marty sklar News & Updates

Zinger at the End of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway’s Was Imagineer’s Way to ‘Leave ‘Em Laughin’’

November 15, 2021 by Chuck Schmidt

It turns out that the gentle nudge at the end of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway wasn’t in the original plans for the ride. After years of meticulous planning down to the smallest detail, Kevin Rafferty admits he was winging it for that last surprise ... a trademark of the now-retired Disney Imagineer.

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As Walt Disney World Approaches Its 50th, We Look Back at Previous Anniversaries

June 16, 2021 by Chuck Schmidt

Beginning in 1981 and for every five years hence, Walt Disney World was the place where anniversaries were not only celebrated, but were celebrated in grandiose, over-the-top fashion.

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A Stroll Down Memory Lane: Marty Sklar’s Disneyland-Themed Retirement Party

May 18, 2021 by Chuck Schmidt

When Marty Sklar retired from the Walt Disney Company on July 17, 2009, after 53 years of service, he received the type of sendoff that was worthy of … well, Marty Sklar. The night before his official retirement date, family, friends and colleagues gathered for a party at Walt Disney Imagineering’s Glendale, California, campus. The night was filled with laughter, nostalgia and good-natured fun … with a smattering of emotion sprinkled in for good measure.

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Extra! Extra! Read All About Disney’s Decades-Long Connection With Newspapers

April 19, 2021 by Chuck Schmidt

Newspapers – at least newspapers in their heyday – played a prominent role in the lives of many key people within the Walt Disney Company ranks over the years.

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Kevin Rafferty Pumps the Brakes on His Illustrious Imagineer Career

April 5, 2021 by Chuck Schmidt

On April 1, Kevin Rafferty – one of the most prolific members of Walt Disney Imagineering – pumped the brakes on his daily trek, as well as his heralded Disney career, leaving behind a legacy that few, if any, will ever match.

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THE FIRST TIME I VISITED: The Disney/MGM Studios

March 16, 2021 by Chuck Schmidt

Underwhelming. That's what I thought after our first visit to the Disney/MGM Studios in August of 1989. Where it took several days to see and do most of the attractions at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, it took just a few hours to take in the limited number of adventures in the park, which was based on Hollywood, and specifically, movie and television production.

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Ten of the BEST Easter Eggs on Walt Disney World Rides

January 28, 2021 by Kelly Oliveros

There are all kinds of hidden Mickeys and other easter eggs on Disney World attractions. Today, we're sharing our list of the top 10 easter eggs on Disney rides!

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A Peek At Some Of EPCOT’s Proposed (But Never Built) Attractions

December 22, 2020 by Chuck Schmidt

Epcot was in the midst of a massive and long-overdue overhaul earlier this year when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. If nothing else, the delay in the opening of attractions such as Ratatouille and Guardians of the Galaxy and the overall upgrade of the park has afforded us the opportunity to pause and take a look back … to some of the attractions that were on the drawing board, but never made it to the park.

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The Walt Disney Company Has Been In A ‘New York State of Mind’ For Decades

November 23, 2020 by Chuck Schmidt

Even though the Walt Disney Company is based in California, New York and Disney have had a long association, one which continues to this day. One could go as far as to say that New York City is the Walt Disney Company’s second home.

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To Stay Afloat Financially in the 1950s, Disneyland Closed on Select Days During the Slow Season

October 5, 2020 by Chuck Schmidt

It may be hard to fathom, given the staggering attendance figures we saw at the Anaheim, Calif., resort before the pandemic wreaked havoc, but closures at Disneyland were fairly common during its first few years of operation.

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