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As Walt Disney World nears 50, looking back at the Florida Project’s beginnings

January 21, 2019 by Chuck Schmidt

As Walt Disney World moves toward its 50th anniversary in 2021, we thought we’d take a look back … back to when The Florida Project was a massive construction site fraught with earth movers, scaffolding and thousands of helmeted workers …

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How Roy E. Disney Brought His Uncle’s Collaboration with Salvador Dali to Life

January 7, 2019 by Chuck Schmidt

In the late 1990s, Roy E. Disney was researching material in his quest to put together a sequel to "Fantasia." While in the Disney archives, he came across artwork from the 1940s by Disney Legend John Hench and world-renown surrealistic artist Salvador Dali. Thanks to the efforts of a team of Disney animators, that artwork would eventually become the Academy Award-nominated short film "Destino," which was released in 2003.

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From Eddie to Marty to Charlie: The Disneyland PR Connection

November 26, 2018 by Chuck Schmidt

From Eddie Meck to Marty Sklar to Charlie Ridgway, the Disneyland publicity department was blessed with a host of talented individuals who helped get the word out on the fledgling theme park ... as well as the resorts that would follow around the world.

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Legendary actor Robert Loggia got his start as Disney’s ‘Elfego Baca’

October 29, 2018 by Chuck Schmidt

During his decades-long acting career, Robert Loggia had a strong presence in the wonderful world of Disney, starting with his first role in "The Nine LIves of Elfego Baca."

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The Story Behind Disney’s Electrical Water Pageant

October 15, 2018 by Chuck Schmidt

A few weeks after Walt Disney World opened in 1971, the Electrical Water Pageant debuted on Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon. It has been a fixture ever since. How the pageant went from concept to finished product is a fascinating story, one that ultimately led to the creation of the beloved Main Street Electrical Parade.

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A Stroll Down Memory Lane… Magic Kingdom 1973

March 21, 2018 by Debra Martin Koma

Recently, my husband and I did some home renovations, which led us to clearing out a lot of closets and throwing out a lot of old junk. Wow, it’s amazing what you accumulate after you’ve lived somewhere for 25 years! In the midst of Operation: Purge, my husband decided it was time to finally convert … Continue reading "A Stroll Down Memory Lane… Magic Kingdom 1973"

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Disney Pic of the Week: Goodbye to 2015

December 29, 2015 by Scott Thomas

As the Norway pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase prepares for Frozen Ever After, we bid goodbye to the Maelstrom boat ride through Norway’s lore, wildlife and off shore oil platforms. Before boarding the longboats, the queue was overlooked by huge murals giving a preview of the ride’s scenes. Mural in the queue to ride the … Continue reading "Disney Pic of the Week: Goodbye to 2015"

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Photographing the American Adventure in Epcot

November 13, 2015 by Scott Thomas

Photographing the American Adventure audio-animatronics show in Epcot’s World Showcase is just like photographing one with live performers. Disney lights their shows the same regardless of the kind of performers. Very moody with bright areas used to focus the audience’s attention where the show’s producers want them to. I set my camera up to use … Continue reading "Photographing the American Adventure in Epcot"

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Disney Pic of the Week: Tomorrowland

March 17, 2015 by Scott Thomas

Predicting the future is tough enough but when attractions are built showing the near future, time tends to catch up and even pass those attractions. Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress premiered during the 1964 World Fair, traveled back to Disneyland and then moved to its current location at the Magic Kingdom in 1975. The first … Continue reading "Disney Pic of the Week: Tomorrowland"

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President Lincoln vs President Nixon

June 19, 2014 by Lisa Berton

Hold your horses, this isn’t a political battle. I’m just posting two photos from Hall of Presidents that were taken using the same low light from the same seat and tweaked completely differently in PhotoShop. Why? It’s fun and I wanted to make each image look like it may have come from the period of … Continue reading "President Lincoln vs President Nixon"

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