Big Thunder Mountain Railroad At 40 A Timeless Triumph Of Theme Park Design
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When the D23 Expo unveiled a series of theme-park announcements in late August, one of them was unsurprisingly focused on the upcoming Epcot attraction centered on Marvel 's Guardians of the Galaxy. This new roller-coaster, subtitled “Cosmic Rewind”, is meant to be a 360-degree immersive ride; among its many elements, as noted in the press release, Cosmic Rewind will feature the first reverse-launch in a ...
Big Thunder Trail Reopens With New Features
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It is now easier to get from Frontierland to Fantasyland at Disneyland, or vice-versa. The theme park on Thursday, June 8, reopened its Big Thunder Trail that connects the two lands to the public, after being closed since early 2016. The trail was shut down so it could be revised, with new rock work, and themed decorations related to Disneyland's construction of the "Star Wars" land expansion. ...
Big Top Goes Up At Disneyland
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"SHAKE IT! Shake it!" the echoed across Disneyland as circus workers and Mouseketeers joined hands to raise the Big Top of the Mickey Mouse Club Circus, a feature attraction of the Christmas season at Disneyland opening Thanksgiving Day. The cry to the workers to "shake it" was to help the huge tent float on air bubbles and relieve some of the effort required to stretch the tent to the anchor areas. ...
Bill Justice, Walt Disney Studios Animator Worked On Fantasia And Bambi
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Bill Justice, a former Walt Disney Studios animator who worked on classics such as "Fantasia," "Bambi" and "Alice in Wonderland" and later joined Walt Disney Imagineering where he helped program Audio-Animatronics figures for attractions at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, died Thursday, a day after he turned 97. Justice died of natural causes in a nursing home in Santa Monica, said Ted King, a ...
Birth Of Disney's Dark Ride
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There are those who love carnival haunted houses and dark rides, and those who don't. The clackity-clack of the cars running along the track, the musty air with an occasional whiff of cotton-candy or bile, the gaudy plywood forms painted in florescent hues, the air-powered peek-a-BOO! pop-up ghoulies - all of these things inspire either fear and loathing or a giddy sense of escape, depending on the stars ...
Birthdays At Disneyland Really Are Free Heres How It Works
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When we heard that Disneyland was giving free tickets on your birthday, we thought the least we could do was go check it out. The process for getting into Disneyland free on your birthday is pretty simple. The rules say bring a driver's license or passport for adults and a certified birth certificate for kids. The offer gets you into one park. Or you can upgrade to a park hopper by paying the ...
Bit Of Disney Magic Found In Used Book
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Like a scene from the movie "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," Austinite James Peterson found a "golden" ticket - an unused Disneyland ticket from the 1950s - tucked into a book of poetry at Half Price Books on U.S. 183 North. This week, he sold the complimentary child's ticket to the amusement park in Anaheim, Calif., on eBay for $435. "In this case the ticket is not golden, but it's ...
Biz Fallout From Roy E. Disney's Divorce?
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Huge surprise (even to his publicist) about Roy E. Disney, who looks so eeerily like his late uncle Walt, divorcing his wife of 51 years, Patricia. And so sad, like Mickey and Minnie splitting up. All I can say is that, when he worked at the Mouse House, Roy made time to return home every day to have lunch with Patty. (Maybe my pal Hollywood Oscar hostess Dani Janssen's musing about marriage is correct: ...
Bizarre Facts Fishing At Disneyland
You 're probably familiar with Tom Sawyer Island, an attraction at Disneyland that was inspired by Mark Twain 's classic novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. While most are acquainted with Twain 's stories, you might not know that the classic attraction was once open for fishing. In the late 1950s, there was a location within Tom Sawyer Island called Catfish ...
Bizarre House Of The Future Of The Past
As a Disney theme park enthusiast, I think if you'd asked me a couple of weeks ago to list all the attractions I was interested in, past and present, at the very bottom of the list would have been The House of the Future, which stood in Disneyland from 1957 to 1967. It's often given as an example of how desperate Disneyland was to get anything into its early Tomorrowland. Simply a free ...
Black Panther Star Sterling K Brown To Narrate Candlelight Processional
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The name of the Disney celebrity that is typically kept secret until the last possible moment as a surprise for VIP visitors invited to the annual Candlelight Processional at Disneyland has been revealed for this holiday season. Consider this your spoiler alert. “Black Panther” and “Frozen 2” star Sterling K. Brown will narrate the Candlelight Processional at Disneyland on Saturday, Dec. 4 and ...
Black Santas In Holiday Celebrations For The First Time
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There may not have been a press conference or even an official announcement signaling the change, but Black Santas have been participating in Christmas celebrations at U.S. Disney theme parks this year. Indeed, visitors have seen a Black Santa Claus at meet-and-greet events and employees have reported seeing Black Santas at after-hours Christmas parties at both Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, ...
Black Sunday Remembering Disneylands Disastrous Opening Day On Its 65th Anniversary
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Disneyland's opening day started off very inauspiciously for Walt Disney. Exhausted by last-minute preparations, he'd gone up to his private apartment above the firehouse on Main Street to get a little sleep before festivities began on the morning of July 17, 1955. When he awoke, he realized he'd somehow locked himself inside the room. So Walt Disney began yelling for help. ...
Blacks And Whites Both Accuse Disneyland Of Racism
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Mickey and his pals have some explaining to do. After going public last week with a discrimination lawsuit he's waging against Disneyland, a California attorney says he's hearing all sorts of allegations about employees of the amusement park. Since announcing earlier this month that he'd be representing a case that's accusing Disney staffers of racism, attorney Dan Gilleon has had his phone ringing ...
Blaine Gibson Disney Legend Behind Pirates And Haunted Mansion Dies At 97
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Legendary Disney animator and sculptor Blaine Gibson, who designed some of the most iconic images in the company's theme parks around the world, died on Sunday, according to the Orange County Register. He was 97. Gibson worked alongside Walt Disney during the development of Disneyland, and his sculptures were used to create the faces on characters in rides such as "Pirates of the Caribbean" and ...
Blending Visual Computing And Visual Networking
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Two of my favorite attractions at Disneyland when I was growing up and working at the park, and which are no longer there, were the Carousel of Progress and the House of the Future. Both showcased a future based on the thinking that was going on when I was born. They did this by creating models, miniatures of cities and full-sized representations of the home, rooms, and appliances inside them. The ...
Blinkin Lincoln Animatronic Used To Go Crazy And Smash His Chair In A Robotic Fit
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The Great Emancipator who has starred as an audio-animatronic historic figure in Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln for a half century at Disneyland got off to a rough start in 1964 when he would go crazy from power surges and smash his chair in a robotic fit. “Mr. Lincoln would sit in this chair and he would start to get up and all of a sudden he would go into this robotic fit and fling his arms ...
Blue Bayou About To Shut Down As Part Of Larger Refurb
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Most people would probably agree that Pirates of the Caribbean is one of the best attractions inside Disneyland. Many people would probably also agree that the Blue Bayou restaurant is one of the best places to dine inside Disneyland. The food is pretty good, and has become even better with a recent update to the menu, but the thing that makes it great is that the restaurant exists inside Pirates of the ...
Blue Bayou Restaurant Lights Up Their Menus
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Known for its dark atmosphere, Disneyland's Blue Bayou restaurant (the one you see from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride) has finally added tiny lights to their menus. So, next time you dine there, you can keep your cell phone where it belongs and order food without its assistance. To turn on the lights, lift up the menu's main cover and on the right-hand side there will be a small, hard flap with a ...
Blue Bayou Restaurant To Reopen May 27 With Alcohol On Its Menu
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More restaurants are reopening this month inside of Disneyland, Disney California Adventure and Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, Disney Parks Blog announced Monday. The Blue Bayou Restaurant in Disneyland is set to reopen May 27. The restaurant will offer alcohol for the first time with beer, wine and Hurricane cocktails being added to the menu. Up until now, the ...
Blue Bayou Restaurant Will Begin Phased Reopening In June
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The Blue Bayou restaurant in Disneyland 's New Orleans Square will begin a soft reopening in early June, according to Disney officials. The restaurant, which closed for refurbishment on April 21, will initially reopen for dinner only. A podium will be in front of the restaurant when it 's open and guests can inquire about dining opportunities. The Blue Bayou will resume accepting reservations ...
Blue Bayou Will Soon Offer An Exclusive Dining Experience
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Earlier this month, Disney announced that a special Christmas Party would finally be coming to Disneyland Resort. The hard-ticketed event is called Merriest Nites, and it will take place for 5 select nights between November and December. Merriest Nites will feature a ton of fun experiences, including six different Christmas parties, as well as specialty food, drinks, and merchandise. Now, ...
Blue Milk Galaxys Edge Will Offer 3 Varieties Of The Signature Star Wars Drink
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No visit to Galaxy's Edge would be complete without a tall glass of Blue Milk and intergalactic travelers heading to Disneyland's new themed land this summer will be able to choose between three varieties of the signature "Star Wars" drink. The Milk Stand will offer two flavors - Blue Milk and Green Milk - in the Black Spire Outpost village, where the new land will be set in the "Star Wars" universe. ...
Bluey Experience Brings Play To Life
Animated Australian sensation ''Bluey'' has arrived in Disneyland, and the titular anthropomorphic pastel-coated canine has come ready to play. And dance. And to race some ''barky boats.'' The Walt Disney Co. first teased that the blue heeler puppy and her younger sister Bingo would be coming to the Anaheim theme park in 2024. Bluey is now the star of a ...
Bluey Fancy Snacks Are Surprisingly Good
I 'll be honest. When I first heard about the Bluey-themed snacks at Troubadour Tavern in Disneyland, I expected them to be cute. You know the type. Bright colors, fun presentation, maybe a clever name or two, but not necessarily something you 'd go out of your way to eat. Boy, was I wrong. We tried everything on the menu, and not one item felt like it was there just to look good ...
Bob Gurr Disney Legend And Last Original Imagineer Still Living Honored With Special Tribute
A tribute honoring legendary Disney Imagineer Bob Gurr took place Sunday night at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. Gurr was hired by Walt Disney in 1954 and became a key figure in the creation of Disneyland. He's the last of the original Imagineers still living. For decades, he has shared stories from the park's earliest days with fans eager to learn more. ...
Bob Iger Guest Appears On The Rest Is History Special About Walt Disney Legacy
The Disney CEO has made an appearance on The Rest is History, which claims to be the most popular history podcast with new data putting it at around 20 million monthly downloads and more than 80,000 paying members. He revealed he 's a fan of the podcast, which is part of the Goalhanger-produced The Rest is… franchise. Iger is appearing in a two-part video special about Walt Disney 's legacy ...
Bob Iger Honored As Disney Legend Gets Window On Main Street USA
Former Disney CEO Bob Iger received two honors from his former company Sunday, becoming a Disney Legend and receiving a window on Main Street U.S.A. at Disneyland.
Iger 's window will be displayed above the entrance to the Emporium and recognizes him as the “Chief Architect for New Century Builders.”
The window reflects Iger 's leadership philosophy with the motto, “Looking ...
Bob Iger Says No To Virtual Reality Headsets At Disney Parks
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Walt Disney Co.'s chief executive has no interest in having theme park visitors strap on virtual reality headsets that block out their view and place them inside a digital world. Smaller rivals, including Knott's Berry Farm, SeaWorld and Six Flags, have turned to such virtual reality experiences as an affordable way to spice up rides, but Disney CEO Bob Iger said reality-destroying headsets would be ...
Body Pulled From Disneyland River
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The body of an 18-year-old New York tourist was recovered Saturday from a river in Disneyland's Frontierland area, eight hours after he apparently drowned trying to swim the watercourse with his younger brother, police reported. Anaheim Police identified the victim as Bodgen De Laurot, of Brooklyn. His body was located after a night-long search by Disneyland security officers and Anaheim ...
Book Written By Two Disneyland Janitors Dives Into Dirty Details Of Cleaning The Magic Kingdom
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What's the cleanup needed after a "Code V?" What about a "Code H?" Those terms and many other secrets of keeping Disneyland clean are revealed in a book by two former members of the park's custodial staff, titled "Cleaning the Kingdom: Insider Tales of Keeping Walt's Dream Spotless." The book, by Ken Pellman and Lynn Barron, takes readers on a detailed tour of what it takes to be a "jani" (a ...
Access To Over 3240 Construction Photos
