Browse by Tags

• 2001
• 2005
• 2006
• 2007
• 2008
• 2009
• 2012
• AA figure
• Adventureland
• Adventureland Veranda
• after-hours event
• Anaheim
• April
• attraction
• attractions
• August
• book
• Captain Jack Sparrow
• cast member
• cast members
• Cinderella Castle
• construction
• Disney
• Disney Editions
• Disney franchise
• Disney Parks & Resorts
• Disney Princess
• Disney World
• Disneyland
• Disney's Animal Kingdom
• Disney's Enchanted Adventures Parade
• Disney's Hollywood Studios
• Disney's Pirate & Princess Party
• DNK
• doorway
• Doubleday
• electric convenience vehicle
• Emily Osment
• Enchanted Adventures Parade
• entrance area
• Epcot
• equation
• Euro Disney
• Euro Disneyland
• Expedition Everest
• Expedition Everest : Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
• face character
• facelift
• Fantasyland
• FastPass
• Festival of the Lion King
• film
• fireworks
• fireworks extravaganza
• guest
• guests
• hard ticket
• Herb Ryman
• Imagineer
• Imagineering
• Imagineers
• it's a small world
• July
• Liberty Square
• Liberty Square bridge
• merch
• merchandise
• Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
• Mickey's Pirate & Princess Party
• movie
• Orlando
• parade
• parades
• Pirate & Princess Party
• Pirates 4
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Pirates of the Caribbean 4
• Pirates of the Caribbean films
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
• resort
• ride
• rides
• show
• shows
• Space Mountain
• The Magic Kingdom
• The Walt Disney Company
• theme park
• theme park attraction
• theme park fans
• theme park guest
• theme park visitor
• ticket sales
• Walt Disney Imagineering
• Walt Disney World
• WDI
• WDW
• WDW guests
• WDW officials
• World of Disney

• "The Art of the Walt Disney World Resort" is worth going out of your way for

  Jim Hill reviews Jeff Kurtti & Bruce Gordon’s latest book. Which features some spectacular sketches & concept paintings for WDW rides and resorts that were never built Read More... Posted Wednesday, May 27, 2009 12:00 AM | 14 Comments Filed under: book, A Christmas Carol, Imagineering, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, The Magic Kingdom, Main Street U.S.A., Jeff Kurtti, Bruce Gordon, Disney Editions, WDI, WDW, Imagineer, Walt Disney Imagineering, hotel, resort, Disney World, The Walt Disney World Resort, attractions, shows, rides, UK, Euro Disney, Charles Dickens, art of book, concept painting, artwork, sketches

• Seldom-seen concept art a highlight of "The Imagineering Field Guide to Disneyland"

  Jim Hill checks out the latest volume in Alex Wright's "Imagineering Field Guide" series and finds that this 128-page paperback does an excellent job of summing up the history & the appeal of the Happiest Place on Earth Read More... Posted Wednesday, November 12, 2008 12:00 AM | 5 Comments Filed under: book, Disney, Imagineering, Disneyland, Epcot, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, The Magic Kingdom, Disney Editions, Herb Ryman, John Hench, Disneyana, WDI, it's a small world, WDW, Imagineer, Fantasyland, 2008, 2009, The Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyana fans, 1955, Imagineers, April , hippo

• "Creating Magic" reveals how the modern Magic Kingdom really operates

  Jim Hill reviews Lee Cockerell's new book, which recounts the many lessons that this Disney vet learned while he was the Executive Vice President in charge of Operations at the WDW Resort Read More... Posted Wednesday, October 15, 2008 12:00 AM | 7 Comments Filed under: book, Disney, parade, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Tinker Bell, The Walt Disney Company, The Magic Kingdom, Euro Disneyland, Cinderella, 9/11, Walt Disney : The Triumph of the American Imagination, The Animated Man : A Life of Walt Disney, Neal Gabler, Michael Barrier, WDW, cast members, cast member, David Koenig, Realityland: True-Life Adventures of Walt Disney World, Disney World, The Walt Disney World Resort, September, guest, guests, Disney Publicity , publicity, 2006, pins, 1994, Lee Cockerell, Trapper Keeper, Charlie Ridgeway, Spinning Disney's World: Memories of a Magic Kingdom Press Agent, MMO, modern Mouse House, Doubleday, Grant's tomb, Alice Marriott, millennium celebration, Euro Disney, Publicity Department

• Disney World postpones Fantasyland's facelift

  Citing concerns over the economy, Mouse House managers have quietly pushed back a project that was to have revitalized the most popular section at WDW's oldest theme park. Jim Hill has the details Read More... Posted Thursday, October 09, 2008 12:00 AM | 17 Comments Filed under: Disney, Imagineering, Disney Vacation Club, Dick Cook, Walt Disney World, Magic Kingdom, Beauty and the Beast, Playhouse Disney, The Magic Kingdom, Space Mountain, The Hall of Presidents, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Disney Princess, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Hollywood, Disney Parks & Resorts, WDI, Glendale, Burbank, Times Square, WDW, Imagineer, Fantasyland, Walt Disney Imagineering, DCA, show building, World of Disney, Disney World, The Walt Disney World Resort, attractions, shows, rides, Hollywood history, Imagineers, 2012, Disney Studios , thrill ride, queue, motion picture, The Princess and the Frog, The Little Mermaid, Snow White, Disney theme park, Wall Street, The Great Depression, Great Depression, Snow White's Scary Adventures, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, economic downturn, facelift, revitalization, revitalization plan, queue area, gift shop, hitting the brakes, tough times, spinner, East Coast, stock price, Alice Comedies, Central Florida tourism, 2013, 2014, 2015, economy, rehab, overhaul, fiscal year, retail area, Little Mermaid, Little Mermaid ride, Little Mermaid attraction

• "Disney at Dawn" continues the adventures of the Kingdom Keepers

  Jim Hill reviews the latest installment of this Ridley Pearson series, an adventure book for young adults which is primarily set at Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park Read More... Posted Wednesday, September 24, 2008 12:00 AM | 3 Comments Filed under: book, Disney, Walt Disney, Walt Disney World, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Expedition Everest : Legend of the Forbidden Mountain, Disney's Hollywood Studios, The Magic Kingdom, Disney Editions, Sleeping Beauty, WDW, Expedition Everest, 2008, The Walt Disney World Resort, 2005, Cinderella Castle , behind-the-scenes , Maleficent, Ridley Pearson, The Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark, Kingdom Keepers II: Disney At Dawn, Kingdom Keepers, The Kingdom Keepers, Maharajah Jungle Trek, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Conservation Station, Wishes, Yeti

• Characters come to the rescue at the Magic Kingdom

  Jim Hill explains how WDW officials used Mickey & friends as a diversion while repairs were being made on the Liberty Square bridge Read More... Posted Friday, August 29, 2008 12:00 PM | 5 Comments Filed under: Magic Kingdom, The Magic Kingdom, WDW, Fantasyland, Liberty Square, Operations, Christmas, 2008, The Walt Disney World Resort, guest, guests, holiday season , WDW guests, construction, August, WDW officials , Mickey's Pirate & Princess Party, Adventureland , Liberty Square bridge, operational issues

• Arrrr you ready for an all-Pirates edition of Why For?

  There's plenty of POTC-related info to be found in this week's column. Including the current status of "Pirates 4," news on Disney's "Legends of the Brethren Court" book series as well as a review of that I-Drive favorite, the Pirate's Dinner Adventure Read More... Posted Friday, May 09, 2008 12:00 AM | 6 Comments Filed under: Disney, Universal Studios, fireworks, Pirates of the Caribbean, Johnny Depp, Gore Verbinski, Walt Disney Pictures, Magic Kingdom, Disney Press, The Walt Disney Company, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, character dining, Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Disney Parks & Resorts, AA figure, hard ticket event, The Walt Disney World Resort, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, 2007, The Lone Ranger, Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean 4, Pirates 4, 1996 , 2006, Pirate & Princess Party, Disney's Pirate & Princess Party , Disney franchise, Disney's Enchanted Adventures Parade , hard ticket , Mickey's Pirate & Princess Party, Pirates of the Caribbean films, CG version , lagoon show, Halloween hard ticket event , Pirates of the Caribbean franchise , Pirates of the Caribbean Online, MMOG, massively multiplayer online game, Pirates book series , Legends of the Brethren Court, Development , Ted Elliot, Terry Rossio , Prince of Persia, Tortuga restaurant, AA figures, Enchanted Adventures Parade, return on investment, Liberty Square bridge, Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, Caribbean Beach Resort , Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold, 3D helmet, Caribbean, Jolly Roger, I-4 , Gasparilla Extravaganza, Gasparilla season , Tampa Bay, Piratechnics, Bayshore Boulevard, Tampa, Southwest Airlines Gasparilla Pirate Fest , Gasparilla, Southwest Airlines, Gasparilla experience, Pirate's Dinner Adventure, International Drive, acrobats , Freedom Festival, Sebastian the Black, scurvy crew , Princess Anita, audience, Dubai, swordplay, stunts, I-Drive , Magic

• 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 | 19 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, Frontierland, Main Street USA, attractions, Disney World vacation, customers, on property, on-property , July , construction, August, 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, the boys: the sherman brothers' story, 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, promotional gimmick , Chief Executive , Blaine Gibson , George W Bush, Monica Lewinsky , scandal , Robin Williams, dignity , roll call , speech, THOP, Gettysburg Address, The Gettysburg Address , Great Moments with Mr Lincoln, redo, revamp, recycling , Great Oaks Entertainment, electric convenience vehicle , ECV, ECV - friendly, improvements , doorway , turnstile , The Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management, Iago, Uh-Oa, Zzzs , bran muffin

• Monday Mouse Watch : Will a new name really be enough to boost ticket sales for WDW's "Pirate & Princess Party" ?

  Jim Hill brings you a pile of "Pirates of the Caribbean" -related news. Including the tabling of the "Tortuga" restaurant project Read More... Posted Monday, March 03, 2008 12:00 AM | 39 Comments Filed under: Disney, theme park, Visual Effects, fireworks, Pirates of the Caribbean, Walt Disney World, Magic Kingdom, Best Buy, The Magic Kingdom, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Jack Sparrow, Disney Princess, restaurant, WDW, Disney Blu-Ray, Blu-ray, The Crystal Palace, movie, The Walt Disney World Resort, ticket sales, 2007, merch, full service, Saturday , Tuesday , merchandise , WDW management , Captain Jack Sparrow, The Black Pearl, Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean 4, Pirates 4, 2006, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Pirate & Princess Party, Disney's Pirate & Princess Party , Disney franchise, Disney's Enchanted Adventures Parade , fireworks extravaganza , Music Magic and Mayhem, Walt Disney Creative Entertainment , hard ticket , after-hours event, break even , Rivers of America, Hershey's Treasures , WDW officials , financial success , Monday, Friday, April , Mickey's Pirate & Princess Party, POTC, Tortuga project, Adventureland Veranda, Adventureland , Cinderella's Royal Table, dining experience, Caribbean cuisine , rum , development pipeline, mock-up , test kitchen, Bonfamille's , French Quarter , Disney's Port Orleans Resort, Disney's Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter, test meal , face character , quick service restaurant , full service restaurant, Liberty Tree Tavern , lunch , dinner , dining facility , occupancy rate , 2012, Pirates of the Caribbean films, retail chain , Hi-Def , disc player, flat screen , HDTV , retail world, equation

• Will Liberty Square bridge repairs actually force the Mouse to reroute the Magic Kingdom's parades?

  Jim Hill talks about the contingency plan that WDW officials just put in place, should that theme park suddenly need to close this vital connection to the Hub Read More... Posted Wednesday, February 27, 2008 12:00 AM | 17 Comments Filed under: Disney, theme park, parade, Imagineering, Walt Disney World, Magic Kingdom, The Magic Kingdom, Herb Ryman, Disney Parks & Resorts, WDI, WDW, Imagineer, Liberty Square, 1971, The Walt Disney World Resort, 1975

• 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 : Hannah Montana & High School Musical-themed makeovers soon to be offered at Disney's Hollywood Studios

  Jim Hill talks about this variation on "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique" that's about to be built at the Walt Disney World Resort. Only this time around, this pricey beauty parlor will help your child look like their favorite Disney Channel star Read More... Posted Monday, February 04, 2008 12:00 AM | 22 Comments Filed under: Disney, movies, theme park, High School Musical, Disney Channel, Downtown Disney, Walt Disney World, Magic Kingdom, Orlando, Disney's Hollywood Studios, High School Musical 2, The Magic Kingdom, High School Musical 3, High School Musical franchise, High School Musical 2: Extended Edition, Dwayne Johnson, The Rock, Miley Cyrus, Emily Osment, Disney Princess, Dwayne The Rock Johnson, WDW, Ariel, film, movie, World of Disney, Disney Channel Original, HSM, Disney World, The Walt Disney World Resort, film franchise, merch, tween, merchandise , merchandise location , TV movie, TV movies , tweens, Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both World Concert, concert film, 3D, Disney Digital 3D, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, beauty parlor, Cinderella Castle , Belle, Jasmine, Gabriella , Sharpay , Hannah Montana , Hannah Montana wig , Ashley Tisdale , Sharpay Evans , retail establishment , concert tour , Camp Rock , The Cheetah Girls 3, mini-Miley

• Monday Mouse Watch : Disney has trouble convincing guests to come make a "Magic Connection"

  Jim Hill reports on the field test of these new handheld units. Which supposedly worked great ... Once you could actually convince a tourist to come take part in this test, that is Read More... Posted Monday, January 28, 2008 12:00 AM | 36 Comments Filed under: Disney, theme park, Walt Disney World, Magic Kingdom, The Walt Disney Company, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney's Polynesian Resort, The Magic Kingdom, handheld device, Space Mountain, WDI, WDW, Walt Disney Imagineering, Liberty Square, Disney World, The Walt Disney World Resort, entrance area, My Pal Mickey, Disney Magic Connection, Town Square Exposition Hall, Nintendo DS, WDI R & D, hand-held device, wireless unit