Jim Hill

Just how spectacular was WDW's Bicentennial spectacular?

In this week's Why For column, Jim Hill looks back to July of 1976. To be specific, all of the advance preparation that WDW officials put into that resort's Bicentennial fireworks display Read More...

Posted Friday, July 18, 2008 12:00 AM | 6 Comments

Filed under: Disney, theme park, Why For, parade, fireworks, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Epcot, promotion, Disney's Polynesian Resort, Disney's Contemporary Resort, World Showcase, World Showcase Lagoon, Sleeping Beauty Castle, Seven Seas Lagoon, WDW, cast members, Jeff Lange, cast member, hotel, 1974, Crowne Plaza, 1976, theme park guest, Disney World, The Walt Disney World Resort, show, staging, WDWCelebrations , fireworks extravaganza , parades, fireworks display, water , lagoon show, water pageant, lagoon , sound check, soft opening, January, audience, water skiing, JeffLangeDVD, visually stunning

Monday Mouse Watch : Disney World's new grim grinning gracious ghosts

Forget about fright. Now it's all about being polite. Or so says Jim Hill as he talks about the new spiel that cast members are expected to recite whenever they work at this Magic Kingdom attraction Read More...

Posted Monday, June 02, 2008 12:00 AM | 14 Comments

Filed under: Disney, attraction, Imagineering, Walt Disney World, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, The Haunted Mansion, WDI, WDW, Imagineer, Walt Disney Imagineering, The Foyer, The Portrait Gallery, The Entrance Hallway, Liberty Square, cast members, Jeff Lange, cast member, JHM, guest, guests, "Grim Grinning Ghosts", butlers, maids, acting classes, "The Haunted Mansion", Imagineers, CD, script, The Ballroom, wretched bodies, blood red carpet , guest complaints , gruesome gags , PR team , acting coaches , dialogue , spiel , show narration , The Stretching Room, final arrangements, maid, butler, please, kindly , grim grinning ghosts, grim grinning gracious ghosts, polite, fright, retraining, plussing, material, blasé , fireplace, MouseSteps, JeffLangeDVD, photos, screensaver, Epcot Flower & Garden Festival, disc, Denise Preskitt

Monday Mouse Watch : It's lights out for DAK's "Rivers of Light" parade, while Beastly Kingdomme makes a character-based comeback

Jim Hill brings you the latest news on Disney's Animal Kingdom. Including how WDW has been meeting with DAK curators to see who'd be willing to go take care of the animals that will soon be on display over at Disney's Night Kingdom Read More...

Posted Monday, March 24, 2008 12:00 AM | 36 Comments

Filed under: Disney, theme park, parade, attraction, Imagineering, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Epcot, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, "Dinosaur", The Magic Kingdom, Disney Parks & Resorts, WDI, "it's a small world", 10th anniversary, WDW, Imagineer, Walt Disney Imagineering, Beastly Kingdomme, DAK, "Finding Nemo -- The Musical", "Rivers of Light", Dan Haskett, theme park visitor, theme park guest, Disney World, The Walt Disney World Resort, theme park fans, attractions, rides, ride, show, theme park attraction, Animal Kingdom , WDWCelebrations , "A Wild Decade" , Pleasure Island, night club, Disney's Night Kingdom, DNK, Imagineers, Steve Davison, "It's Tough to Be a Bug", Japanese Lantern Parade, "ROL", "Pocahontas and her Forest Friends", "Festival of the Lion King", "Rafiki's Planet Watch", Camp Minnie-Mickey, character greeting area, "Quest for the Unicorn", "Dragon's Tower", horticulture, nighttime parade, after-hours extravaganza, character-friendly addition, pathway, night clubs, parades, Disney characters, Disney brand

The story that Walt didn't want you to hear

Before hitting the road for Orlando, Jim Hill shares an excerpt from a long forgotten Reader's Digest feature condensation: Richard Collier's "Wish Upon a Star: The Magical Kingdoms of Walt Disney" Read More...

Posted Thursday, February 07, 2008 12:00 AM | 13 Comments

Filed under: Disney, theme park, Universal Studios, Walt Disney, Disneyland, Epcot, Orlando, SeaWorld, Tom Sawyer Island, Spaceship Earth, Main Street U.S.A., The Haunted Mansion, Tutto Italia Ristorante, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", Universal Orlando, 1971, JHM, Universal Studios Orlando, Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, Universal Orlando Resort, October, television program, Main Street USA, construction site, New Hampshire, camera, pictures, Tuesday , publishing schedule, website , weekend , Orlando Fun Tickets, webmasters, webmaster, Aquatica, Yak & Yeti , hit-and-run trip, hit-and-run, Richard Collier, "Wish Upon a Star: The Magical Kingdoms of Walt Disney" , Feature Condensation , issue, Reader's Digest, 1955, Tennessee, 11-year-old , leukemia, Central Plaza , landscaping , train, Disneyland Railroad , locomotive , coal car , track, skyline, will-o'-the-wisp, Rainbow Caverns, Tom Sawyer's Island, "Snow White" , enchantment, childhood, Van France , train ride, worksite, picture, publicity, celebrities, celebrity, charity , charity event , cameras, private

Do-it-yourself Epcot celebration leads to new fan-based business

Jim Hill reveals how "Celebration 25" led to the creation of "WDWCelebrations." Which will be presenting "A Wild Decade" at Disney's Animal Kingdom this April in honor of that theme park's 10th anniversary Read More...

Posted Thursday, January 24, 2008 12:00 AM | 6 Comments

Filed under: Disney, Imagineering, Disneyland, Epcot, promotion, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Orlando, Innoventions, Marty Sklar, The Walt Disney Company, Epcot Center, concept art, 2719 Hyperion, WDI, Central Florida, 10th anniversary, WDW, Imagineer, "Year of a Million Dreams", DAK, Figment, Nathan Rose, MagicalMountain, WDWMagic, tourists, promotional campaign, 2008, Disney World, The Walt Disney World Resort, 2007, merch, Disneyana fans, Disney World vacation, Disneyana community , Deb Wills , AllEars.net , Brad Rex, 25th anniversary , "The Happiest Celebration on Earth" , 50th anniversary , Central Florida resort , 100th birthday , "100 Years of Magic" , tourist , Jenn Waitt , discussion boards , "Celebration 25" , Adam Roth, Jason Diffendal , get-together , Disney webmasters , John Corigliano , Mouse Times, Lou Mongello , Disney World Trivia , Jeff Pepper , day-long event, history walk , dessert party, rededication ceremony, temporary exhibit , props, models , MC , history talks, Fountain of Nations , Mouse Gear, limited edition , merchandise , commemorative , Figment plush , merchandise location , manager , Animal Kingdom , WDWCelebrations , fan-based , signature event , commemorative event, April 22 1998, "A Wild Decade" , guest speaker, registrants , Magical Mountain, "The Epcot Thing"

The Russians are coming !! The Russians are coming !! ... to Epcot ?!

Jim Hill shares the news that's been leaking out of Glendale since just before Christmas. Which is that the Mouse has recently revived its plans to add a Russia pavilion to Epcot's World Showcase Read More...

Posted Tuesday, January 08, 2008 12:00 AM | 37 Comments

Filed under: Disney, attraction, Imagineering, Michael Eisner, Walt Disney World, Epcot, Epcot Center, World Showcase, World Showcase Lagoon, television, Soviet Union, Russia, Imagineer, Disneyland Hotel, The Walt Disney World Resort, ride, show

"Not a creature was stirring ...," not even the guy who writes all of those stories about the Mouse

Jim Hill explains why JHM has been content-free for the past week. He also passes along some news about the Harwick family's holiday as well as promoting some upcoming stories for the site Read More...

Posted Thursday, December 27, 2007 12:00 AM | 6 Comments

Filed under: Disney, theme park, Epcot, WDW, Steve Martin, cast members, Disney World, The Walt Disney World Resort, "The Jerk" , record snowfall, snow, New England, New Hampshire, deer, "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid", the holidays, Elizabeth Harwick, Harwick family, the Harwick family, drifts, snowdrifts, digging out, New York Times, The New York Times

Tube Tuesday: Gary Trousdale tries to "Shrek the Halls" without first wrecking DreamWorks Animation's most important franchise

Jim Hill chats with this WDAS vet about many of the ogre-sized challenges he faced while directing this new holiday special. Which airs tomorrow night on ABC Read More...

Posted Tuesday, November 27, 2007 12:00 AM | 6 Comments

Filed under: animation, Disney, DreamWorks, ABC, CG, Epcot, "Beauty & the Beast", "Shrek the Third", DreamWorks Animation, Walt Disney Animation Studios, television, WDAS, Future World , Christmas, film, gags , film franchise, Happy Holidays, "Tis the season" , feature film , "Shrek Goes Fourth", ratings, color coordinated , Godzilla, midnight snack, chimney, cookie plate, cookie, "It's the most wonderful time of the year" , holiday season , gingerbread man, "Twas The Night Before Christmas" , Gingy, holiday perennial, dated , timeless , film parody, in-joke, Disney in-joke, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers , recording session, DreamWorks campus, character bits , TV special, holiday story , "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" , "A Charlie Brown Christmas", Best Picture nominee, Richard Purdum , 1980s, "Cranium Command", Kirk Wise, holiday special, Christmas special, Gary Trousdale, fairytale, Santa's workshop, The North Pole, Puss in Boots, Donkey, Saint Nick, Saint Nicholas, naughty list, Santa Claus, ogre, Shrek, "Shrek's First Christmas", "Shrek the Halls"

Remembering Bruce Gordon (1951 - 2007)

Jim Hill pays tribute to this much beloved author & Imagineer, who passed away this past weekend at the far-too-young age of 56 Read More...

Posted Wednesday, November 07, 2007 12:00 AM | 18 Comments

Filed under: Disney, theme park, attraction, Pirates of the Caribbean, Imagineering, WED, Disneyland, Epcot, The Jungle Cruise, Epcot Center, Tokyo Disneyland, Jeff Kurtti, Bruce Gordon, WDI, Imagineer

WDI's X-Scream Makeover of WDW's Haunted Mansion: Part 3

Jim Hill continues his 5-part series on this recently revamped Magic Kingdom classic. This time around, Jim reveals how WDI recycled a creative concept that had originally been proposed for the 1999 redo of Epcot's "Imagination" pavilion. Which now adds a truly surreal touch to this WDW dark ride Read More...

Posted Wednesday, October 24, 2007 12:00 AM | 5 Comments

Filed under: Disney, Walt Disney, attraction, Imagineering, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Marc Davis, Omnimover, Disney Legend, Epcot Center, The Magic Kingdom, Audio Animatronic, The Haunted Mansion, Disney Parks & Resorts, WDI, Glendale, WDW, Imagineer, Walt Disney Imagineering, Liberty Square, Madam Leota, Jeff Lange, Doom Buggy, The Attic, The Grand Staircase, The Corridor of Doors, The Music Room, The Endless Hallway, 1971, spider, wallpaper, The Séance Circle , Imagination pavilion, "Journey into Imagination" , Future World , M.C. Escher , "Relativity”, Kodak , Rochester N.Y., "Journey in Your Imagination" , "Journey into Imagination with Figment" , ghosts , spirits , Dreamfinder, Figment, AA figure, The Conservatory , The Grand Ballroom

WDI's X-Scream Makeover of WDW's Haunted Mansion: Part 1

Jim Hill begins a new series that takes an in-depth look at this Magic Kingdom favorite. Which recently underwent a three-month-long overhaul that significantly enhanced many of the effects found in this Liberty Square attraction Read More...

Posted Monday, October 22, 2007 12:00 AM | 9 Comments

Filed under: Disney, attraction, Imagineering, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Epcot, The Jungle Cruise, Disney Legend, Epcot Center, The Magic Kingdom, The Haunted Mansion, Imagineer, Paul Frees, Ghost Host, Gargoyles, The Colonnade, The Foyer, The Portrait Gallery, The Entrance Hallway, The Graveyard, stretching room, Liberty Square, Madam Leota, singing busts, Smellizer, Mr. Toad, Pet Cemetery, Dutch Gothic, wheelchair accessible, Master Gracey, "The Picture of Dorian Gray", digital projection, binaural sound, cast members, Jeff Lange

Why For did the Mouse really rename MGM "Disney's Hollywood Studios" ?

Did Disney's desire to finally create an after-hours event that would rival Universal's Halloween Horror Nights actually play a part in the renaming of Disney-MGM Studios? Jim Hill shares what he's heard from Mouse House insiders Read More...

Posted Friday, October 12, 2007 12:00 AM | 19 Comments

Filed under: Disney, theme park, Why For, Universal Studios, Imagineering, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios theme park, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's Hollywood , The Magic Kingdom, Tutto Italia Ristorante, Patina Group, L'Originale Alfredo di Roma Ristorante, Disney's Horrorwood Studios, Disney's Hollyday Studios, Google Earth, Henry Selick, "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas", Glow in the Dark Parade, Haunted Halloween, Halloween Horror Nights, Hong Kong Disneyland, Universal Orlando, Al's Toy Barn, Backlot Theater, The Hunchback of Notre Dame: A Musical Adventure, Muppet Movie Ride, The Boneyard, Pixar Place, Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Disney Parks & Resorts, WDW Entertainment, Halloweentown, Generation Gap Bridge, Hourglass Lake, Florida tourism, 9/11, The Legendary Years, The Classic Years, Disney's Pop Century Resort, value resorts, family suites, Disney's All Star Music Resort, Jazz Inn building, Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano, Tim Burton, WDI, Glendale, The Osbourne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

Another Kingdom That Never Came: Disneyland expansion plans circa 1976

As a follow-up to last week's "Why For," Jim Hill shares some excerpts from the Disneyland Long Range Masterplan. Which goes into great details about such never-built "lands" as the Lost Continent, Big Town U.S.A. and World Holiday Land Read More...

Posted Friday, September 07, 2007 12:00 AM | 11 Comments

Filed under: Disney, theme park, Why For, attraction, Imagineering, WED, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Disney's California Adventure, California Screamin', The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Anaheim, Mysterious Island, Norway pavilion, The Magic Kingdom, Pinocchio's Daring Journey, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, The Hall of Presidents, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Charles Boyer, American Waterfront, Maelstrom, The Sun Wheel, Discovery Bay, "Dumbo Circus"

Does "Graduation" actually bring Kim Possible's career to a close? Maybe

On the eve of the airing of this series finale, Jim Hill talks with KP creators Robert Schooley and Mark McCorkle. Who talk about the surprise fourth season that this Disney Channel show received as well as how Kim will now live on as the star of a brand-new interactive attraction at Epcot Read More...

Posted Thursday, September 06, 2007 12:00 AM | 18 Comments

Filed under: Disney, movies, theme park, TV, attraction, Disney Channel, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Epcot, World Showcase, Robert Schooley, Mark McCorkle, "Kim Possible", "So the Drama", "Sky High", Nickelodeon, Walt Disney Television Animation, "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End", "Team Possible" interactive game

Remembering Epcot Center's very first visitors

Jim Hill looks back at Labor Day 1982. When Walt Disney Productions invited the construction workers who'd actually built Disney World's second theme park to be among the first to sample its selection of rides, shows and attractions Read More...

Posted Monday, September 03, 2007 12:00 AM | 9 Comments

Filed under: Disney, Walt Disney, attraction, Walt Disney World, Epcot, Walt Disney Productions, Epcot Center, Richard M. Nixon, Hayden Burns, Claude Kirk, Reuben Asken, Bob Graham, World Showcase, World Showcase Lagoon, Card Walker