Disney Coast To Coast
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When I was ten years old, my parents entrusted me to TWA for a rumbling eternity in a prop-driven plane that pulled me across the continent to California. I was going to visit my aunt and uncle, but they were merely the agents of my real goal: Disneyland. The park had opened two years before, in 1955, and its effect on me was every bit as magical as the publicists had promised.
I was enchanted by all ...
Disney Collection Mimics Halloween's Haunted Mansion
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Fans of the joining of "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas" and the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland can take home collectibles based on the Halloween themed ride.
Brian D. Sandahl is the art director in charge of the annual re-theming of the Haunted Mansion into the Haunted Mansion Holiday - a tribute to the Tim Burton movie that begins during the park's Halloween Time and lasts through ...
Disney Cone Building Height Limit Near Disneyland Keeps The Fantasy Alive
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Hotels will never rise tall enough to scrape the skies near Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.
Even with the flurry of nearby construction, developers must abide by a little-known set of height limitations known by city insiders as the "Disney Cone."
"If you're building in Anaheim, then you're aware of the height limit around Disneyland," said Jeff Flint, a spokesman for the Wincome ...
Disney Considered Merging Anaheim Parks
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Attendance at Disney California Adventure has jumped 20 percent since the debut of a new water-and-light show a major part of a $1 billion expansion project meant to drum up business at the less-popular park, the Disney president told the Wall Street Journal.
Bob Iger, the Walt Disney Co.'s president and chief executive officer, credited the "World of Color" show for luring more visitors to the park, ...
Disney Contractor Hit With 60,000 Dollars Fine In Connection With Worker Injury
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California safety regulators have fined a Disney contractor $60,995 after a worker was injured while cleaning the Space Mountain ride.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health says Los Angeles-based HSG Inc. violated several safety rules. The fine was levied on Friday.
A 37-year-old contractor fell and suffered broken bones last November while cleaning the exterior of Space ...
Disney Couple Seal The Deal With Pirates Gold
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They worked, met, had their first date, and got engaged at Disneyland, with proposal coming in a dreamy location.
Ride operator Andrew Salter met Alyssa Allinson on her first day on the job at Disneyland.
Five months later, Salter asked her out for a first date at Disneyland.
Four years after that, Salter bent down on one knee to propose marriage to Allinson at Disneyland.
"I ...
Disney Courts The Pod People
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Could podcasts one day replace broadcasts?
The Walt Disney Co. will give the new techno-trend a boost today when it starts podcasting festivities that will lead up to Disneyland's 50th anniversary celebration, which kicks off Thursday.
"This all goes back to Walt's legacy," said Duncan Wardle, a spokesman for Burbank-based Disney. "Walt is the first person to put sound on animated film. And we ...
Disney Crash Reports Released
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Disneyland employees heard an unusual clacking noise coming from the wheels of Big Thunder Mountain train No. 2 on the morning of Sept. 5 and planned to pull it out of service when it returned to the station, a ride operator told investigators from the Anaheim Police Department.
But the train never returned to the station.
The locomotive that leads the train lost a "bogie"- the assembly that ...
Disney Creates Animated Wedding Cake With Magical Stories Projected Onto The Icing
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If you've ever dreamed of having a fairytale wedding, your wish has been granted - thanks to a new edible invention.
At Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings Expo this weekend, the company unveiled a brand new creation: a tiered wedding cake with animations projected onto its surface.
In a video demonstrating how it works, an animated Tinkerbell is seen flying across the surface of the cake, sprinkling ...
Disney Creates Botanicus Interacticus Multi-Touch Plants
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The last thing in the world I would've ever believed could be turned into a touch sensor would be a plant. However, that is exactly what Disney's Pittsburgh research center has done in a project called Botanicus Interacticus. I can only imagine a full-size attraction at Disneyland or Disneyworld packed with touch sensitive plants.
This may well be the first step to creating something along the lines ...
Disney Creatives Preview Epic Second Ride Coming To Star Wars Galaxys Edge
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The creative forces behind Star Wars: Galaxy 's Edge promise the expansion land 's coming second attraction, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, will offer an “epic” experience filled with surprises.
“This is our other anchor attraction and we 're so excited about this one as well. This truly is epic,” said Margaret Kerrison, managing story editor for Galaxy 's Edge.
“Even other ...
Disney Cuts Park Hours As It Ramps Up For 60th Anniversary Celebration
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On select days in May, Disneyland visitors will have to get up earlier if they want to maximize their stay.
Leading up to the theme park's May 22 kickoff of its 60th anniversary celebration, Disneyland will close some days at 7:30 p.m. - 90 minutes earlier than normal.
To compensate, the park will open those days an hour or two earlier, at 8 or 9 a.m.
A Disney statement acknowledged the ...
Disney Deal For Pixar Sealed
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The Walt Disney Co. will pay $7.4 billion in stock to acquire Pixar Animation Studios, the companies said Tuesday.
The deal has Steve Jobs, the new-media maverick who is CEO of Pixar and Apple Computer, becoming the 14th member of Disney's board of directors.
The transaction, expected to close in the summer after the release of Cars-the final movie under a previous partnership between Disney and ...
Disney Deal Is A Tall Order For Cash-Strapped Anaheim
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Despite rosy imaginings about the city's future with Disney's serene WESTCOT Center and its glittering Spacestation Earth as a centerpiece, city officials must face the cold reality of 1991: Anaheim would be forced to pledge millions in public funds it does not have.
At minimum, the preliminary master plan for the proposed $3-billion development calls for the city to acquire more than 50 acres for the ...
Disney Debuts New Safer, Quieter and More Environmentally Friendly Fireworks Technology
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After years of research and testing, Walt Disney Imagineering has perfected a new innovation in fireworks launch technology, marking the pyrotechnic industry's first major breakthrough in decades.
The new technology uses compressed air to lift fireworks, virtually eliminating the need for smoke-producing black powder and other materials at launch, significantly reducing ground-level smoke and noise ...
Disney Dedicated His 308 Foot Wide Grand Canyon Diorama
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Disney, dedicated his 308 feet-wide Grand Canyon Diorama largest in the world, at Disneyland, on a very rainy for California day, to the damp delight of 80 odd rain soaked newsmen.
Speech by the Santa Fe Railroad's Fred Curley for whom Walt named the engine of his new excursion train through Disneyland, was rained out (or down?) to a mere "Thank you very much, Walt." Following which, some Indian ...
Disney Delights
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Disneyland features new shows, attractions, rides and a dedicated agent Web site to keep retailers excited and informed
The road to Disneyland may be laden with bulldozers and big plans, but the destination is worth it, both before and after the opening of the next big Disney venture, Disney's California Adventure, makes history. This year Disneyland is celebrating its 45th anniversary with a new ...
Disney Develops Face Cloning Technique For Animatronics
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The "uncanny valley" is one of the frustrating paradoxes of robotics. Every year, roboticists make humanoid robots that more accurately imitate human beings, but it turns out that the better the imitation, the creepier the end result. It's that strange, hair-raising sensation one gets when visiting the Hall of Presidents at Disneyland. True, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln look very lifelike, but ...
Disney Dollars To Be Discontinued At Disneyland
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Disney Dollars, a popular souvenir item and an in-house currency at Disney parks, will no longer be sold.
A Disneyland statement confirmed on Thursday the once popular currency, which could only be used at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, would be terminated effective Saturday.
The Disney Dollars currently in circulation can still be used.
"It's a testimony to the enthusiasm and heart of ...
Disney Dollars: An Easy Way To Budget On Your Vacation
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One of the unique ways to actually get in the vacation spirit of the Disneyland Resort is to buy Disney Dollars. These certificates are as good as cash and are accepted everywhere on the Disneyland Resort - including the restaurants and even Walt Disney World.
Disney Dollars are available online to buy prior to your vacation trip to Disneyland or you can get them on the resort when you arrive. They ...
Disney Donating Pirates Premiere Treasure To Make-A-Wish
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Disney will use the power of its "Pirates" to help make wishes come true for kids all over the world.
Access Hollywood has learned the Walt Disney Company will be donating proceeds from the world premiere of "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" to the Make-A-Wish foundation.
The premiere will take place May 19 at Disneyland, with all of the film's stars expected to attend.
The event is ...
Disney Drains River Changes Shows This Week
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With the holiday season ending Sunday, the Disneyland Resort is closing attractions and switching shows for the slower season starting this week.
Today, Disneyland plans to begin draining the Rivers of America for the first time since 2003 for refurbishment.
All river attractions will be closed until May: Mark Twain Riverboat, Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island, Sailing Ship Columbia and Davy ...
Disney Drama
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In "85, my parents took my brother and I for a much anticipated trip to the United States.
Being kids, the highlight was naturally the trip to Disneyland in Anaheim.
When we arrived there, we saw that the queues to all the rides were unusually long. This was because it was the summer holidays. The weather was also dry and hot.
After enjoying a few "gentler" rides, my family was game for some ...
Disney During The Holidays How To Navigate The Parks Like A Pro
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On Christmas day this year, Disneyland in California and the Magic Kingdom at Disney World in Florida hit maximum capacity and closed - forcing the parks to turn away unlucky Mouseketeers and signaling the arrival of peak season.
It's not a rarity for the parks to close temporarily due to overcrowding: it can happen during extremely popular times. And it's not just closing you need to worry about. ...
Disney Effect
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Urban myths abound about how Walt Disney picked Anaheim as the home for Disneyland. The most likely determinant: an economic study he commissioned in the early 1950s.
Disney tapped Stanford Research Institute, then part of Stanford University, to find the best spot for an amusement park in Southern California.
Based on projected population growth and climate, the nod went to Anaheim-over Santa ...
Disney Eliminates About 1,900 Jobs At Its Domestic Theme Parks
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In a sign that the recession is cutting into Walt Disney Co.'s parks and resorts business, the company said Friday that it eliminated about 1,900 jobs at its domestic theme parks.
The bulk of the cuts occurred at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., where about 1,400 jobs were eliminated. About 300 jobs will be cut from the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, with the remainder coming from corporate ...
Disney Execs Admit They Feel Pressure Replacing Splash Mountain Creating Tianas Bayou Adventure
During a Q&A in New Orleans, the creative minds behind the forthcoming re-imagining of the classic ride shared details about what to expect from the 'Princess and the Frog'-themed attraction to come
Days before Splash Mountain 's final drop at Disneyland on May 31, a group of Disney Imagineers fielded questions from press and influencers about Tiana 's Bayou Adventure, the new attraction ...
Disney Expansion: Who Will Pay
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Now that they know what they want to see built, Anaheim and the Walt Disney Co. have to decide who will pay for it.
Disney plans to spend $2.2 billion creating the most elaborate resort in California, a labyrinth of wonders displayed in a lake-laced international-theme park dotted with fancy hotels.
But the environmental blueprint endorsed Tuesday by the City Council also calls for surrounding the ...
Disney Faces $400,000 Fine For Illegal Workers
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Disneyland and federal immigration officials met Thursday to discuss a recommendation that the famed amusement park pay a fine of nearly $400,000, the largest in California history, for violating immigrant hiring laws.
Immigration and Naturalization Service agents recommended the huge fine late last month because of 1,156 violations that were found when investigators attempted to examine the files of ...
Disney Fairy Tale Isn't For Everyone
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The job description is simple: Make the customers believe that Disneyland is "a magic kingdom where life is a fairy tale and dreams really do come true."
But at the end of the workday, many of the people who work at the "Happiest Place on Earth" sleep on air mattresses, in by-the-week motel rooms and in apartments shared with other families.
"I've been at this motel since 1997," said Derrick, a ...
Disney Fans Flock To Lynnwood For Mouse Meet
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Bob Gurr may not be a household name to most.
To Don Morin, John Garcia and a legion of Disney fans worldwide, his accomplishments are legendary.
Gurr, the brains behind the original Disneyland monorail and the Matterhorn roller coaster, is one of the Disney celebrities who'll appear at Mouse Meet, the second annual gathering of Disney enthusiasts scheduled for 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the ...
