Guests travel past miniature scenes from classic Disney animated films along this canal boat attraction.
He Climbed Matterhorn Mountain 300 Times With Mickey And Goofy
Dateline: October 27, 2023
Status: Current
Source: Orange County Register
During his 50-year career at Disneyland, Jimmie Payton was the first to climb Matterhorn mountain with Mickey Mouse and scaled the man-made peak more than 300 times - including during the 50th anniversary of the park when he planted a flag at the top.
Disneyland honored Payton and eight other employees this week for more than 50 years of service each
Fight Breaks Out In Fantasyland With Kids And Strollers Stuck In The Middle
Dateline: October 16, 2023
Status: Current
Source: Orange County Register
Kids were caught in the middle of a brawl at Disneyland as adults threw punches and delivered kicks while bumping into baby strollers during a fistfight in Fantasyland between the Monstro whale and the spinning teacup ride.
A fight involving at least five adults broke out on Sunday, Oct. 15 in the kiddie land of the Anaheim theme park, according to video
10 Classic Theme Parks That Influenced Walt Disneys Creation Of Disneyland
Dateline: September 26, 2023
Status: Current
Source: Orange County Register
Walt Disney spent more than a decade dreaming up Disneyland during his travels to European amusement parks and sent his Imagineers on a series of road trips to visit popular attractions across the United States that influenced the development of the Anaheim theme park.
A new history of Disneyland details the classic amusement parks that inspired Walt
I Found Secret Book Reserved For One Guest Per Day
Dateline: September 25, 2023
Status: Current
Source: SFGate
There are two kinds of Disneyland fans: the ones who ride some rides, have some fun and go home, and the ones who go so often that they 're looking for something more. Some of those people get obsessive about collecting merch or sampling every new food item. Some of those people dig deep into obscure historical tidbits about the park. And some of them push
Opening Day Attractions You Can Still Enjoy At Disney
Dateline: September 1, 2023
Status: Current
Source: disneydining.com
Opening on July 17, 1955, Disneyland Park changed the world.
Over the past few decades since then, it has undergone multiple changes, including the addition of adjacent hotels, Downtown Disney, and Disney California Adventure Park. But let 's explore the attractions that were there from the very beginning.
The Mad Tea Party
Your Favorite Ride Is Not What We Picked As No 1
Dateline: June 5, 2023
Status: Current
Source: Los Angeles Times
It 's a Small World, I recently declared, is the best ride at the Disneyland Resort.
No other ride, I argued, so clearly represents the artistry of those who created it, as the dolls, the atmosphere and the critters are all in the style of whimsy and bold colors of Mary Blair. It 's also a ride that 's likely weirder than you remember it. It 's a world of
Where To Find Coffee That Is Not Starbucks
Dateline: May 20, 2023
Status: Current
Source: SFGate
It 's 8 a.m, and you 're rope-dropping at Disneyland. Depending on how far away you live, you got up roughly three hours before getting to the gate, probably at something like 5 a.m. to make it to Disneyland 's opening moments. Even if you made coffee to drink in the car, that cup is long gone.
You walk up to Market House, the storefront on Main Street
Why Some Rides Shut Down When It Rains
Dateline: January 5, 2023
Status: Current
Source: SFGate
Ask a longtime Disneyland fan, and they 'll likely tell you that Disneyland can still be enjoyable on rainy days. So many people decide to stay home and wait for better weather, the general thinking goes, that ride queues clear out. For those who brave the elements, it can be a better, if not wetter, park experience. But does that thinking hold up now that so many
Disneyland Rolls Out The Green Carpet With More Artificial Turf Around The Park
Dateline: September 1, 2022
Status: Current
Source: Mercury News
Disneyland has rolled out the green carpet with more artificial turf over the past few weeks and months as part of a drought-fighting water conservation effort that has largely gone unnoticed - and that 's the goal.
But sharp-eyed Disneyland fans may start noticing the change from natural to synthetic grass throughout the park starting this week.
Matterhorn Was Supposed To Be Candy Here Is The Story Of Rock Candy Mountain
Dateline: July 31, 2022
Status: Current
Source: SFGate
If you 've ever grabbed a Disneyland snack from Trolley Treats as you walked into Disney California Adventure, you 've likely been face to face with a huge piece of Disney history hidden in plain sight.
The model of Disney Imagineering 's first-ever attempt at expansion of Disneyland park, Rock Candy Mountain, which later became Matterhorn Bobsleds, lives
12 Essential Tips For Enjoying Disneyland On A Rainy Day
Dateline: December 23, 2021
Status: Current
Source: Orange County Register
A day at Disneyland is usually fun in the sun thanks to Southern California 's reputation for year-round sunshine - unless you happen to show up at the theme park on one of the two dozen days when it rains each year on average in Anaheim.
A series of storms headed for Southern California are expected to bring showers to the region over the next two weeks,
11 Attractions From Opening Day
Dateline: July 11, 2021
Status: Current
Source: mentalfloss.com
When Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California, on July 17, 1955, it wasn 't an immediate success. The park experienced numerous setbacks, including counterfeit tickets, concession shortages, and malfunctioning rides. But it also featured many rides and attractions that are considered classic parts of the Wonderful World of Disney today. Here are 11 attractions guests got
Which COVID Era Changes Will Stay Which Will Go
Dateline: June 21, 2021
Status: Current
Source: Los Angeles Times
The prepandemic version of Disneyland might be gone forever.
California lifted most of its coronavirus safety restrictions last week, and the parks at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim are continuing to reopen in phases - but a handful of the COVID-era changes are going to stick.
“I don 't want to say we are going to go back to the way it was,”
Is A New Gumbo Shop Coming To New Orleans Square
Dateline: June 10, 2021
Status: Current
Source: parksavers.com
Ever since Disneyland reopened in April, we 've been scouring the entire resort looking for all the changes, refurbishments and new offerings that were produced during its COVID closure. Some things have been very obvious like the new queue lines for Peter Pan 's Flight and Storybook Canal Boats.
Others, like the refurb of Snow White and the addition of
Cast Members Testing Davy Crocketts Explorer Canoes
Dateline: June 9, 2021
Status: Current
Source: insidethemagic.net
Over the last few weeks, Disney fans have been excited to see progress at the Disneyland Resort. Recently, we shared that Disneyland is prepping many restaurants to reopen very soon in Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Parks, and Avengers Campus is allowing Guests to fully enjoy their own Marvel experience with super hero interactions happening in every
Disneyland Reveals Which Rides Will Be Closed When The Park Reopens
Dateline: April 7, 2021
Status: Current
Source: kiisfm
Disneyland reveals which rides will be closed when the park reopens on April 30th. Here's the full list of what will not be open at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure:
Buzz Lightyear 's Astro Blasters
Chip 'N Dale Treehouse
Davy Crockett 's Explorer Canoes
Disneyland Monorail
Great Moments with
10 Major Rides In Disneyland That Are Not At Disney World
Dateline: March 21, 2020
Status: Current
Source: screenrant.com
When it comes to the American Disney Parks, it's a regular Battle Royale between the east coast and the west coast. On the one hand, Disneyland is Walt's original park. On the other, you have a bigger, better, and brighter version of the California classic. In our humble opinion, it all comes down to a matter of attraction.
Walt Disney World in Orlando
Diver Finds Lost Wedding Rings Tossed Turkey Legs And Mysterious Sunken Head Under The Sea
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** 
Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: December 19, 2019
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
Disneyland diver Thomas Self has discovered a lot of strange things in the waters of the Anaheim theme park, but he 'll never forget what he found one night in the Jungle Cruise river.
Self and his fellow divers were called out to investigate a mysterious banging sound after Jungle Cruise skippers repeatedly heard something thumping on the bottom of their
Snow Whites Scary Adventures Dark Ride A Major Facelift In 2020
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: November 8, 2019
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
Snow White 's Scary Adventures is about to become the latest classic Fantasyland dark ride to undergo a major refurbishment when the Disneyland opening day attraction goes under the knife in 2020.
Disneyland filed a building permit with the city of Anaheim for a $445,000 refurbishment of Snow White 's Scary Adventures, according to city records.
14 Interesting Things You Did Not Know About Thousands Of Plants
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: October 13, 2019
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
Most people think of iconic rides such as Space Mountain or the Matterhorn when Disneyland comes to mind, but more than 100,000 flowering plants, shrubs and trees add to the beauty of the resort. They 're cared for by a small army of gardeners and landscape experts who mostly work behind the scenes.
Here are 14 things you probably didn 't know about what 's
8 Rides In Under 25 Hours These Rides May Be Underrated
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: September 30, 2019
Status: Archive
Source: Arizona Republic
There comes a time in every adult's visit to Disneyland that you 're so tired of the lines that you 're happy to ride anything, even the kiddie attractions that offer little in the way of excitement or legroom.
That 's exactly how Melissa and I felt on a recent trip as we bobbed in a sea of people in the middle of Fantasyland
A check of the
20 Surprising Things You Can And Can Not See Do And Taste At Your Next Visit
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: August 13, 2019
Status: Archive
Source: idaily.com
Blue milk. Human ashes. Feral cats.
Disneyland may be 85 acres of carefully curated mirth, but even after nearly 65 years of operation in Anaheim, Calif., the vacation destination can still surprise -- as park-goers who 've encountered the blue milk, human ashes and, yes, feral cats can attest.
Before you next pass through the turnstile en route
Storybook Land Boat Takes On Water Prompting Evacuation Of Ride
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: April 8, 2019
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
Disneyland had to evacuate riders from the Storybook Land Canal Boats attraction Monday morning when water flowed into one of the boats.
About 10 children and adults on the Fantasyland kiddie attraction were transferred from one boat to another and transported to safety at approximately 11:30 a.m. Monday. A Disneyland ride operator travels on each boat with the
12 Essential Tips For Enjoying Disneyland In The Rain
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: January 16, 2019
Status: Archive
Source: Pasadena Star-News
A day at Disneyland is usually fun in the sun thanks to Southern California's reputation for year-round sunshine - unless you happen to show up at the theme park on one of the 23 days when it rains each year on average in Anaheim.
This will go down as one of the rainiest weeks of the year in Anaheim, with the forecast calling for showers stretching into the weekend.
These Vintage Disneyland Photos Will Let You See the Park Through Walts Eyes
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: November 20, 2018
Status: Archive
Source: travelandleisure.com
You can't build a time machine to visit Disneyland's opening day, but "Walt Disney's Disneyland," the new Taschen book by Chris Nichols, details enough of the park's origins to make you feel like you've been transported back to 1955.
Diving into the history of Walt Disney's park with mesmerizing behind-the-scenes photos of the first rides and earliest attendees, it's
Every Attraction Ranked By Three Disney Superfans
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: August 15, 2018
Status: Archive
Source: cinemablend.com
While pretty much everybody loves Disneyland to one degree or another, for some of us, love borders on obsession. Three of us in particular at CinemaBlend have been to Disneyland so many times that we've lost track. Jessica and Mack are both former Southern California residents who used to frequent the park regularly and still make a yearly pilgrimage back. While I live a
Converting The Closed Aladdins Oasis Into A Dining Spot
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: February 22, 2018
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
Disneyland will put a new themed spot called "The Tropical Hideway" between the Enchanted Tiki Room and the Jungle Cruise in Adventureland, in a little used space that was formerly Aladdin's Oasis. Park officials are calling it a "dining location," adding that few details are available at this time, but it won't be a full-service restaurant. Continuing the park's
Disneyland Power Outage Shutters About Dozen Rides Monorail
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: December 27, 2017
Status: Archive
Source: Fortune
A power outage at Disneyland affected about a dozen attractions in and around Toontown and Fantasyland, including the Monorail and It's Small World attractions during one of the Anaheim, Calif. Attraction's busiest and most lucrative weeks.
The outage was caused by a transformer at the park that malfunctioned and knocked out power near the two lands, a Disneyland
A Sprinkle Of Pixie Dust
Dateline: July 14, 2017
Status: Current
Source: MickeyMousePark.com
"Fantasyland" is said to be Walt Disney's favorite Land. And it's tough to blame him. "Sleeping Beauty Castle" welcomes you, as both the main entrance and park icon. "King Arthur Carrousel" was built in 1875 and operated in Ontario, Canada from 1922 until 1955 when it was relocated to Disneyland. Until 1975, only one horse was white, and now all of them are. Merlin hosted
Disneyland And Imagineering Part 13
Dateline: July 14, 2017
Status: Current
Source: MickeyMousePark.com
Disneyland, the idea, came from the mind of Walt Disney, but Disneyland, the theme park, was a collaborative effort. It took a great many men and women to create it. Since all men are created equal, everyone who contributed should be credited. I've known about C.V. Wood for many years, and although he was not an Imagineer, he was a land developer who made significant
Disneyland And Imagineering Part 10
Dateline: January 9, 2017
Status: Current
Source: MickeyMousePark.com
"I know it's here somewhere"
I'm not sure if that's exactly what was said upon first sight of where the Rivers of America used to be, but I'm sure it was something similar. Maybe with a little more salt. A lot of the excavation for the layout of the park revolved around removing existing trees and vegetation, digging out what would be the basin for the riverbed that
This Day In History Disneyland Opened 61 Years Ago Today
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: July 17, 2016
Status: Archive
Source: abc7
Disneyland, the only theme park designed and built under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, opened on Sunday, July 17, 1955. Construction lasted for exactly one year, and cost only $17 million to complete.
The opening was only intended for about 11,000 invited guests and press, though a total of 28,000 attended due to a rush of counterfeit tickets. The event was
This Is How Disneyland Changed From 1956 To 1959
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: July 14, 2016
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
The day after Disneyland opened on July 17, 1955, many newspapers had a field day with the myriad of problems the park had, such as gas leaks, failing plumbing and a lack of drinking fountains. Some called it Walt's Folly and more.
But that didn't seem to matter to the public because when the park opened its gates the next day, there was a long line of people waiting
This Is How Disneyland Looked In 1955
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: July 11, 2016
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
When Disneyland opened on July 17, 1955, there were sections of it that were not done. A reporter noticed all the construction still ongoing and asked Walt Disney if Disneyland would ever be finished. Disney replied in what has become an oft quoted quote: "Disneyland will never be completed, as long as there is imagination left in the world."
Disney was true to his
Disneyland Ride Review Ride In The Animal Cars On Casey Jr Circus Train
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: January 18, 2016
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
Want to act like a monkey? You can. Just make sure you ride in the monkey car on the Casey Jr. Circus Train.
The small train has two animal cars, one for those who want to be a monkey and another for "wild animals." There are also two sleigh cars and a caboose.
"All aboard," says the train, and once you're locked in your cage or safely in your seat, the small
Disney During The Holidays How To Navigate The Parks Like A Pro
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: December 28, 2015
Status: Archive
Source: Yahoo
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
Revealing The Secrets Of Disneyland
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: May 11, 2015
Status: Archive
Source: sandiego6.com
It's the theme park that started it all, but no matter how many times you've visited Disneyland, there are some things you probably don't know about the Magic Kingdom.
As the park comes up on its 60th anniversary this year, San Diego 6's John Carroll traveled to Anaheim to reveal some of Disneyland's surprising secrets.
"To all who come to this happy place,
Vintage Disneyland Is Frozen Out By A New Attraction
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: December 17, 2014
Status: Archive
Source: Los Angeles Magazine
Those snow people from Frozen have taken out one of my favorite little moments at Disneyland: the charming little windmill scene from Walt Disney's 1937 film The Old Mill. The miniature has been a part of the Storybook Land Canal Boats ride for decades. It is being replaced this week with a model of the town of Arendelle from Frozen. In 2012, a princess meet-and-greet
World War II Veteran's Wife Was Disney's Secretary During 1950s
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: January 9, 2014
Status: Archive
Source: Desert Sun
When my colleague Denise Goolsby was interviewing a World War II veteran not long ago, she couldn't wait to tell me that his wife, Dorothy Wrigley, had been Walt Disney's secretary for five years during the 1950s. She was there for the development, building and opening of Disneyland - and so much more.
Being able to sit down with her and talk about Walt and the
Make The Most Of Disneyland Anaheim California
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: July 28, 2013
Status: Archive
Source: hearldsun.com.au
It's known as the Happiest Place on Earth. And judging by the wide-eyed look on my daughters' faces as we walked through the front gates of Anaheim's Disneyland Park, the statement is spot on.
Wandering up Main Street USA, the central thoroughfare at the world-famous theme park, one of the first things we see is Sleeping Beauty's castle. It looms before us like a
Disneyland Day Every Day For This Couple
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: December 31, 2012
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
At 8 a.m. today, Tonya Mickesh and Jeff Reitz were to go through the entrance turnstiles to Disneyland for the 366th day in a row. It's a journey that's seen them spend 24 hours in the park for the 24-hour Leap Day, watch baby ducks grow up, and go from unemployed to full-time jobs while becoming nationally known as the "everyday Disneyland couple."
"It was a way
6 Disney Venues To Close Temporarily
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: September 30, 2012
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
A half-dozen venues at the two local Disney parks are scheduled to temporarily close for at least part of this month.
Crews will start installing holiday decorations in It's a Small World on Oct. 22. The Disneyland ride will reopen Nov. 8 with Christmas songs, lights and other holiday decor.
Disneyland's Indiana Jones Adventure, Casey Jr. Circus Train and
Long Hiatus For Indiana Jones Ride
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: September 16, 2012
Status: Archive
Source: pe.com
You can tell autumn is at hand at the Disneyland Resort not by the weather or even by the Halloween decorations, but by the return of park refurbishments.
Two small rides are closed in Fantasyland, the circus train and storybook boats. But the closure that will hurt during Halloween Time is the Indiana Jones Adventure, which part employees told me wouldn't be back
At Disneyland Even The Plants Have A Purpose
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: September 10, 2012
Status: Archive
Source: MyDesert.com
Did you know that the trees and flowers planted throughout Disneyland were as well thought out as the design of the attractions and lands themselves?
I didn't.
In scurrying from one attraction to the other, I must admit that I never paid much attention to the foliage until I took Disneyland's two-hour "Cultivating the Magic" tour during which the guide talked
10 Disney Attractions Closing For Rehab
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: August 30, 2012
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
Indiana Jones Adventure and two Fantasyland rides will close for most of the fall to undergo renovations as summer crowds dissipate at Disneyland.
That park and neighboring Disney California Adventure will shut down 10 venues in September for refurbishment, after the record-breaking summer season wraps up with Labor Day.
The longest closures, which begin
Reflections On My Trip To Disneyland
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: October 12, 2011
Status: Archive
Source: SFGate
I was a little worried about our trip to Disneyland, which took place last week.
Last time I went with my older son, then 4 years old, and misjudged the scariness of Pirates of the Caribbean by a factor of about 10. He didn't want to go on rides after that, pegged me as a complete liar (it was going to happen some time ) and stayed in the fetal position for the
Disney's Storybook Ride Gets Nightly Makeover
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: July 5, 2011
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
Landscapers constantly work on Disneyland's Storybook Canal to keep the trees in scale with the miniature scenes in the attraction.
Guides on the Storybook Land Canal Boats at Disneyland tell guests the plants are real - they've just been miniaturized.
Tinkerbell might be responsible for shrinking the hundreds of types of plant life in the 56-year-old
California vs. Paris: Alice In Wonderland
Dateline: April 7, 2011
Status: Current
Source: MickeyMousePark.com
In the seventh of my series comparing the two Disneylands closest to my heart (California and Paris), I shall be looking at selected references to Disney's 1951 animated movie Alice in Wonderland within the parks.
The best place to start is perhaps the "Teacups ride", officially known as Mad Tea Party (MTP) in California, and Mad Hatter's Tea Cups (MHTC) in Paris.
California vs. Paris: Casey Jr. Circus Train
Dateline: March 3, 2011
Status: Current
Source: MickeyMousePark.com
In the sixth of my series comparing the two Disneylands closest to my heart (California and Paris), I shall be looking at the section of the park featuring Casey Jr. Circus Train and Storybook Land Canal Boats.
When designing the Anaheim park, Walt's original plan for this area of Fantasyland was to build a rollercoaster called Rock Candy Mountain, upon which guests
Graveyards At Disneyland Weird Finds At The Happiest Place On Earth
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: December 7, 2010
Status: Archive
Source: AOL News
You may be distracted by the holiday lights and decorations at Disneyland this time of year, but if you look closely, lots of weird secrets are waiting to be discovered all over the iconic amusement park.
Strodder told AOL News that one of his weirdest discoveries while researching Disneyland was finding out just how many graveyards are actually scattered throughout the
Smoke Closes Fantasyland Section Of Disneyland
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: December 2, 2010
Status: Archive
Source: KPCC
A handful of Disneyland rides were closed Thursday when an electrical problem sent smoke wafting into Pinocchio's Daring Journey.
The smoke was reported just after noon in the Fantasyland section of Disneyland, said Maria Sabol of the Anaheim Fire Department.
"It was described as a wall producing smoke," Sabol said. "We were called out because people could smell
Most Disney Rides Re-Opened After Smoke
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: December 2, 2010
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
Disneyland has re-opened seven Fantasyland rides shut down this afternoon because of smoke behind the scenes.
More than 20 firefighters were sent to the park about 12:07 p.m. regarding smoke coming from a large electrical conduit inside the wall behind Pinocchio's Daring Journey ride, said Maria Sabol, an Anaheim Fire Department spokeswoman.
That ride, as of
Disney Reveals Rides That Never Happened
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: September 25, 2010
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
A moon-walking, animatronic Michael Jackson. A uranium exhibit. A crocodile aquarium inside the mouth of a big crocodile model.
All were attractions that Disney creators dreamed up. But they never made it into Disneyland.
Disney presented rare pictures and concepts of Disneyland rides that never came true during a presentation at a Disney fan club event
Happy Birthday, Disneyland
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: July 16, 2010
Status: Archive
Source: silive.com
Disneyland was Walt Disney's baby, a dream he nurtured for years which eventually turned into a flat-out obsession ... an obsession that had as many skeptics as it had bank creditors demanding that Disney make good on all the loans he needed to make his pie-in-the-sky come true.
Tomorrow, The Happiest Place on Earth celebrates its 55th anniversary. Five and a half
Disneyland To Provide Sign Language Interpreters
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: June 18, 2010
Status: Archive
Source: Los Angeles Times
In the past, guests who needed sign language interpreters at Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure Park had to call in advance to arrange for the service.
Beginning this week, the theme parks will offer the service on a regular basis. No calls needed.
Every Monday and Saturday as many as eight interpreters will be available at Disneyland. At California
Cool Clear Water Water
Dateline: June 5, 2010
Status: Current
Source: MickeyMousePark.com
My how time fly's, seems like yesterday I was asking about when the Rivers of America would be filled again. I never like to visit the park when any of the water is not working. It even bummed me out during the renovation of It's a Small World when I saw the canals were dry. I know, weird eh? Yeah that's me; the water kind of calms me down. Those of you that
Trivial Pursuit At The Venerable California Theme Park
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: April 22, 2010
Status: Archive
Source: Salt Lake Tribune
Disneyland, the theme park that bills itself as "the happiest place on Earth," filled with people during a recent spring-break April day when the temperature hovered near 90.
People waited for more than two hours for a chance to ride Splash Mountain. Finding a bench to sit for a moment with a napping grandson proved challenging. Lines formed to use restrooms or
A Great Destination For All Generations
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: March 8, 2010
Status: Archive
Source: Wired News
I had been pretty neutral on all things Disney while I was growing up, and as a young adult I didn't seek out any Disney entertainment. I had been to Disney World once when I was eight or nine, but that was pre-Epcot and all I remembered was loving Peter Pan and hating Space Mountain. But in 2006 when my kids were five and two, I had the chance to go to Disney World
Margaret's Musings: Mickey And Me
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: January 15, 2010
Status: Archive
Source: Hudson Star-Observer
It is hard to tell when exactly this affair of over 50 years started. This year, the land where we met is celebrating its founding after 55 years. The "government' runs smoothly, cleanliness is number one and no one is privy to the inner workings, even the public restrooms are discreet and nearly invisible.
New Year's Eve weekend we had a family reunion of sorts.
Caring For Plants At Disneyland Requires Dedication
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: January 1, 2010
Status: Archive
Source: Pasadena Star-News
How do they keep the plants at Disneyland looking so well cared for and perfectly groomed? You never see a working gardener at the park planting, trimming or fertilizing. I was astonished when the head horticulturist told me the secret:
The gardeners work all night.
That's right. They come on duty at 2 a.m. and work until 10 a.m.
Armed with head, tower,
Disney Parks Offer Devices For Visually Impaired Visitors
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: November 3, 2009
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
After becoming legally blind at age 30, Brenda Woodrum missed seeing the details of one of her favorite Disneyland rides, Pirates of the Caribbean.
So, Woodrum teared up when she heard a description of cannons shooting from pirate ships on the ride using a new listening device that just became available at Disney parks.
"It was really an emotional experience,"
C'mon Get Happy!
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: June 21, 2009
Status: Archive
Source: Olympian
Disneyland is billed as the happiest place on Earth. It's hard to argue otherwise.
A cast member helping visitors climb into a canal boat in Storybook Land told my family that Walt Disney's vision for his theme park was to "have every person, whether 9 or 90, feel like a kid again."
Were he alive today, Disney would see that vision in action.
Disneyland
Politics Hit Disneyland
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: February 27, 2008
Status: Archive
Source: Dixie Sun
Over Presidents' Day weekend a group of friends and I embarked on a trip to the happiest place on earth in an effort to honor famous presidents of the United States, of course. Right to honor past presidents that is why we went right. Disneyland, contrary to popular belief, has played a very significant role in the history of American presidents. The life of every
Disneyland Presents Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: June 27, 2007
Status: Archive
Source: blogcritics.org
It's a little-known fact that Sombrero Grande's first job out of high school was working at Disneyland as a "captain" on the Submarine Voyage attraction in Tomorrowland. In 1998, I left the park's employ and the Subs were mysteriously closed down soon afterwards. Immediately rumors began swirling on the Internet theorizing that the Subs were closed due to "budget cuts" or
Disneyland From A to Z
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: January 31, 2006
Status: Archive
Source: boxofficemojo.com
A recent four-night stay at Disneyland proves that this rich, glorious theme park, celebrating its 50th anniversary from now until 2007, is best enjoyed as a planned excursion, not as a whim.
Begin with Birnbaum's, an indispensable annual paperback that's available for around twelve dollars. The goal-oriented guide should be read by every visitor to insure unit
Cal-OSHA Finds Disney Coaster Accident Due To Faulty Brakes
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: October 13, 2005
Status: Archive
Source: NBC 4 News
The collision of two trains on the California Screamin' roller coaster, which sent 17 riders to the hospital, was caused by air leaks in the braking system, according to a state report released Thursday.
The July 29 accident, in which a 24-person rail car rear-ended another 24-person car and stopped near the passenger platform, has been under investigation by the
Boy Severs Thumb On Disneyland Ride
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: March 19, 2005
Status: Archive
Source: Associated Press
A 4-year-old boy broke a finger and severed the tip of his thumb while on the Storybook Land Canal Boats ride at Disneyland, forcing the ride to close for nearly two days while state authorities investigated the accident.
The accident occurred Wednesday when the child's fingers were pinched between the boat and the dock while passengers were unloading, according to
Disneyland Alters Ride After Boy Is Injured
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: March 19, 2005
Status: Archive
Source: Los Angeles Times
Disneyland has made state-ordered adjustments to its Storybook Land Canal Boats and reopened the attraction Friday, two days after a 4-year-old severed the tip of his thumb on the ride.
The boy, who had gripped the edge of the boat when it docked, was injured when an adult stepped on the edge of the boat while disembarking, causing it to rock and pinching the boy's
Disneyland Turning 50
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: September 26, 2004
Status: Archive
Source: Knight-Ridder
Here's the deal with Disneyland. The two women ahead of me in line were Elizabeth and Lexi, twins fromWinnetka, Ill. Elizabeth is a communications and political science major at the University of Southern California. Lexi is a philosophy major atYale.
They knew the words to ''We Can Fly,'' a song from Walt Disney's ''PeterPan.'' It's the song the chorus sings when
Still Magic In The Kingdom
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: June 6, 2004
Status: Archive
Source: Salt Lake Tribune
Disneyland is a place where a grown man looks perfectly normal wearing Mickey Mouse ears and where a little girl can feel like a princess.
The first true theme park also is a melting pot where an Indian woman in traditional dress poses for a photo in front of the Small World ride featuring children from around the world and where instructions to ride the Winnie
Think You've Grown Up? See How You Handle Rides, Wonder, And Snot At The Happiest Place On Earth
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: June 4, 2004
Status: Archive
Source: Boston Phonex
In the movies, people usually come of age in the great outdoors. You know, the coming-of-age stories that involve summer camp or baseball or a week on your crotchety-but-ultimately-lovable uncle's farm. Movies with trailers that begin like, "When Billy left to spend the summer shelling crawfish on his stepfather's boat, the last thing he expected to learn about was
Disneyland Trip With Grandma: Everyone's Flush With Enthusiasm
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: April 20, 2004
Status: Archive
Source: Seattle Times
I saw an old friend with new eyes last week. I went to Disneyland with three grandchildren, ages 7, 6, and 20 months. Understand that I first began going to the Magic Kingdom last century, when I was a teenager and a newcomer to Southern California. Disneyland became the big-date experience. It was fitting, considering that many of my classmates had been "Mickey Mouse
Disney Landscape Artist Morgan 'Bill' Evans, 92
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: August 15, 2002
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
Morgan "Bill" Evans, the landscape architect who planted a group of orange trees upside down so the gnarled roots would look like exotic jungle branches on Disneyland's Jungle Cruise ride, died Saturday in his native Santa Monica. He was 92.
If you love the topiary, or animal-shaped plants, around It's a Small World, or the miniature plants dotting Storybook Land, or
Disneyland In One Day
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: March 1, 2000
Status: Archive
Source: Disney Magazine
The First Hint that my mission will be daunting: I tell the cast member in Guest Relations the title of the article I'm researching, and she starts to giggle. Disneyland in a day? Who am I kidding? "It might be a little hard," she says, handing me my tickets, "to do it all in a day."
Disneyland has its own special feel, and nostalgia is only part of it. Yes, it's
After 40 Years, Disneyland Begins Unisex Assignments For Ride Operators
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: July 13, 1995
Status: Archive
Source: Orange County Register
For 40 years, the theme park chose ride operators based on gender-with frilly-frocked females working Storybook Land and macho men in pith helmets wisecracking through the Jungle Cruise.
But last month, the first woman took up oars to help guests paddle canoes around Tom Sawyer Island, and the first man in 38 years piloted a Storybook Land Canal Boat through the
Disneyland Through The Years
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: January 1, 1990
Status: Archive
Source: Disney Channel Magazine
1954-Summer Construction gets under way and Disneyland begins to emerge from the surrounding bean fields and orange groves of Anaheim.
1955-July 17 The opening day ceremonies are beamed coast-to-coast in a TV special. One of the hosts: actor Ronald Wilson Reagan.
1956-October Attendance hits the five million mark; the Skyway, Tom Sawyer Island, Storybook Land
Tinker Bell, Mary Poppins, Cold Cash
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: July 12, 1965
Status: Archive
Source: Newsweek
It is a place of improbable dreams, a 65-acre world drifted over with pixie dust. It is a place where Tinker Bell and Mary Poppins soar matter-of-factly through the evening sky, where Tom Sawyer plies his raft on the muddy Mississippi and the Lost Continent of Atlantis is cheek by jowl with the moon.
It is, of course, Disneyland-Walt Disney's incredible pearl in the
Walt Disney King Of Fantasy
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: July 1, 1965
Status: Archive
Source: Palm Springs Life
Walt Disney and friends.
Walt Disney, whose Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck brought laughter to the world and whose Disneyland is a playground for the world's people, calls his home at Smoke Tree Ranch, "my laughing place."
Whimsical, as always, he refers to the Uncle Remus story where Brer Rabbit oh-so-casually mentions his "laughing place" and makes it sound so
African Veldt
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: September 6, 1964
Status: Archive
Source: Independent Press Telegram
Way down in Jungleland, below the Amazin' Disney line, there's news among the gnus. "The Trapped Safari" is the new headline feature and a bit of bright fun in Disneyland's far-famed Adventureland and the Jungle River Cruise. Jackals, hyenas and buzzards lay siege to a comical hunter and his retinue treed by the wild beasts. Disneyland adventurers drift safely past as
A Fantasy That Paid Off
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: June 27, 1964
Status: Archive
Source: New York Times Magazine
The place is surrounded by a berm, a high barrow of earth, that insulates it from the external world. There is a single gateway where admission is charged. This, the land of Disney, is more secure than ancient Troy. No Trojan horse will get into Disneyland. Guards at the main gate closely scrutinize all who enter. Not even an unseemly teenager will get past them, much
Dazzled In Disneyland
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: July 1, 1963
Status: Archive
Source: Holiday
In the third decade of this century America produced a young man of genius. He drew pictures with pen and ink and wash. Like other geniuses, such as Michelangelo, Leonardo and Bernini, he had a mechanical turn of mind; and, by means of all sorts of devices, he made his drawings into motion pictures which were works of art. He drew animals to perfection. With care and his
Intrepid Kids Of Disneyland
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: June 28, 1958
Status: Archive
Source: Saturday Evening Post
It was a normal Sunday afternoon at Disneyland. The Gay Nineties show had just broken at the Golden Horseshoe, a make-believe salon located in the Frontierland area. The tourist-packed Mark Twain, a scaled-down reproduction of a nineteenth-century Mississippi river boat, was sailing around Tom Sawyer's Island. Stagecoach passengers were jolting through the Painted Desert,
Truman Visits Disneyland
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: November 3, 1957
Status: Archive
Source: Independent Press Telegram
Harry and Bess Truman were just another couple of out-of-season tourist here Saturday.
The former president winked cupped his hands and shouted to his wife over the brassy din of a band playing. "I'm Just Wild About Harry":
"Boy, is this plate a rubberneck's paradise."
Then he set off on a 2 1/2 -hour tour of the park at a pace so brisk that his official
If You Plan To Visit Disneyland
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: August 1, 1957
Status: Archive
Source: Sunset
The wonderful world of make-believe called Disneyland is now two years old, and it continues to delight Westerners by the thousands-small children, teen-agers, adults alike. What's more, it doesn't lose it's luster in a day's visit, nor in two or three. Possibly it never will for a good many visitors.
We won't try to describe in detail this imaginative combination of
Storybook Land Miniature Kingdom
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: June 1, 1957
Status: Archive
Source: Disneyland Holiday
Monstro the Whale, once the terror of the deep in the story of "Pinocchio," has acquired a new and vastly different role at Disneyland-that of a friendly "host", to one of the Magic Kingdom's favorite attractions, Storybook Land.
After boarding one of the gaily colored, picturesque European canal boats in Fantasyland, visitors are whisked through the wide
Big Disneyland Expansion Since Original Opening
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: August 24, 1956
Status: Archive
Source: Independent Press Telegram
When Walt Disney completed the $2,000,000 expansion program at Disneyland this summer, it was estimated by park officials that the capacity had increased by 100,000 rides per day.
Completion of Disneyland"s first expansion program came this past month with the opening of the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train Ride in Frontierland.
The Rainbow Caverns ride was the last
Tom Sawyer Comes To Disneyland
**RESTRICTED CONTENT** Click Here To Gain Access
Dateline: May 13, 1956
Status: Archive
Source: Independent Press Telegram
Disneyland is now past the half-way point in a spring construction program that will add 1 1/2 million dollars in new rides and amusements to Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom in Anaheim.
Major areas of activity are Frontierland and the Tom Sawyer Island in the Rivers of America. More than $250,000 is being spent to make the island a "playland out of a youngster's
Originally, the boats were powered by outboard motors, which often overheated and had to be towed back to the dock. Worse, the gasoline engines were so loud that the passengers could barely hear the spiel. After a few months, the motors gave way to batteries stashed under the seats. That first summer, the ride was staffed predominately by men, dressed in white shirts and wide brim hats. An all-male closing crew had the arduous duty of manually pulling the boats into the storage area and connecting the battery cables to charge the boats overnight. Eventually, electricians installed a two-way switch on the boats, providing a reverse gear to easily back the boats into the storage tunnel.
Storybook Canal contains 465,000 gallons of water.
The names of the original 13 boats were: Cinderella, Daisy, Aurora, Alice, Faline, Flora, Fauna, Flower, Katrina, Merryweather, Wendy, Snow White, Tinkerbell
2 boats were later added: Ariel, Belle
Sets are built one-twelfth scale
The light house in front of the attraction was originally used as the ticket booth
Required a "B" ticket in 1955
Required a "D" ticket in 1956
Required a "C" ticket in 1957
Required a "D" ticket in 1959
Required a "D" ticket in 1964-1965
From WED Disneyland Dictionary 1968
Is a kingdom within a kingdom. Viewed from Dutch canal boats (or Casey Jr. Circus Train), it features miniature (Scale: one inch to one foot) settings from Disney animated motion pictures, accomplished in the most detailed and painstaking manner. Visitors see "Geppetto's Village," nestled below the Swiss Alps, where even a church bell chimes; "Cinderella's Dream Castle"; Mr. Toad's proud "mansion," and many other settings from the pages of favorite story books.
From Steve Birnbaum brings you the best of Disneyland 1982:
This cruise past miniature scenes from well-known children's stories is not one of Disneyland's major attractions (like Pirates of the Caribbean or Big Thunder Mountain Railroad), yet few who take the trip deny that the journey is one of the loveliest on the property. It's so chock-full of cunning details and wonderful little scenes that even the tour guides' often infuriatingly mechanical recitations can't spoil it. Even after several trips, there are still new sights to see. For the church at the beginning of the trip, Walt insisted on having imported stained glass. "The day we start cutting the detail," he declared, "is the day we won't have a Disneyland." And so it goes, from the Old English Village in Alice in Wonderland (where the White Rabbit boasts his very own mail- box) to the London park where Peter Pan and Tinkerbell taught Wendy, Peter, and Michael Darling to fly. Miniatures of Toad Hall, with Ratty's house nearby, and the Seven Dwarfs' mine and Cinderella's Dream Castle are among the other sights en route. Ken Anderson, one of the art directors intimately involved with the project, tells of his anguish pink chateau there. The clock at the top of the castle reads midnight, and the turrets are covered in gold leaf. Anderson himself applied the first coat and, not being experienced in the technique, initially watched a good deal of the precious tissue paper like substance blow away. The houses in Geppetto's Village, near the end of the cruise, have doors that really open. Because funds were short when the attraction was being developed (just after Disneyland opened), expensive Japanese miniature bonsai trees were out of the question. But at Van Dam State Park, one scout turned up a handful of stunted, suitably small-scale redwoods growing in some scrabbly limestone soil on a cliffside. A bit more hunting unearthed a few more of these dwarf trees nearby on a piece of private property whose owners were willing to sell.
The archway that was added in the winter of 1994. They covered it with pink roses.they were fake at first then as real ones flowered they removed the fake ones and added lights) this was a huge spider trap you had to keep an eye out in the morning hours. An empty boat with the "Lead" or manager for the day would go out and scope out the canal. We often found dead fish, baby ducks and lots of spiders. One winter there was a pretty bad storm, a tree blew down on top of the Seven Dwarfs set, and we were "down" until they could cut it up and remove as much as possible. As soon as it was cleaned up the show went on and boats took off shortly after the workers left.
Required a "D" ticket in 1970's
“Hello everyone, and welcome to Storybook Land. Please remain seated and keep your hands and fingers inside the boat at all times.”
“We are riding aboard the boat Wendy and we are now on our way to a magical adventure into Storybook Land where everything inside has been miniaturized.”
‘Outt oh, it look like we are about to be swallowed by Monstro.(everyone turns around to look) Monstro is the very same whale that swallowed Pinocchio. But don’t worry, Pinocchio was such a smart boy, he built a fire inside Monstro and the smoke from that fire made Monstro sneeze, in fact he sneezed so hard he blew his own tail right off, giving us our own special way right into Storybook land.”
(Mind you all the tunnels are very low and so as you are saying all this, you must duck or be knocked off the boat) It did happen once but I caught myself from falling.
“Over to our left is the home of the Big Bad Wolf, and on the right are the homes of the Three Little Pigs. The first one built his home of straw, the second built his home of twigs and the third, up on the hill, built his home of Wolf proof bricks.”
“Around the bend and to our left is the home of Alice in Wonderland. Down by the water’s edge is where Alice likes to sit and daydream.”
“In the center of the canal is London Park; this is where Peter Pan, Wendy, Michael and John, with a little help from Tinker Bell, flew over on their way to Never Land, where you never never have to grow up!”
“Straight ahead is Agrabah, land of mystery and enchantment. Up on the hill is the palace where Princess Jasmine grew up and down below is the market place where Princess Jasmine and Aladdin first met.”
“We are now entering the Cave of Wonders; if you look closely you might find your own magic lamp. If you do make a wish it might come true.”
“Over to our right is the home of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Up on the hill is the jewel mine; if you listen closely you might just hear the Seven Dwarfs whistle while they work”
“Over to our left is the home where Cinderella grew up. Half way up the hill you will notice the pumpkin that was once her coach. . And high on top of the hill is the castle where Cinderella and her Prince lived happily ever after.”
“On our left is a beautiful patchwork quilt comprised entirely of desert blooms. The quilt is held together with big white stitches and at night I have heard tell a giant sleeps underneath it.”
They added Mr. Toad while I was on a medical leave and I never got it quite right.
To our left are the Three Windmills. The one in the center is where all the animals found refuge from the storm in the story “The Old Mill”.
“Straight ahead is the Alpine village where Pinocchio lives. Down by the waters shore is the toyshop of Gepetto where Pinocchio became a real boy.”
“On our right is the Castle of Prince Eric; on the sandy beach is where he and Ariel first met. Behind the waterfall on our left, is the home of King Triton; if you look closely you just might get to see it.”
“Well ladies and gentleman thank you for joining me, I hope you enjoyed your tour through Storybook Land. As we approach the dock PLEASE keep your hands and fingers inside the boat. When the boat comes to a complete stop everyone please stand in the middle of the boat and I will assist you out. Thank you for joining us and we hope you enjoy your stay here at the Magic Kingdom.”
