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Black America Web
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
Recap: A Beautiful Black Time At Disneyland
Olga Thompson It's not an exaggeration to say that Disneyland is the happiest place on Earth. Come in a grumpy mood, particularly following an exhaustive five-hour flight from the East Coast, and it's guaranteed to be replaced with joy the minute you step foot on the Downtown Disney District in Anaheim, California. We recently took that magical journey to check out the Disneyland 70th Anniversary Celebration, which introduces new merch, events exclusive to the occasion and virtually a nonstop assortment of ways to have fun with Mickey and the gang. During our stay at Disneyland Hotel, where lawn parties are daily and Tangaroa Terrace is the go-to hotspot for a torch-lit nightcap, we were pleasantly surprised at how much our culture is rooted in the whole experience. From the Creole-themed restaurant Jazz Kitchen and Black-owned coffee shop Sip & Sonder — more on them later! — to the strip between New Orleans Square and Bayou Country that leads to the grand attraction of Tiana's Bayou Adventure, let's just say we had ourselves one good ol' Black time. RELATED: Little Known Black History Facts – Pioneering Disney Exec Robert Billingslea MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images Tiana's Bayou Adventure in particular, which is less than a year old following its grand opening back in November 2024, proved to be a focal point in Disney's overall vision of inclusivity for the future. As some are aware, the log flume ride serves as a replacement for the once-popular Splash Mountain attraction (seen above). After 34 years of being in service at Disneyland, the ride was replaced in 2023 due to its historic ties to the racially-insensitive 1946 film, Song of the South . To put it in perspective a bit further, Disney has all but ignored the film's existence by never releasing it on home video or uploading it to the Disney+ streaming service. The ride still exists in its original form in Tokyo Disneyland, but recent reports suggest that Disney has been in serious talks with the park's owner, Oriental Land Company, to make similar reconstruction. However, as one might expect in a world still struggling with race relations, OLC isn't too keen on the idea of replacing cute critter animatronics with the melanated characters featured in The Princess & The Frog . However, there has been some pushback on the new design here in the States as well from those who simply can't understand the theme of it all. Take a look below at how Forbes broke it down in a report from last year: 'The new version remains colorful and adds expressive animatronics as well as video screens which are set into the scenery. This has gone down well with some fans but as WDWMagic points out, 'the overall sentiment has skewed negatively, with many YouTube viewers expressing disappointment in the new attraction's storytelling and overall experience. One of the most frequent criticisms centers around the ride's storyline. Viewers find the plot – centering on Tiana searching for party musicians – lacking depth and coherence. Many feel the story does not capture the magic of 'The Princess and the Frog' and misses an opportunity to include more iconic elements from the film.'' While everyone is entitled to their opinion, we're here to tell you from first-hand experience that Tiana's Bayou Adventure is all that jazz and then some. Pitch-black drops that feed your adrenaline, sing-song melodies that keep you smiling even with soaked socks and an impressive job in the overall design from characters to lighting all help make it a must-ride water attraction. Olga Thompson Handout Another dose of culture we indulged in during our time in Disneyland came by way of the aforementioned Sip & Sonder, spearheaded by two lovely Black businesswomen. To speak with Amanda-Jane Thomas and Shanita Nicholas is to hear passion in motion. Each has a vivid perspective on what it means to be in their front-facing positions to directly represent for the community, with Amanda-Jane telling us, 'There's something about being seen that's important. We're oftentimes in the rooms and in the spaces, but overlooked. Having the opportunity to be at Downtown Disney and beyond that have such a visible space that's unapologetically Black is all very intentional. ' Shanita followed suit, adding, 'The word that keeps coming to mind is representation. I'm thinking about being in a place that's about joy and celebration, and also all the little Black girls coming here too! Seeing the new rides in the Bayou and a Black women-owned establishment that's integrated and part of the experience is seamless representation — it's incredibly powerful!' The ladies have been operating in California for some time now, and the recent expansion to Downtown Disney at the top of 2025 was just a testament of their hard work and determination to grow even bigger. 'We're founded in Inglewood in 2017,' confirmed Amanda-Jane, who went on break down the brand's history by adding, 'that's like our think-tank where we do a lot of our impact work. When we think of how to grow as a company, long-term contracts and sustainability are important. For us, it's determining how to do that with a mind partner while also remaining true to who we are. Being here [in Downtown Disney], it made so much sense.' It's true: little Black girls visiting Disneyland from all across the globe will feel very much at home this year. They'll see themselves at every corner of the park, be it the Paint The Night parade of lights to maybe even meeting Princess Tiana herself. For everyone else, well, your inner Disney kid will pop out at some point. Courtesy Take a look below at some highlights and bright lights from the Disneyland 70th Anniversary, and join the celebration yourselves by clicking here to plan a trip this summer: Disney Disney Disney Disney Disney Disney Disney Disney Disney Disney Disney Disney Disney Disney Disney Disney Disney Disney SEE ALSO Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
Irish Independent
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Kerry native Riona looking forward to long awaited Siamsa Tíre homecoming after 25 years away
There's been a lot of water under the bridge since then for Riona, now a mother and wife, who went on to become an actor on London's famous West End before she then turned her creative and comedic talents towards the world of social media where she is now a bona fide star with over 367 thousand followers on Facebook and Instagram. Speaking to The Kerryman this week, Riona said that it was that that time in her youth that she spent with the members of Tralee Musical Society that has allowed her to have the career that she has now as it gave her all the skills and confidence to put herself out there for the world to see. "Those are all really treasured memories to look back on,' she said. "Especially as a teenager, I really thrived in Tralee Musical Society. I found my people — people I could truly connect with and feel safe around. What's brilliant about a group like Tralee Musical Society is that you're not just mixing with other teenagers. I was interacting with people of all ages — younger and older — and that gave me so much confidence. It showed me I could get up in front of them, sing, and perform,' she continued. The last time Riona stood on stage at Siamsa, she recalls, was performing with Tralee Musical Society in either a production of 42nd Street or one the group's variety shows. "I have great memories of so much great shows with them over the years like Hot Mikado and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The Joseph show stands out especially because it was back in 1997 and because it did so well, we got to do a second run of it and we were absolutely buzzing about this,' she laughed. "I'm just so excited to go back and see everybody that I won't have seen in so long,' she said. Riona's show on June 5 is called This is All Too Much and it will see her team up with her friend and partner in comedy Olga Thompson. Between them, they've racked up over 1 million followers, 1 billion views, a Writers' Guild Award, and more viral videos than hot dinners. The duo are well known and acclaimed for their comedy songs that tackle the unspoken truth about motherhood, midlife, menopause and the many indignities of adulting – with harmonies, heart, and a healthy dose of hormonal chaos. ADVERTISEMENT Now firmly established in the Over 40s Club, Riona said that she and Olga are tackling their perimenopausal panic head-on with laugh-out-loud songs, searing honesty, and a shared desire to feel visible in a world that thinks mums should just smile quietly and fold socks. It's a case of so far, so excellent for the show, Riona told The Kerryman. "The response to the show on tour has been amazing so far,' she said, an amazing feat considering that she had never previously ventured into the area of stand up comedy. "I was so scared and terrified and you're thinking 'oh god why am I doing this to myself when I could just be at home?' but thankfully, it went incredibly well,' she said, recalling the first performance of this new show. "It [the show] is full of lots of musical comedy and that's interspersed with stand-up and I talk a lot as well about things like menopause and perimenopause and that stuff that hits you like a ton of bricks once you hit 40. It's so amazing the amount of people that can relate to that and it's great that we're now getting to a place in society where these things can be talked about openly and they are not these things that are hidden behind closed doors,' she continued. "There's a lot of ups and downs in the show, There's a lot of laughing but there's a few tears as well,' she said. One incident in particular that particularly touched Riona was one that occurred after they had finished a recent performance of the show and they had stayed behind afterwards to meet some of those in the audience. "I was chatting to one woman after a show and I just gave her a hug and she actually messaged me later and she told me that she lives on her own and that she hadn't had a chance to share any of her experiences with any other people and that the hug that I gave her was the first time she had had any physical contact with anybody for over two years. That hug, she said, was just amazing for her. "It was a lovely moment and a reminder that you never know that what you're doing can have such an effect on people. Yes, you're doing comedy but it still means something to people, it was really nice,' she continued. One of the biggest issues raised in the show by Riona is that of body positivity and body acceptance. It's a subject that Riona herself said said that she has dedicated quite a lot of time to working some comedic results. Getting in a bikini, wearing the clothes that you like, not stressing so much about covering up, that was all part of the process for me in recent years. In the show, I made this sort of musical comedy about that whole process and how I got from A to B to C,' she said. "I tell a funny story in the show about my addiction to Cadbury's Creme Eggs and how, for the longest time, they were not a safe food because if I had them in the house, by god they're gone! One time I ended up buying 12 of them and sure the box of 12 were gone by the end of the day and before I knew it, it was two months later, I had a 10-a-day Cadbury's Creme Egg addiction and I was two stone heavier!" she laughed.
