What better place to take your daughter on her birthday than Disneyland, right? That’s exactly what Jessica Alba thought for her daughter Honor’s sixth birthday. Husband Cash Warren and younger daughter Haven joined the celebration as they posed for a photo with the statue of… Read More »Celebrity Spotting: Jessica Alba Celebrates Daughter’s Birthday at Disneyland
The Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland has always been a sentimental favorite of mine; in part because my Grandfather Vic Greene was the Art Director for the attraction and for his involvement in the story of how Imagineering got the instructions to build it.
There was a little hill of land in between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland that the Skyway used to get some height to go over the back of Sleeping Beauty Castle. Walt wanted to do something with this land, but he didn’t know what, he asked my grandfather to start thinking of an attraction for the hill. The story as told in the book “How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life” and in my family went like this:
Walt was traveling to Switzerland to film “Third Man on the Mountain” and fell in love with the Matterhorn. In a moment of inspiration, he grabbed a postcard of the mountain from a souvenir stand and sent it back to Vic Greene with the message, “Vic. Build This. Walt” on the back. Vic, of course, immediately set to work on designing what was to become a first of its kind landmark attraction.
Another fun family story is the invention of the Matterhorn’s first of its kind switchback queue. Vic Greene and his team of Imagineers developed a system that would have the entrance to the switchback part of the queue be lower than the exit. When you stood at the entrance, the exit would appear closer to you in an optical illusion. The idea was to make your wait seem less cumbersome by visually shortening the queue.
A version of this story was documented in “Disneyland: Inside Story” by Randy Bright, and it has been told in my family for years. Before the attraction was set to officially open, testing was done using sandbags. When Walt wanted to see a real human on the ride, Vic Greene was selected as the first human to test ride in a bobsled on a steel tube coaster. Since water hadn’t been added to the splash down pools at the end of the ride, Imagineering had set up bales of hay to slow the cars down. Unfortunately the bobsled car hit the hay and stopped so suddenly, Vic nearly got whiplash. Still he survived and the ride was deemed complete.
Below the jump are a few more fun facts from the 55 year history of The Matterhorn.
Project Runway and America’s Got Talent host Heidi Klum visited Disneyland with her family last week. What was the occasion? Perhaps an early Birthday party (Happy Birthday Heidi!). While in Adventureland she met up with Mickey Mouse over at the Jungle Cruise for a quick… Read More »Celebrity Spotting: Heidi Klum Goes Adventuring at Disneyland
There was no show like The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Festival of Fools at Disneyland. Instead of a simple retelling of the story of Quasimodo, Esmeralda, Pheobus, Clopin, and the gang from Disney’s popular movie, it took place in and around the audience in an arena based on medieval play structure and brought a new style of entertainment to guests.
Because there was always multiple things going on in the show at the same time it had repeatability. Also, the performers were given a small amount of leeway to juice up their roles with an extra bit of humor here and there. I saw the show well over 600 times, but I guarantee I never had the same experience twice.
I could have watched it many more times, However, it only ran from June 21, 1996 to April 18, 1998. Not nearly long enough in my book. But I do remember it with an essay in my Dispatch from Disneyland book and, through the magic of YouTube, you can watch a recording of that wonderful final show. Hard to believe it’s been 16 years.
Parts 2 & 3 below
Read More »A Salute To The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Festival of Fools at Disneyland
Time for another celebrity watch. With the Social Media Moms event happening at Disneyland the last few days, there were a host of celebs and internet stars who came by to hang out at the Magic Kingdom. I was just sent these great photos of Elle Fanning who will be staring as Sleeping Beauty in the upcoming Disney release of Maleficent.
Two more pics below the jump:
Read More »Celebrity Spotting: Elle Fanning, Aurora in Maleficent, at Disneyland
Today was a big day in Disney theme park history. We celebrated the 50th anniversary of Disney’s “it’s a small world” along with thousands of guests and cast members at Disney Parks around the globe united today in a historic “It’s a Small World” sing-along. The iconic attraction opened as a tribute to peace and hope, saluting UNICEF, at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Today it is represented around the globe.
“‘it’s a small world’ has inspired hundreds of millions of people through its timeless theme,” said Tom Staggs, chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “Every moment of every day there are Disney guests enjoying ‘it’s a small world’ somewhere around the globe. The 50th anniversary of this attraction represents a celebration of the shared optimism, hope, and humanity of people throughout the world.”
I had the opportunity to talk with a few of the cast members who are responsible for maintaining the Magic Kingdom version of the attraction. We talk about the history of the attraction and what is involved in caring for all the dolls costumes:
Throughout the day, Disney Parks guests participated in events in all five resorts around the world, including in-park sing-alongs, cavalcades and special musical performances. Richard M. Sherman, the Oscar-winning songwriter who composed “It’s a Small World” with his late brother, Robert, led a sing-along at Disneyland Park in California.Read More »Celebrating 50 Years of “it’s a small world” Around the World
Today is the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney’s classic attraction “it’s a small world.” To celebrate, I would like to share with you a story set in the famed attraction when it’s in its most twinkly phase at Disneyland – “It’s a Small World Holiday.” This piece was originally published in “Dispatch From Disneyland” my new book about the Happiest Place on Earth. But I’m happy to republish it on the blog today in honor of this great attraction.
Each year Disneyland transforms the classic “It’s a Small World” attraction into a holiday treat featuring the familiar dolls in holiday scenes and combining the classic song with Jingle Bells and Deck the Halls. “It’s a Small World Holiday” opens in early November and a ride on it early in the season is sure to get anyone in the holiday mood.
But sometimes …
It’s A Small World Holiday Nightmare
Dark was the night when our ship set to sea
With twelve lucky guests whose limits were to be
Tested and pulled to the ends of their rope
By singing and dancing dolls of good hope.
Our captain did load us too heavy a’stern
I questioned, but he said, “Go ahead, it’s your turn.”
So onward we went with our boat riding low
Nearly taking on water as it rocked to and fro’.
Thus did our journey start out that night
Toward a kaleidoscope building – a marvelous sight.
A rainbow of lights shimmered like twinkling rivets
And together they told of holiday spirits.
Inside the grand building were hundreds of children
Singing Christmas jingles like tiny little pitchmen.
They sang to a beat ever joyous and merry
“‘Tis the season of joy, so you better be wary.”
A group of guests have filed a lawsuit against Disneyland and Walt Disney World alleging the new Disabled Access System (DAS) violates the American with Disabilities Act, specifically for guests with cognitive impairments, such as autism. The main argument of the lawsuit is that prior to the new DAS system, Disney was much more accommodating allowing families to have wonderful experiences together. And because Disney had the knowledge to provide those accommodations then, to not provide them now is discriminatory. The lawsuit gives multiple examples of guests who are unable to comply with the new DAS process without risking a meltdown from the impaired individual.
As you might expect, the lawsuit systematically excludes evidence that doesn’t support its theory. For nearly everything it lists as examples of Disney’s bad behavior, I’ve read first hand accounts of the exact opposite behavior from Disney. But that’s how a lawsuit works.
Some of the facts in the lawsuit are incorrect or border on the incorrect. It mentions that a photo of the disabled guest is added to the DAS, but then states that it is related to the entry to the park, which it’s not. It’s related to making sure the person who is using the DAS is the disabled person, not someone who picked it up off the ground.
They also accuse Disney of sponsoring videos to make the ‘rented invalid’ problem seem worse than it was. I would like to see the evidence for that.
What is true, is that Disney changed their procedures and they are not as accommodating to those with cognitive impairments as they were in the old system. But it does not also follow that that change now places Disney outside the boundaries of the protections the ADA provides.
I guess that is now for the courts to decide.Read More »New Lawsuit Accuses Disney Parks of Discrimination Against Guests With Cognitive Impairments