Walt Disney: Myth And Reality
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Not long before he died, Walt Disney was asked to name the most rewarding experience of his life. The response was blunt and brief: "The whole damn thing. The fact that I was able to build an organization and hold it." His words may seem surprising. To the public at large he was an avuncular Horatio Alger character, a spinner of sweet tales for children, a man whose taste and morality comfortably reflected ...
Walt Disneys Black Sunday
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July 17, 1955, was intended as an invite-only, media-oriented day to celebrate the long-awaited opening of Disneyland. Technically it was called the “international press preview,” but Disney employees-and even Walt Disney himself-would afterwards come to label it “Black Sunday.”
During the 1930s and 1940s, Disney had visited several amusement parks with his wife and their two daughters, noticing that ...
Walt Disneys Botanical Wonderland
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Rustling her skirts with a chilly air, winter was back for another sojourn, and California's Sunday yard mechanics and professional horticulturists alike tuned their garden forks to cater to another changing season.
But in Disneyland, recognized as something of a "botanical wonderland," the bristling lady of winter was greeted much as any other time of year. Here, a staff of 35 gardeners ...
Walt Disney's Custom Estate For Sale
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While it's easy to imagine Walt Disney simply living in Disneyland, perhaps in one of the houses that dot Disneyland's Main Street, the man behind Mickey Mouse actually built a custom estate in Los Angeles, about a half-hour drive from the "Happiest Place on Earth."
Walt Disney's home is listed for sale for $3,650,000. The French-Mediterranean style house was built in 1932 on a double lot in ...
Walt Disney's Daughter Has Died At Age 79
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Diane Disney Miller, who inspired her famous father Walt to create Disneyland, died Tuesday in Napa, Calif. at age 79.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of Diane Disney Miller and our thoughts are with her family during his difficult time," The Walt Disney Company said in a statement. "As the beloved daughter of Walt Disney and one of his inspirations for creating Disneyland, she holds a special ...
Walt Disneys Favorite Train Returns After 5 Year Restoration
A steam engine that Walt Disney rode on opening day of Disneyland in 1955 has returned to the rails after a five-year restoration to once again make the grand circle tour of the Anaheim theme park.
The E.P. Ripley returned to the Disneyland Railroad on Monday, March 6 after an extensive restoration that replicated the five-eighth scale locomotive 's boiler, headlamp and bell.
The ...
Walt Disneys First Ever Map Of Disneyland Revealed
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Back when Disney products were to be watched, not experienced, Walt Disney had a vision: a theme park that felt like stepping into a magical new place. Now, we can finally witness Walt's first dream.
Before construction could start, Walt needed funding. He and his friend Herb Ryman put their heads together and mapped out their dream for the Disneyland that was still just a figment of their ...
Walt Disneys Hideaway
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His secret apartment at Disneyland was his home away from home. Now the park is planning tours for selected guests.
One of the most momentous occasions of my childhood was the day I met Mickey's dad.
I must have been about 7 when my parents took me to Disneyland, the enormous, newfangled amusement park that opened the previous year. We were just inside the gate when a steam engine lumbered up and ...
Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom
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Twenty years ago," Walt said as we drove toward Disneyland, some 25 miles southeast of central Los Angeles, "I was always trying to think of a place to take my two small daughters on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon - a place where I could have fun, too.
"At an amusement park the only fun provided for a father, besides having his bottom dropped out from under him on the roller coaster, was the same he ...
Walt Disney's Mechanical Wonderland
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Take one creative genius with idea, engineers with mechanical know-how, a 160-acre orange grove in Anaheim, Calif., and mix thoroughly with $19,000,000. The result? Disneyland, U.S.A.
Walt Disney, the genius behind this playground, has a mind that is constantly busy with new ideas, In fact, he used to bemoan the fact that there was little to do on weekends.
But that was two years ago. Now, Walt has a ...
Walt Disneys Original Planning Documents Among Rare Disneyland Memorabilia To Be Auctioned Off
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Disney collectors and enthusiasts now have a chance to get their hands on decades of coveted Disney memorabilia dating back to the 1950s.
The History of Disneyland & Walt Disney World auction, hosted by Van Eaton Galleries, will offer a collection of more than 1,500 collectible relics from the Disney dynasty.
The auction will take place December 7-8 and will be preceded by an ...
Walt Returns To Disneyland
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The film, Saving Mr. Banks, won't be released until December, but a trailer for the highly anticipated movie was recently posted, and includes some brief, but captivating clips of Disneyland. It tells the based-on-true-events story of how Walt Disney made the landmark film, Mary Poppins.
Apparently, the book's author, P.L Travers (played by the always delightful Emma Thompson) is reluctant to see her ...
Walt, Meet Henry: The Henry Ford Premieres Disneyland Art And Artifacts
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Like Tinkerbell's fairy dust, the magic of Disneyland cannot be contained.
It started sparkling in Anaheim, Calif., 50 years ago with the birth of Walt Disney's original theme park. It has since spread to in Orlando, Paris, Tokyo and now Hong Kong.
Now the magic has reached Dearborn.
More specifically, it has cascaded into a 7,500-square-foot exhibit space at the Henry Ford and is beckoning ...
Walts Beloved Apartment Just Got An Update For The Major Fans
Three are now a dozen Disney theme parks around the world, but there was only one that Walt Disney himself ever stood inside. Walt Disney spent so much time at Disneyland both before and after it opened that he had an apartment built for himself on the grounds. Few get to actually visit the apartment, but anybody can see where it was, day or night, because a lamp is always left burning in the window, but ...
Walt's First Passion
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Since its opening in 1955, Disneyland has seen plenty of attractions come and go, but one has stood the test of time. The Disneyland Railroad was Walt's original idea and continues to be a favorite amongst guests.
Long before Walt had the idea to create his magic kingdom, he developed a love for trains. "It started when he took his first job as a news bush, one of his first jobs, on the Santa Fe ...
Walt's World
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The Walt Disney Company's announcement last November of its plans to open what will amount to a flume ride through American history in Manassas, Virginia, confirmed it: Americans are living in a theme park world. From an ersatz Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts to Epcot Center's small world to nautically themed shopping malls and historically preserved neighborhoods, Americans' love for highly ...
Waltzing With Walt Disney
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In 1965 the Orlando Sentinel sniffed out a story that Walt Disney was behind significant purchases of massive tracts of Central Florida land near Kissimmee, a cow town south of Orlando. Disney was able to keep this under the radar by using three "dummy" companies, none of which had the word "Disney" anywhere near their titles.
Disney had chosen the site in 1963 and announced his plans in 1965, once ...
Want A Star Wars Galaxys Edge Lightsaber Be Prepared To Pay
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Young padawans better start saving their allowance and babysitting money now if they want to buy one of the authentic lightsabers sold in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge when the new themed land opens this summer at Disneyland.
The realistic-looking lightsabers will set them back $158. That's a lot of lawn mowing money. And Disney won't take galactic credits. Only credit cards or cold hard cash.
The ...
Want To Greet Mickey Mouse — Squirt On The Hand Sanitizer First
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How about some hand sanitizer before greeting Mickey Mouse?
In an effort to halt the spread of the swine flu, Disneyland and Walt Disney World have installed dozens of hand sanitizer dispensers throughout the theme park, hotel lobbies and character meet-and-greet areas.
Disney is also reminding visitors of basic health safety tips, like covering their mouths while sneezing and washing hands ...
Want To Ride The Millennium Falcon At Star Wars Attraction May The Timed Ticket Force Be With You
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Walt Disney Co. is requiring guests at its Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, Calif., to reserve specific times to visit a new Star Wars attraction as the company looks for ways to manage an expected surge in crowds.
Disney historically hasn't required guests to make reservations to enter its parks, although it has stepped up efforts in recent years to manage demand, such as introducing a ...
Want To Skipper A Jungle Cruise Boat Now You Can For A Price
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Sailing aboard the Jungle Cruise, Brian Alters picks up the microphone and delivers a timeworn comedic spiel amid the lush vegetation of the Nile River.
"I'd like to point out some of the rare plants we have here," says Alters, randomly pointing at foliage along the river banks. "There's some, there's some and there's some. They're all the same genus of species: plasticus fakus."
Alters isn't a ...
Watch Disneyland 60 A Celebration Live
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Disneyland helped transform the entertainment industry worldwide.
On Sunday, February 21 at 8 p.m., ABC7 will air "The Wonderful World of Disney: Disneyland 60," celebrating 60 years since Walt Disney first opened the gates to Disneyland.
Walt Disney, one of the ultimate dreamers, used his uninhibited imagination and determination to create what became the springboard for all of the Walt Disney ...
Watch For Scams: Fake Disneyland Tickets Offered Online
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If you decide to purchase your Disneyland tickets online, then you need to know if you are buying real Disneyland Tickets. As much as you can save money buying a ticket from a private individual, you could also destroy your vacation if you buy a fake Disneyland Ticket.
Recently, I have been emailed by folks who have bought fake tickets on eBay, Craigslist and Kijiji. Obviously, and this must be said, ...
Water Flows Back Into Rivers Of America At Disneyland
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Disneyland workers opened the valves and started filling the northern portion of the Rivers of America in Frontierland with water Friday.
That portion of the waterway was dammed off and drained early in 2016 as part of the "Star Wars" land project. The route for the river was also changed to allow more room for the new land, which opens in 2019.
Disneyland officials have not said when the new ...
Waterfront Dining Across From The Haunted Mansion
Disneyland has opened a multi-level waterfront dining area themed as a dock where rivercraft load and unload supplies across from the Haunted Mansion in New Orleans Square with a view of the boats traveling along the Rivers of America.
The new Pelican 's Landing dining area opens Friday, Nov. 19 next to the Harbour Galley quick-service restaurant, according to Disneyland officials.
...
We Are Going To Liberate Minnie Mouse The Day Yippies Invaded And Shut Down The Park
Before the pandemic shuttered Disneyland in March, there had only been a few days that the park had unplanned closures: the day after John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, after the Northridge earthquake in 1994, and after 9/11. But there was another day, in 1970, when Disneyland was overtaken by protesters, whose number and fury - about Minnie Mouse and miniskirts - closed the park early.
...
We Could Not Even Have Imagined Gorgeous New Pink Treats
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Disney's new "imagination pink" treats are even better than ones we could have dreamed up.
From cake pops to cupcakes, macarons to tarts, there's plenty of pink to populate your Instagram this summer. There's also a brand-new line of Imagination Pink merchandise to match. You know, if you're into that sort of thing. (We are.)
The new treats are available around both ...
We Got An Early Taste Of Tianas Palace And It Is A Dining Gamechanger Here Is What To Expect
"The Princess and the Frog" makeover of Splash Mountain won't be completed until 2024, but if you're headed to Disneyland Park in a few weeks and want a taste of the 2009 animated hit, Tiana's Palace (inspired by the restaurant in the film) is sure to satisfy. The fast-casual eatery, which replaces New Orleans Square stalwart French Market, officially opens September 7, but we got a sneak taste of ...
We Just Got A Big Hint About How Cool Disneyland's Star Wars Rides Will Be
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Jon Snoddy, Disney EVP of Imagineering - the House of Mouse's artist-scientist genius division - dropped some big hints about just how cool the rides at Disneyland's forthcoming "Star Wars" area will be on stage at a CES 2016 panel.
Thanks to the involvement of Industrial Lights and Magic, the legendary special-effects firm that Disney acquired in its big 2013 purchase of "Star Wars" studio Lucasfilm, ...
We Rode Rise Of The Resistance To See If It Is Worth The Hype Here Is What We Thought
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Fair warning: many ride spoilers ahead
1. Yay, R2-D2 is here to greet us!! (I wonder if he 'll be hanging out here all the time?)
2. We 're already excited and all we see are rocks.
3. Oh wow, a pretty waterfall!
4. This lantern looks a lot like the one Luke had in The Empire Strikes Back (although not EXACTLY the same).
5. Ha! They carved ...
We Saw The Blueprints For Disneyland Star Wars Galaxy Edge And This Is What They Show
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The visitors who enter Disneyland's Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge after it opens in 2019 will step into the most intricate and immersive environment the park has ever created, with lush trees, exotic buildings, a land speeder garage, a droid shop and even a version of the Mos Eisley cantina, according to building plans Disney has filed with the city of Anaheim.
The "Star Wars"-themed land, the largest ...
