I love reading first hand accounts of Disneyland cast members encounters with Walt Disney. We have had our own little series here on the blog from my Aunt Linda, but here’s a story from a cast member who worked the Storybook Canal Boats in the… Read More »The Candy Caper – A Walt Story
Walt and Lillian’s daughter Diane died today after suffering complications from a fall she took at home in September. Like her mother, Diane Disney Miller choose not to operate from the boardroom, but rather preserved the legacy of her mom and dad by ensuring the… Read More »Diane Disney Miller, passes away at age 79
Earlier this summer, I was a few days away from my first trip to Disneyland in 8 years when a last minute family reunion was scheduled. Family comes first, so, barring some miracle, my reunion with Walt’s park will have to wait at least another… Read More »Musings on Disneyland
Anyone who is upset at the artistic license taken in representing Mickey Mouse in the new animated shorts should take a gander at this 1955 version of the classic character as envisioned by legendary Disney animator Tom Oreb. Mickey was given this modern update for… Read More »Mickey Mouse as Corporate Shill
If I had a time machine at my disposal, it would be very tempting to travel back to 1955, cough up the dollar fifty admission and visit Disneyland during its inaugural year. While, I don’t have a time machine, there is YouTube and the great culture of sharing home movies. Here are a few home videos that feature Walt’s park in its earliest incarnation.
This next one captures the park just a few days after opening. Walt even makes an appearance:
Holy smokes. Did you see that clown at the 2:08 mark? Where did that come from? Also note at 2:30 that Dumbo was still under construction.
One of the enduring urban legends surrounding Walt Disney was that after he died from lung cancer in 1966 his body (just his head in some versions) was cryogenically preserved so that future generations could enjoy his genius once the technology to reanimate the dead… Read More »Origins of Walt Disney is Frozen Urban Legend
I know what you’re going to be doing for at least two hours this holiday weekend. Once you start listening to this wide ranging and entertaining interview with Disney Legend Dick Van Dyke on the Kevin Pollack Chat Show you’ll clear your schedule for next… Read More »Terrific Dick Van Dyke Interview
This Earth Day DisneyNature invites you to visit the incredible world of Bears. It’s the newest film in the tradition of Walt Disney’s True Life Adventure films and possibly their best yet.
Promising an epic story of breathtaking scale, Disneynature’s Bears showcases a year in the life of a bear family as two impressionable young cubs are taught life’s most important lessons. Set against a majestic Alaskan backdrop teeming with life, their journey begins as winter comes to an end and the bears emerge from hibernation to face the bitter cold. The world outside is exciting—but risky—as the cubs’ playful descent down the mountain carries with it a looming threat of avalanches. As the season changes from spring to summer, the brown bears must work hard to find food—ultimately feasting at a plentiful salmon run—while staying safe from rival male bears and predators, including an ever-present wolf pack. “Bears” captures the fast-moving action and suspense of life in one of the planet’s last great wildernesses—Alaska!
Disneynature’s Bears opens in theaters in time for Earth Day on April 18, 2014.Read More »DisneyNature Presents Bears