Chuck Schmidt

Chuck Schmidt, bitten by the Disney bug at an early age, remembers watching The Mickey Mouse Club after school in the mid-1950s. During his 48-year career in the newspaper business, he channeled that love of Disney as the Sunday News and Travel editor for The Staten Island Advance. Chuck has written or co-authored seven books for Theme Park Press, including Disney's Dream Weavers, On the Disney Beat, An American in Disneyland Paris, Disney's Animal Kingdom: An Unofficial History and The Beat Goes On. Chuck has shared his passion for all things Disney in his Still Goofy About Disney blog on AllEars.Net since 2015. He resides in Beachwood, N.J., with his wife Janet. They have three adult children and seven grandchildren.

Art Smith’s Homecoming beefs up Disney Springs’ restaurant offerings

Posted on by Chuck Schmidt
Guests at Art Smith’s Homecoming in The Landing neighborhood at Disney Springs prepare to dig in to some of the restaurant’s signature items. [Courtesy of Art Smith’s Homecoming] As celebrity chefs go, Art Smith is the antithesis of the flashy food mavens you often see on TV cooking channels. He’s thoughtful, articulate and genuinely down-to-earth. … Continue reading "Art Smith’s Homecoming beefs up Disney Springs’ restaurant offerings"
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Change has been the name of the game at Walt Disney World

Posted on by Chuck Schmidt
Main Street U.S.A. in the Magic Kingdom has seen many changes over the years. The most recent was the placement of a Starbucks on the site of the bakery. [Walt Disney World] Walt Disney World has been compared to a living, breathing entity, in the sense that it is always growing, always changing. During a … Continue reading "Change has been the name of the game at Walt Disney World"
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Ted Kellogg’s fascinating life stories will come to life in new book

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Former Walt Disney World cast members reminisce about the good old days over lunch. From the left are Bill Sullivan, Bill Hoelscher, Ted Kellogg, Tom Nabbe and Dwight Dorr. [Courtesy of Tom Nabbe] In the late 1960s, word filtered through the ranks of cast members at Disneyland and the Walt Disney Studios in California that … Continue reading "Ted Kellogg’s fascinating life stories will come to life in new book"
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Until Shanghai, railroads have been chugging through Disney parks since 1955

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Walt Disney, left, proudly surveys Disneyland as the E.P. Ripley pulls into the station on opening day, July 17, 1955. With him are then-California Gov. Goodwin Knight, center, and Fred Gurley, president of the Santa Fe Railroad. When Shanghai Disneyland opened to the public on June 17, there was one classic Disney attraction conspicuous in … Continue reading "Until Shanghai, railroads have been chugging through Disney parks since 1955"
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A long-time Disney fan passes away: This is Alice’s story

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Alice, right, and her sister Estelle – Mickey plush in hand – posed for a photo in the lobby of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge in 2010. Her name was Alice. She was born in 1924, the third of four children whose immigrant parents came to this country from eastern Europe [specifically, Ukraine and a long-forgotten nation … Continue reading "A long-time Disney fan passes away: This is Alice’s story"
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Marty Sklar to be honored by Walt Disney Family Museum

Posted on by Chuck Schmidt
Marty Sklar accepts a donation, bound for Ryman Arts, from Pacific Northwest Mouse Meet founder Don Morin, left, and Beci Mahnken, president of Mouse Fan Travel. [Courtesy of Don Morin] If Marty Sklar knew how hectic retirement was going to be, there’s a chance – albeit a slim chance – he might have eschewed jetting … Continue reading "Marty Sklar to be honored by Walt Disney Family Museum"
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Disneyland Park in Paris: A magical destination with a mix of classic attractions and stunning attention to detail

Posted on by Chuck Schmidt
The entrance to Disneyland Park is located under the beautiful Disneyland Hotel. [Ginny Osborne] The Main Streets we’ve come to know and love in Disneyland and Walt Disney World were designed to replicate Walt Disney’s hometown in Marceline, Missouri. When Disney’s planners were designing the chief thoroughfare at Disneyland Paris, they could have ditched the … Continue reading "Disneyland Park in Paris: A magical destination with a mix of classic attractions and stunning attention to detail"
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Walt Disney Studios: It’s Hollywood Studios, with several wonderful exceptions

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Guests aboard their “ratmobile” take off for an exciting trip into the world of Ratatouille on Remy’s Totally Zany Adventure. [Disneyland Paris] As you walk through the entrance of the Walt Disney Studios at Disneyland Paris, there’s a feeling of deja vu … you know, it seems as if you’ve been here before. The Walt … Continue reading "Walt Disney Studios: It’s Hollywood Studios, with several wonderful exceptions"
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