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• Mist Direction or How DAK Operations just slipped Joe Rohde a Mickey

  Jim Hill talks about "Expedition Everest" 's faltering effects. More importantly, WDW's long-standing tradition of bamboozling senior Disney officials whenever they come on property Read More... Posted Tuesday, May 27, 2008 12:00 AM | 20 Comments Filed under: Disney, theme park, Pixar, Walt Disney, attraction, John Lasseter, Michael Eisner, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Dick Nunis, Joe Rohde, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, The Jungle Cruise, Expedition Everest : Legend of the Forbidden Mountain, Disney Legend, The Magic Kingdom, Disney Parks & Resorts, WDI, 10th anniversary, WDW, Expedition Everest, DAK, "Expedition Everest: Legend of the Forbidden Mountain", Operations, Disney World, Disney / Pixar, effects, guests, attractions, shows, rides, ride, show, theme park attraction, Food Service, Chairman, Liberty Tree Tavern

• Will the Liberty Square bridge repairs lead to an abridged version of Disney's "Dreams Come True" parade ?

  Jim Hill brings you the latest news on this Magic Kingdom construction project. Which could result in a pretty intriguing parade route at that theme park for a few weeks this summer Read More... Posted Wednesday, March 26, 2008 12:00 AM | 18 Comments Filed under: Disney, theme park, parade, fireworks, attraction, Walt Disney World, Magic Kingdom, Orlando, The Magic Kingdom, Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Disney Parks & Resorts, Central Florida, WDW, Fantasyland, Liberty Square, resort, 2008, Disney World, The Walt Disney World Resort, Halloween, "Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party", Frontierland, Main Street USA, attractions, Disney World vacation, customers, on property, on-property , July , construction, August, "Pirate & Princess Party" , "Disney's Pirate & Princess Party" , fireworks extravaganza , hard ticket , after-hours event, "Mickey's Pirate & Princess Party", June , parades

• 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

• Does WDI plan on gagging our next Commander-in-Chief as part of the 2009 redo of WDW's "Hall of Presidents" ?

  Jim Hill shares what he's heard about the upcoming revamp of this Magic Kingdom attraction. To be specific, how the Imagineers are looking to shave a few minutes off of the running time of this 36-year-old Liberty Square show Read More... Posted Tuesday, March 04, 2008 12:00 AM | 50 Comments Filed under: Disney, theme park, attraction, Imagineering, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Magic Kingdom, Anaheim, The Magic Kingdom, Audio Animatronic, Bill Clinton, The President of the United States, WDI, WDW, Imagineer, Walt Disney Imagineering, Liberty Square, wheelchair accessible, AA figure, Audio Animatronics, handicap access, 2009, The Walt Disney World Resort, 2001, show, theme park attraction, WDW guests, Imagineers, July , handicap-accessible, wheelchair-friendly, wheelchair, presidential primaries, presidential primary, primaries, primary, President, Commander-in-Chief, "The Hall of Presidents", promotional gimmick , Chief Executive , Blaine Gibson , George W Bush, Monica Lewinsky , scandal , approval rating , dignity , roll call , speech, "THOP" , THOP, Gettysburg Address, The Gettysburg Address , "Great Moments with Mr Lincoln", redo, revamp, recycling , back east, electric convenience vehicle , ECV, ECV - friendly, improvements , doorway , turnstile , "The Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management" , Iago, Uh-Oa, Zzzs , bran muffin

• Disney testing new ways to slow down FastPass counterfeiters

  Jim Hill talks about the plan that Disney Parks & Resorts has in the works to catch folks who are using bogus "Attraction Re-entry" tickets that they've purchased off of eBay. Which will involve scanning each individual FastPass for authenticity before the Mouse then allows that guest to enter a particular ride, show or attraction Read More... Posted Thursday, February 21, 2008 12:00 AM | 34 Comments Filed under: Disney, theme park, attraction, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, The Jungle Cruise, Anaheim, The Walt Disney Company, FastPass, The Magic Kingdom, Disneyland Resort, Disney Parks & Resorts, WDW, cast members, cast member, Disneyana Enthusiasts, Mouse, theme park visitor, theme park guest, Disney World, The Walt Disney World Resort, ticket sales, theme park fans, attractions, shows, rides, ride, show, theme park attraction, admission , admission fee

• Monday Mouse Watch : Get ready to make the "Disney Magic Connection"

  Jim Hill talks about the field tests that are being held at WDW's Magic Kingdom this week. Which involve a new hand-held device that could potentially revolutionize the Disney theme park going experience Read More... Posted Monday, January 14, 2008 12:00 AM | 40 Comments Filed under: Disney, theme park, attraction, Imagineering, Magic Kingdom, FastPass, The Magic Kingdom, WDI, WDW, Imagineer, resort, Disney World, attractions, rides, ride, show, "Disney Magic Connection", "My Pal Mickey", My Pal Mickey, Disney Magic Connection, Town Square Exposition Hall, Nintendo DS, WDI R & D, R & D, hand-held device, wireless unit, wait time, real time, trivia

• WDI's X-Scream Makeover of WDW's Haunted Mansion: Part 5

  Jim Hill concludes his series on this Magic Kingdom favorite by first talking about that state-of-the-art image capture system that was installed at this dark ride but never really turned on, then by discussing the exit area gift shop that will eventually be added to this attraction Read More... Posted Friday, October 26, 2007 12:00 AM | 16 Comments Filed under: Disney, TV, Walt Disney, attraction, Imagineering, Walt Disney World, Orlando, Omnimover, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Splash Mountain, The Magic Kingdom, Space Mountain, Audio Animatronic, The Haunted Mansion, WDI, WDW, Imagineer, Fantasyland, Walt Disney Imagineering, Little Leota, The Graveyard, Liberty Square, Madam Leota, Doom Buggy, The Attic, Operations, The Séance Circle , AA figure, Audio Animatronics, dark ride, Hitchhiking Ghosts, The Yankee Trader, scrim, Headless Knight, Opera Singer, Headsman, The Crypt, souvenir, Chickapen Hill, carnotaur, Time Rover, image capture, Disney PhotoPass, Smart Chip, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, handicap access, The Mausoleum, privacy concerns, show building, "Minority Report", Steven Spielberg, computer, hotel

• WDI's X-Scream Makeover of WDW's Haunted Mansion: Part 4

  Jim Hill continues his 5-part series on this recently revamped Magic Kingdom classic. This time around, Jim talks about a gag that the Imagineers finally felt was far too gruesome to be added to this attraction's Attic sequence Read More... Posted Thursday, October 25, 2007 12:00 AM | 4 Comments Filed under: Disney, attraction, Imagineering, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Anaheim, Omnimover, The Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, Audio Animatronic, The Haunted Mansion, Disneyana, Haunted Halloween, WDI, Glendale, WDW, Imagineer, Walt Disney Imagineering, The Portrait Gallery, The Graveyard, stretching room, Liberty Square, Madam Leota, digital projection, Jeff Lange, Doom Buggy, The Attic, The Grand Staircase, Operations, The Séance Circle , M.C. Escher , AA figure, Audio Animatronics, The Grand Ballroom , Tokyo, dark ride, Lexan, Constance, bird cage, wedding band, ring, Hatbox Ghost, Hitchhiking Ghosts, The Yankee Trader, Leota Toombs, trumpet

• 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 2

  Jim Hill continues his 5-part series that takes an in-depth look at this recently revamped Magic Kingdom favorite. This time around, Jim talk about how the changes that the Imagineers made to the Doom Buggies' audio system as well as revealing why Jack Skellington won't be "Making Christmas" in WDW's Haunted Mansion anytime soon Read More... Posted Tuesday, October 23, 2007 12:00 AM | 6 Comments Filed under: Disney, theme park, attraction, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Omnimover, The Magic Kingdom, The Haunted Mansion, Disneyana, "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas", Disney Parks & Resorts, Tim Burton, WDI, WDW, Paul Frees, The Foyer, The Portrait Gallery, The Entrance Hallway, The Graveyard, Liberty Square, cast members, Jeff Lange, Doom Buggy, The Attic, earbuds, iPod, rPod, RidePod, log, bateaux, intrusion mats, The Grand Staircase, Grad Nite, Night of Joy, teen, teenager, dark duty, intrusion beams, The Corridor of Doors, enhancements, The Portrait Corridor, Operations, Jack Skellington, Hidden Jacks, "Haunted Mansion Holiday", Phil Holmes, cast member

• 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

• "The Disney Mountains: Imagineering at Its Peak" will be a tiptop addition to any Disneyana fan's library

  Jim Hill checks out Jason Surrell's latest book. Which offers an entertaining & formative look back at how the Imagineers went about creating all of those "mountains" that you now find inside of the various Disney theme parks Read More... Posted Wednesday, September 19, 2007 12:00 AM | 7 Comments Filed under: book, Disney, theme park, attraction, Pirates of the Caribbean, Imagineering, Disneyland, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Disney's California Adventure, Expedition Everest : Legend of the Forbidden Mountain, Disney's Typhoon Lagoon, Splash Mountain, Tokyo DisneySea, The Magic Kingdom, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Disney's Blizzard Beach, Tokyo Disneyland, Disney Editions, Disneyland Paris, The Matterhorn, Mount Prometheus, Big Thunder Mountain, Thunder Mesa, Forbidden Mountain, Jason Surrell, "The Disney Mountains: Imagineering at Its Peak", "The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies", "Pirates of the Caribbean: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies", Holiday Hill, Bill Evans, American Bridge, Arrow Development, John Hench

• 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"

• New Disney patent application reveals that FASTPASS-for-pay is not so far away

  Jim Hill shares some info about changes that appear to be in the works for the Mouse's virtual queuing system. Some that are pretty good, and some that are sure to upset right-to-privacy fans Read More... Posted Wednesday, September 05, 2007 12:00 AM | 58 Comments Filed under: Disney, attraction, Imagineering, resorts, Magic Kingdom, Anaheim, Orlando, The Walt Disney Company, FastPass, patent application, The Magic Kingdom, handheld device, cell phone, right-to-privacy, digital television, DTVs