All Ears® Guest Blog

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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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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The Stories Are What Defined Bill [Sully] Sullivan’s Storied Disney Career

July 17, 2024 by Chuck Schmidt

The Story — or, more accurately, The Stories — are what defined the 40-year Disney career of William (Sully) Sullivan, who passed away earlier this week at the age of 88.

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The Many Adventures Of Tom Sawyer Island

July 15, 2024 by Chuck Schmidt

The first time I saw Tom Sawyer Island in Walt Disney World, it was a mess. A little more than a year after WDW opened, in the fall of 1972, the future Frontierland attraction was a work in progress. It was, in fact, a busy, somewhat chaotic construction site. Heavy construction equipment was parked in … Continue reading "The Many Adventures Of Tom Sawyer Island"

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First Visit To Walt Disney World In 1972 Launched A Lifetime Of Cherished Memories

July 8, 2024 by Chuck Schmidt

The Walt Disney World we visited in 1972 was a vastly different place than the expansive resort we know today. We didn’t know it at the time, that first visit launched a lifetime of cherished memories at the Vacation Kingdom of the World.

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Visiting A Disney Park Without Actually Being There, Courtesy Of YouTube

June 24, 2024 by Chuck Schmidt

After knee replacement surgery in February, spending time watching videos on YouTube became a passion. Even though my movements in the house were limited and I was reliant on a cane to get around, I could be “in” Walt Disney World or Disneyland without actually being there.

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At Disney, There’s No Shortage of Ideas, Even Recycled Ones

June 10, 2024 by Chuck Schmidt

There are many other examples of highly touted Disney projects that didn’t make it past the concept stages … but would resurface years later in different forms. At Disney, good ideas are never discarded.

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A Sweet Tribute To Disney’s Legendary Nine Old Men

May 13, 2024 by Chuck Schmidt

On a wall behind some cash registers in The World of Disney store is a simple, poignant tribute to The Nine Old Men, Walt Disney’s most prolific and admired animators who were responsible for creating some of the most endearing characters ever to come out of the Walt Disney Animation Studios

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