The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (132 page)

Located w
est of the
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
, this tiny district is accessible via a giant box of
Cowboy Crunchies
(the
Woody
-sponsored cereal that appeared in
Toy Story 2
), or the entrance path near the
Tower of Terror
.

Although
designed specifically to appeal to small children,
Flik’s Fun Fair
will charm Guests of all ages.  When my niece and I first stumbled upon this land, she was already outgrowing “baby” rides, but the whimsy and quality of these attractions win over every age group.  And because
Flik’s Fun Fair
is somewhat cloistered, even on peak days lines are relatively short and Guests have plenty of elbow room. Whether or not you have little ones, take a few moments to stroll through this whimsical corner of
DCA
.
Did You Know?
  There’s no fun fair in 1998’s
A Bug’s Life
, but there
is
a circus–
P.T. Flea
’s circus, to be precise.  The blend of
Flik
’s inventor skills and the circus bugs’ showmanship crafted
Flik’s Fun Fair
.

Flik’s Flyers

[
FastView:
 
Soar high in the sky with your little ones.  A tot’s first thrill-ride.
]

You can’t miss the entrance to this attraction, a giant paper airplane adorned with a drawing of
Flik
.  Located in the northern quadrant of the fair, just east of the rest rooms,
Flik’s Flyers
are among the best attractions in this land.

At a minute-
and-a-half, this is one of the shorter rides at
DCA
, but it’s a fun one.  At first glance it looks like just another small spinning attraction (a “spinner”), no different than one you’d find at a country fair.  But take a closer look.  The creativity and resourcefulness of
Flik
(actually, of course, the
Imagineers
) and the level of detail is impressive.

Flik
has cobbled together a twirling, whirling, flying attraction using over-sized natural materials like sticks, twigs, and leaves to stitch hot air balloons, and items cast off by humans–including Chinese food take-out containers, animal cracker boxes, raisin boxes, and apple juice containers–to fashion the balloon baskets.  The balloons rotate around a central tower built from a giant whipped cream tub and a foil pie plate.

Guests follow a tranquil, winding wooded queue to the loading zone, where Cast Members count out
eight parties, since there are eight flyer vehicles, each of which holds about four Guests.

When it’s your turn to board,
select the flyer of your choice.  One way to pass your time in the queue is to decide which vehicle you and your companions want to ride; most Guests have a whimsical preference, be it the Chinese food box or the raisin container.

Step into your balloon flyer, buckle up, make sure any little ones in the group are safely restrained, and close the flyer door. 
Follow all Cast Member and recorded safety instructions.  When everyone is secured in their vehicles, the flyers will lift off of the ground and begin spinning while lively music from
A Bug’s Life
plays.

As well as music from the film, the ride boasts clever sound effects that add to the illusion of riding in
a homemade contraption; listen carefully for rubber-band like stretching noises.  A lot of thought went into this little attraction.

You’ll be surprised how
fun the ride is.  It’s faster and seems to fly higher than you’d expect, although still mild enough for toddlers and the elderly.  The fun fair blurs past you and the wind pushes your hair back.  Guests of all ages love this flight.  And with queues so short, if you and your kids want to ride it again you can go for it without inordinate wait times. 
Did You Know?
 
Dave Foley
, who voiced
Flik
in
A Bug’s Life
and in a
Toy Story 2
cameo, is a comedian, voice actor, and character actor who has appeared in many TV comedies, including “Kids in the Hall,” “NewsRadio,” “Becker,” “The King of Queens,” “Will & Grace,” “Scrubs,” and “The New Adventures of Old Christine.” 
Bug Vision:
  Would your little ones like to meet
Flik
?  Sometimes he makes appearances in
a bug’s land
; check the
DCA Times Guide
during your visit to see if and when he’ll be greeting Guests. 
FastPass:
  No.  The small, mass-loading attractions of
Flik’s Fun Fair
aren’t part of the
FastPass
system. 
Kid’s Eye View:
  I really like
Flik’s Flyers
.  It’s so cool how they’re made out of food boxes.  My favorite is the Chinese food box.

Four Leaf Clover

[
FastView:
 
Make this landmark part of a scavenger hunt!
]

Not an actual attraction, but a fun feature of
Flik’s Fun Fair
, the
Four Leaf Clover
gives you and your kids a quest when you visit this land.  The giant clovers (design elements that ensure Guests feel bug-sized) were suggested by
Disney-Pixar
creative guru
John Lasseter
.  The endlessly clever
Imagineers
often build surprises into the resort, items that reward sharp-eyed and detail-oriented Guests.  Of the 75 towering clovers, all have three leaves
except
one that has four.  Can you find it?  It’s not as easy as you might think!  Although the fair only covers 1 1/3 acres (about a third the size of
Mickey’s Toontown
), it’s densely packed with five attractions, snack carts, oversized features, and foliage.  Picking out the
Four Leaf Clover
is easier said than done.  One clue, if you want one:  It’s in sight of a red-and-white dome. 
Did You Know?
  Four-leaf clovers are unusual because clover is a
trifoliolate
, which is a fancy way of saying clover is a plant that typically has three (“tri”) leaves.  A clover that sprouts four leaves, rather than three, is a mutation and is considered “lucky” according to Irish mythology.  Why?  According to Celtic lore, each leaf of a clover represents something special.  One leaf represents faith, one hope, one love and, if a fourth leaf is present, that’s luck.

Francis’ Ladybug Boogie

[
FastView:
 
Kids will want to ride again and again on this musical little gem.
]

One of the running jokes in
A Bug’s Life
is that the ladybug character is no lady. 
Francis
(the female variation of the name is “Frances”) is a
male
ladybug.  Highly sensitive to the frequent indignity of being mistaken for a lady,
Francis
has a chip on his shoulder and a tough-guy attitude.  To underline the contrast between outer appearance and inner masculinity,
Francis
is voiced by tough-guy and wise-acre actor
Dennis Leary
.

Of course, as is frequently the case in heartwarming films, underneath
Francis
’s defensive bluster he’s a good guy and a real softy.  By the end of the film he’s not only saved
Princess Dot
, he’s become the
Honorary Den Mother
of the little
Blueberry Scouts
.

Francis
’ attraction is a miniature teacup ride.  You’ll find it in the northeast quadrant of
Flik’s Fun Fair
, south of
Flik’s Flyers
and north of
Tuck and Roll’s Drive ‘Em Buggies
.  The entrance is marked by a large 45 gramophone record bearing the attraction’s name and a drawing of
Francis
.  (The 45 gives mature Guests a chance to school youngsters about how we listened to music in the primeval days before CDs and MP3s and iTunes.)

Six s
mall vehicles with
Francis
’ scowling face spin around a figure eight-shaped track.  Each car holds about four Guests.  The experience lasts only one-and-a-half minutes, but toddlers enjoy it.  Upbeat big band music plays while the vehicles spin and seem to dance around each other.

The track is engineered so that vehicles passing each other appear to narrowly miss a smash-up, adding an element of excitement to this fairly tame ride.  While not slow, the pace is less exhilarating than that of
Disneyland
’s
Mad Tea Party
.  And the speed is nowhere near the pace of a typical carnival “sizzler” or “scrambler”.  Guests do have a wheel that they can spin to make the ride a bit dizzier if they choose; be sure all occupants are OK with a dizzier ride!

This is an adventure that will appeal far more to small children than to older kids, teens
, or adults, unlike, say,
Flik’s Flyers
, which is a blast for anyone.  But while you might not be keen to ride the
Ladybug Boogie
yourself, you’ll enjoy watching your little ones have fun, and it’s a great chance for doting parents and grandparents to snap photos of their tots as they spin around the track.

L
ike all attractions where Guests board and exit
en masse
,
Francis’ Ladybug Boogie
is slow-loading.  However, lines are typically short, so if your kids enjoy their ride, they can queue up again for another jaunt almost immediately. 
Did You Know?
  Actor and comedian
Dennis Leary
, who voices
Francis
in
A Bug’s Life
, was a perfect choice to play the prickly ladybug. 
Leary
has built a stellar career portraying complicated tough guys with sensitive hearts.  These days he’s best known for his Emmy-nominated starring role as a firefighter in FX’s “Rescue Me.” 
FastPass:
  No.  Like all
Flik’s Fun Fair
attractions, this slow-loading ride isn’t connected to the park’s
FastPass
system.  However, lines are usually short, so no
FastPass
is needed. 
Kid’s Eye View:
  I’ve never been on these.  They look cool, but I’m a little too old.

Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train

[
FastView:
 
Board this miniature choo-choo for a gentle and amusing ride through a landscape of oversized fruits, veggies, and sweet treats.
]

Few who saw
A Bug’s Life
could avoid falling under the spell of adorable
Heimlich
, the eternally hungry, eternally upbeat,
zaftig
caterpillar with the German accent rich as bubbling marzipan, or strudel, or Bavarian cream pie.

It was inevitable that
Heimlich
’s attraction would be themed to food. 
Heimlich
is a darkly comic name for a character that won’t stop eating.  Physician Henry Heimlich is generally credited with developing the Heimlich Maneuver for saving people who are choking.  This is a reference that will go over kids’ heads when they watch
A Bug’s Life
, though grown-ups will get it.

Although
heim
means “home” in German, the actual translation of
heimlich
is “secret.”  Like all caterpillars,
Heimlich
is concealing something, in a way–the butterfly that he’ll someday become.  At the film’s end, he does transform, but not as expected.  Rather than an elegant butterfly, he’s still his portly self, but with the addition of tiny wings too delicate to support him!  So
Heimlich
, despite being a butterfly, doesn’t have a flying attraction.  He was given a choo-choo, or, rather, chew-chew train.

Deceptively modest in appearance (
space was limited and funds were obviously been tight),
Heimlich
’s rail journey is nevertheless a lot of fun for the family. 
Imagineers
pulled a rabbit (or, in this case, caterpillar) out of yet another hat.