In June of 2004 we had just made the decision to move to Orlando from the Las Vegas area where we had bought a house more than four years prior. In the time since we put the 1st deposit on the home, the Dot-Com bubble… Read More »Celebrating 9 Years of The Disney Blog
Remember those guys? T.J. Detweiler, Ashley Spinelli, Vince LaSalle, Gretchen Grundler, Mikey Blumberg, Gus Griswald and the rest of the gang from Disney’s Recess originally ruled the school yard over a decade ago on ABC from 1997 through to 2001, but they still have their… Read More »Disney’s Recess Opening – Live Version
Earlier this week we shared our visits to Starbucks and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train construction in New Fantasyland. But there are more changes happening all the time at the Magic Kingdom. Here are a few I captured:
Here’s the latest update from the last attraction scheduled to open in New Fantasyland – the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Construction is definitely moving along. More of back side, Prince Eric’s Village across from The Little Mermaid, is finished and detail rock work starting to wrap completely around the mountain. They’ve added the last piece of track and have begun working on some of the details around the track. That said there’s still a long way to go for a 2014 opening.
Don’t have time for a video? I’ve included some photos below the jump:
Read More »Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Construction Update – New Fantasyland
If you’re into that retro look and a Disney fan, then you’re sure to fall in love with this retro-line of Vans tennis shoes that feature classic original artwork from the early 1980s. Part of the Vault by Vans line, a timeless collection of Vans styles inspired by modern street fashion, art, music and our 40+ years of heritage in skateboarding and surfing, these shoes are expected to be available starting July 2013 at select Vans Vault distributors. The Vault by Vans line started in 2003 and this new line of Vans x Disney OG Classics completes the first decade of Vault.
Vault by Vans kicks off the ten-year celebration by reissuing these character prints that were originally designed in partnership with Disney in the early 1980s. Not available for decades, these prints will re-emerge for Vault’s fourth installment of OG Classics. The OG Classics assortment will pay tribute to the first vulcanized, waffled-soled styles from Vans by presenting them in their purest form: their original form.Read More »Vault by Vans Unveils Disney OG Classics for 2013
Last month, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure stayed open for 24 straight hours beginning at 6 a.m. on a Friday. Many thousands of Southlanders flocked to “Monstrous Summer All-Nighter”, and some eager fans camped out outside the gates starting on Thursday night.
That event brought to mind the first time Disneyland stayed open all night – its first Grad Nite in 1964. One of the park’s marketing geniuses thought it up and it was some chore selling it to Operations, Security, Legal and every other department. Imagine having thousands and thousands of teen-agers in the Park overnight? Unheard of!
The other concurrent event that would add to the first Grad Nite’s excitement was the introduction of the Ford Mustang to the general public, the most successful launch of a new car since the Model A. Lee Iacocco, later to become president of the Ford Motor Company, had been one of the forces behind the original Mustang whose development costs were astronomical. It was said at the time that there was no way the car would flop, because Ford would spend whatever it took in marketing costs to make it a success. And Disneyland was the happy recipient of Ford’s marketing windfall. A brand-new, silver Mustang would be given away at the first Grad Nite.
There was a lot of hustle in the Park’s Marketing Department to promote the giveaway to the high schools. Pre-publicity, posters in schools, and paid advertising created quite a hoopla. A few weeks before the event, the car was to be on daily display, parked in a showy spot in front of the castle. There was a local Ford plant in nearby Pico Rivera, where this fabulous new car was starting to come off the assembly line. I was assigned to pick up the display car and drive it back to the park. There were snickers in the department as I was known to be a somewhat reckless driver, roaring into the employee parking lot each morning – always just a few minutes late. This time, however, I took my responsibility quite seriously, even though I could hardly wait to get behind the wheel of that bad boy.Read More »The Park – Grad Night 1964, Disneyland’s First All-Nighter
If you’re like me, you love to scour Pixar’s feature films in search of the Hidden Gems (aka Easter Eggs) the filmmakers sneak into each film: WALL•E’s explorations uncover a Mike Wazowski antenna ball and Eve scanned the Pizza Planet Truck, and in Up, the classic Luxo Jr. ball can be seen in the girl’s bedroom as Carl Fredricksen’s house flies by her window. If you’re looking for the hidden gems from Monsters University we have confirmation from Disney*Pixar right here in the form of these screen shots:
A113 – The School of Scaring classroom number is A113, which refers to the former classroom of John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Pete Docter and Andrew Stanton at CalArts. The number makes an appearance in every Pixar feature film.
Pizza Planet – The Pizza Planet truck is in the driveway of the JOX fraternity house when Mike is riding Archie the Scare Pig down Greek Row. The Pizza Planet truck, which first made an appearance in “Toy Story,” has made a cameo in nearly every Pixar feature film.Read More »Monster University Easter Eggs from Pixar
Google has a long running series where they bring in important authors and artists for a lunch length talk about their latest projects. Two of Pixar’s brightest stars — Director Dan Scanlon and Producer Kori Rae — took the short drive from Emeryville to the… Read More »Monsters University Director Appears at Google