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Hidden In Plain Sight: Mailboxes, Public Phones, and Imagineers’ Tributes

December 9, 2024 by Chuck Schmidt

One of my favorite things to do when I visit a Disney theme park is to seek out all the hidden gems. While most other park guests are making a beeline to the next attraction or show – heads down, dodging strollers and wheelchairs with the skill of an NFL running back – I can be found checking out the smallest detail, the tiniest nugget left behind by those clever folks at Walt Disney Imagineering.

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The Muppets Planned to Have a Ride DECADES Before Taking Over Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster

November 25, 2024 by Brian Delpozo

A Muppet ride was first planned almost 40 years ago!

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The 5 Abandoned Disney Decade Projects I WISH Had Been Built

November 16, 2024 by Brian Delpozo

Of all the Disney Decade projects, not getting these hurt the most...

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At Disney, It’s All Relative When It Comes To These Cast Member Connections

November 11, 2024 by Chuck Schmidt

Walt Disney was all about family, in his life and in his life’s work. When he created award-winning animated films, it was with family entertainment in mind. And when he conceived Disneyland, the world’s first theme park, the impetus was to build a place where parents and their children could have fun together. So it … Continue reading "At Disney, It’s All Relative When It Comes To These Cast Member Connections"

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It Turns Out, It’s Tough To Be It’s Tough To Be A Bug

September 30, 2024 by Chuck Schmidt

With the announcement that It’s Tough to be a Bug! in Disney’s Animal Kingdom is closing in favor of a Zootopia-themed show, we thought it might be a good idea to go back to It’s Tough to be a Bug!’s roots, to learn how that attraction came to be.

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Two Legendary Photographers Documented The Early Days Of Disneyland And Walt Disney World

September 9, 2024 by Chuck Schmidt

One took photographs of the hell-on-Earth he witnessed on battlefields during World War II. The other snapped photos of death and destruction of a different kind – on the often dangerous highways and city streets in and around southern California in the 1940s and ‘50s. Both rose out of the mayhem to become key figures in documenting Disney history.

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Is A Villains Land The Right Fit For The Magic Kingdom? Thoughts On Recent D23 Gathering

August 21, 2024 by Chuck Schmidt

The Magic Kingdom, as Walt Disney himself once said, is a place “where parents and their children can have fun together.” With that in mind, I find the announcement of a villains-themed land to be built near Big Thunder Mountain concerning.

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Disney’s Country Bear Jamboree — A Complete History

August 7, 2024 by Lisa Gilmore

Come with us as we explore the history and inspiration behind Disney's Country Bear Jamboree.

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Disney’s Splash Mountain — A Complete History

August 6, 2024 by Lisa Gilmore

Splash Mountain is one of Disney's most iconic attractions, but did you know the history behind it? Read on to learn the controversial inspiration behind this attraction, the surprising source of its name, and the origin of all those singing birds!

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The Evolution Of – And My Obsession With – Disney Guide Maps

August 5, 2024 by Chuck Schmidt

Ever since the first time I entered a Disney theme park in 1972, I have made it a point to get my hands on three maps – one to use during the visit, another to save for posterity and a third just in case something happens to the other two? I've built up quite an extensive collection over the years.

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