Disneyland Paris kicks off its 30th Anniversary celebrations today, March 6, 2022, so let’s take a look at the history of the resort. The resort is located in Chessy, France, 32km (just under 20 miles) east of Paris, and it was the second Disney resort… Read More »A 30th Anniversary Look at the History of Disneyland Paris
Today, October 1, 2021, marks the 50th Anniversary of the opening of Walt Disney World, and if you look at the resort today, it has far exceeded what Walt had envisioned for the resort. It all started in the mid-1960s when Walt Disney had an… Read More »Happy 50th Anniversary Walt Disney World!
In addition to creating “The Happiest Place on Earth”, Disneyland was innovative in many other ways. In the 50’s, believe it or not, waiting lines at banks or airports were traditionally a straight line. Sometimes a movie theater would bend them around a corner; the Department of Motor Vehicles would simply open the front door and run the line out onto the sidewalk.
Think what it would look like if security checkpoint lines at airports were linear instead of the sinewy system in use today! I had never seen a waiting line that snaked back and forth like the lines for attractions at Disneyland, where they created a holding pen that economized space. Such was the system introduced by Walt Disney’s Imagineers.
They also thought of a way to use existing technology to create the Disneyland Monorail System. In 1959, it was the first daily operating monorail in the Western Hemisphere. Though the park was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays in the off-season, visitors could board at the Disneyland Hotel and still see the Park (though quiet on those days) from a bird’s-eye view. Now, monorails are common at places like metro airports, transporting passengers swiftly from terminal to terminal.
Read More »The Park – Innovation at Disneyland
When Walt visited the Park, he always created quite a stir behind the scenes. As soon as he drove through the back gate, the offices were abuzz. Phones would ring “Walt’s in the Park! “, “Who’s he talking to?” “Where is he now??” To us,… Read More »The Park: Disneyland, Anaheim, 1963
Ever since the Disney animation-inspired concept was officially revealed at the D23 Expo in Anaheim earlier this year, we’ve been anxiously waiting for more news on the upcoming new Cirque du Soleil show coming to Disney Springs. The show will feature Cirque’s usual mix of… Read More »Video of rehearsal for new Disney animation-themed Cirque du Soleil show
The Walt Disney Company has come a long way in the last 96 years. It started as a little storefront studio in Hollywood where Walt Disney and his brother Roy brought in a few artists to start making animated shorts and commercial movies. Since then… Read More »Two Disney Talks from Disney Historian Dave Bossert
“The 55ers: The Pioneers Who Settled Disneyland” is an important collection that looks at the cowboys, jungle explorers, Anaheim pioneers, and shopkeepers who came together to help make Walt Disney’s dream of Disneyland a reality. It’s one part deep dive into the first two years… Read More »Meet the pioneers who settled Disneyland in new book from David Koenig
In 1997, my parents took 9-year-old me to Disneyland for the very first time. As a wide-eyed, country girl from Australia, meeting Ariel was a must-do, but crossing over into The Twilight Zone courtesy of the Tower of Terror was the highlight, and it would… Read More »From Spark to the Park: A Magic Journey with Imagineer Kevin Rafferty