unique skill or talent you can achieve amazing things. The sky's the limit! Literally.

Highlights of the film
(aka some of our favorite songs, scenes and characters)


Pink Elephants on Parade
The scene when Dumbo and Timothy accidentally get drunk. It's filled with Surrealist art. The shapes and color transitions are perfect to entertain and stimulate preschool children like mine. It has a familiar feel like other Disney movies, Fantasia, and even Heffalumps and Woozles. (from Winnie the Pooh) We love this style of animation that Disney does so well.

Baby Mine
(Get our your tissues) Where Dumbo gets to visit his mother in confinement and she rocks him in her trunk, to the lullaby, "Baby Mine." Every mother in the world can somehow relate to this scene. We have all missed our babies at one time or another. It is so very sweet and always brings on the tears.

When I See An Elephant Fly
The black crows who first discover Dumbo in a tree, eventually befriend him and Timothy and become his flight mentors. They sing one of the most popular songs in the movie "When I See An Elephant Fly." They are such fun to watch, they way they sing and dance. They add a light hearted element to the film.

Mr. Stork
The stork who delivers Dumbo to Ms. Jumbo, voiced by none other then Sterling Holloway. (most famous for being the voice Winnie the Pooh) Though Mr. Stork only has a small part in the film, he is very memorable and when he finally brings Dumbo to his mother, cute comedy ensues.

The Message
Dumbo is a very special movie to share with your family. It has a very important message. I think it's one of the most valuable things that you can learn in life.

It's ok to be different.

What makes us different is what makes us special.

More Dumbo Fun:

Check out these fun Dumbo crafts you can create on Disney Family.

Photo Credit: Disney Family

And recently the Disney Parks Blog posted this adorable Dumbo wallpaper for your computer, so you can enjoy everyone's favorite flying elephant all the time. How cute is that?

Image Courtesy Of Disney

There is something about the simplicity of Dumbo that makes it a Disney Classic film. The simplicity of the artwork, characters and the storyline. It's really beautiful and timeless. When a film still resonates with it's audiences 70 years later, you know it's a true classic. I was so glad that I got a chance to review the movie. I hadn't seen it in years. I'm happy to say that it was just as good as I remembered it. And I'm happy to announce Dumbo now has a new fan in my 4 year old little girl.

~ Review done by Jessica

D is for D U M B O

Full Disclosure: We were not paid in any way for this post. We were given a DVD to help facilitate this review.