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• Marty Sklar to pay tribute to Disney Legend at Ryman Arts fund-raiser

  Jim Hill talks up next month’s event at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Where this recently retired Imagineering Ambassador will discuss Herbie Ryman’s creative legacy Read More... Posted Thursday, November 26, 2009 12:00 AM | 3 Comments Filed under: theme park, Walt Disney, Disneyland, Marty Sklar, Disney Legend, Walt Disney Productions, Disney's Contemporary Resort, Herb Ryman, Southern California, Walt Disney Imagineering, 2009, Thanksgiving, Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress, fundraiser, artists , high school, 1955, 1989, student, theme parks, Walt Disney Company, 1991, artistic development, Walt Disney World Resort, Thanksgiving Day, fundraising event, carousel, artwork, Contemporary Resort Hotel

• "Clown Prince of Disneyland" is a must-own ... If you can find a copy to purchase, that is

  Jim Hill wonders why there's plenty of room at the Happiest Place on Earth for WALL-E merchandise, but no shelf space to spare when it comes to Disney Legend Wally Boag Read More... Posted Wednesday, November 11, 2009 12:00 AM | 6 Comments Filed under: book, theme park, Walt Disney, Disneyland, The Walt Disney Company, Bruce Gordon, Disney Editions, Disneyana, Disney Parks & Resorts, theme park guest, 2009, The Walt Disney World Resort, Golden Horseshoe , Wally Boag, 2007, WALL-E, Walt Disney Company, Golden Horseshoe Revue, Disneyland Park, The Walt Disney Family Museum

• The John Hughes / ABC / Walt Disney Company connection

  In honor of the passing of this talented filmmaker, Jim Hill shares a few anecdotes that reflect on the times that Hughes worked for the Mouse Read More... Posted Friday, August 07, 2009 12:00 AM | 3 Comments Filed under: Disney, movies, Universal Studios, Walt Disney, ABC, Walt Disney Pictures, Michael Eisner, Hollywood Pictures, Disneyland, 101 Dalmatians, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Walt Disney Productions, The Walt Disney Company, Ron Miller, television, Harold Ramis, Jim Belushi, Walt Disney Studios, Home Alone, film, movie, Vacation '58, Mouse House, Walley World, 1950s, TV show, 1997, Mickey, The Absent-Minded Professor, film title, Spaceballs III: The Search for Spaceballs II, writer , The Breakfast Club, 1996 , Robin Williams, Great Oaks Entertainment, Jackie Chan, Warner Bros. , John Hughes, director , Pretty in Pink, National Lampoon, National Lampoon's Animal House, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, vacation, cross country trip , Michelle Pfieffer, The Bee, Flubber, Faber College, slapstick, family vacation, screenplay, script, Curly Sue, motion picture, Jaws 3 People 0, 1990, television show , Ricardo Mestres, 1990s, 1991, films, producer, 1979, Delta House, National Lampoon's Vacation, TV series, Sixteen Candles, Planes Trains and Automobiles, Disneyland Park, Eddie Bracken

• Marty Sklar honored with Window on Main Street

  On the occasion of this Disney Legend’s retirement, Jim Hill uses a Newsreel from 1983 to reflect on the Company’s past, present and future Read More... Posted Friday, July 17, 2009 12:00 AM | 4 Comments Filed under: Walt Disney, Imagineering, computer animation, CG, John Lasseter, Walt Disney Pictures, Disneyland, Marty Sklar, Disney Legend, Walt Disney Productions, The Walt Disney Company, Main Street U.S.A., WDI, Imagineer, Walt Disney Imagineering, Walt Disney Studios, computer, Glen Keane, 2009, Golden Horseshoe , Main Street USA, Where the Wild Things Are, The Brave Little Toaster, retired, 1955, Tron , Tron Sequel, choreography, choreographer, Golden Horseshoe Revue

• "Imagineering Legends" is the ideal gift for the Disneyana fan on your Christmas list

  Still struggling to come up with the perfect present for your family's Disney dweeb? Jim Hill points you toward Jeff Kurtti's latest book, which looks back at "The Genesis of the Disney Theme Park" Read More... Posted Wednesday, December 03, 2008 12:00 AM | 2 Comments Filed under: book, Walt Disney, Imagineering, WED, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Marc Davis, Country Bear Jamboree, Marty Sklar, The American Adventure, Jeff Kurtti, Disney Editions, Walt Disney's Legends of Imagineering and the Genesis of the Disney Theme Park, John Hench, it's a small world, WDW, Imagineer, Christmas, 2008, holiday season , Imagineers, Snow White's Scary Adventures

• Is everything on display in DCA's "Blue Sky Cellar" actually going to get built? Maybe. Maybe not

  In this week's "Why For," Jim Hill looks back over the history of the Disney Parks & Resorts at the rides, shows and attraction (some of them announced by Walt Disney himself) that ultimately didn't get built Read More... Posted Friday, October 24, 2008 12:00 AM | 4 Comments Filed under: Disney, Walt Disney, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Epcot, Disney Theatrical, Disney's California Adventure, The Jungle Cruise, Anaheim, Orlando, Disney Press, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Productions, High School Musical franchise, Sleeping Beauty Castle, International Street, Alice in Wonderland, Disneyana, Disney Parks & Resorts, WDW, DCA, Disneyland Hotel, 1974, JHM, Disney World, Frontierland, Disneyana fans, attractions, shows, rides, New York Times, 1966 , Disneyana community , Rivers of America, shooting gallery, Walt Disney Company, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

• 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, the boys: the sherman brothers' story, 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

• 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, The Breakfast Club, issue, Reader's Digest, 1955, Tennessee, leukemia, ergonomics, landscaping , train, Disneyland Railroad , locomotive , coal car , track, skyline, will-o'-the-wisp, Rainbow Caverns, Tom Sawyer's Island, enchantment, childhood, Van France , train ride, worksite, picture, publicity, celebrities, celebrity, charity , charity event , cameras, private

• Remembering Suzanne Pleshette (1937 - 2008)

  Jim Hill looks back on the Disney-related portion of this Emmy nominated actress's career as well as commenting on the role that smoking may have played in her untimely demise Read More... Posted Monday, January 21, 2008 12:00 AM | 4 Comments Filed under: Disney, TV, Universal Studios, Walt Disney, ABC, Disneyland, Walt Disney Productions, television, Burbank, film, movie, TV show, Disneyana fans, condolences, Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette , Emily Hartley, Bob Hartley , The Bob Newhart Show , Dean Jones, 1966 , The Ugly Dachshund, 1968, Blackbeard's Ghost , 1975, The Shaggy DA, Roddy McDowell , 1967, The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin , The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, Noah Cyrus, Hayao Miyazaki, Spirited Away, Tony Curtis , 40 Pounds of Trouble, 1962 , Norman Jewison , Damon Runyon, Little Miss Marker , St. Joseph's Hospital , studio , Roy O Disney , Peter Ustinov , Disney lot, James Garner, Laura Hennessy , West High Knights, ABC sitcom, sitcom , Virginia Davis, smoker, lung cancer, smoking-related illnesses , Emmy-nominated

• Monday Mouse Watch: Is there really such a thing as putting too much Walt into a Disney theme park?

  Jim Hill offers a different take on the upcoming DCA redo. Where the proposed revamp of this theme park has more to do with appeasing specific market segments than it has to do with making California Adventure better Read More... Posted Monday, November 26, 2007 12:00 AM | 37 Comments Filed under: Disney, theme park, Pixar, Walt Disney, attraction, Imagineering, Disneyland, Disney's California Adventure, Pixar Animation Studios, The Walt Disney Company, Disneyland Resort, Main Street U.S.A., television, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyana, Hollywood, WDI, Southern California, Imagineer, DCA, dark ride, tourists, theme park fans, nostalgia, 1923, Disneyana fans, tribute, tributes, critic, critics, vocal critics, too much Walt, window dressing, Walt-centric, per-square-foot sales ratio, retail corridor, annual passholders, Main Street USA, 2001, entrance area, girl-friendly, 5-to-8-year-old girls, Golden Dreams, The Indiana Jones Adventure, GM Test Track, Radiator Springs Racers, Cars Land, Jeff Hornaday, E-Ticket, corporate symbol, Colonel Sanders, Frank Finlay, The Disneyland Resort, Generation X, Generation Y, Disneyphiles, Disneyphile, guest, guests, pie-eyed Mickey, The Partners statue, Partners statue, attractions, shows, rides, Ol' Mousetro, ride, show

• 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, Madame 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

• "Walt Disney's Legends of Imagineering" looks to be worth the wait

  Jim Hill interviews Jeff Kurtti, the author of this long-delayed Disney Editions book. Who explains how expanding the scope of "The Genesis of the Disney Theme Park" wound up putting this eagerly-awaited paperback behind schedule Read More... Posted Wednesday, September 12, 2007 12:00 AM | 16 Comments Filed under: book, Disney, theme park, Walt Disney, attraction, Pirates of the Caribbean, Imagineering, Disneyland, Marty Sklar, Walt Disney Productions, Jeff Kurtti, Bruce Gordon, Claude Coats, Harriet Burns, Fred Joerger, Eddie Sotto, Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman, Julie Riehm, Buddy Baker, George Bruns, X Atencio, Plaza Inn Restaurant, Euro Disneyland, Disney Editions, Walt Disney's Legends of Imagineering and the Genesis of the Disney Theme Park, Herb Ryman, Disneyland Paris, The Matterhorn

• A special "What's in a name" edition of Why For

  Jim Hill's back with even more answers to your Disney-related questions. This time around, Jim talk about yesterday's Disney-MGM name change announcement as well as revealing how adding the word "Walt" to "Disney's California Adventure" could profoundly change the story that that theme park tells Read More... Posted Friday, August 10, 2007 12:00 AM | 34 Comments Filed under: Disney, theme park, Why For, Walt Disney, attraction, Imagineering, High School Musical, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Epcot, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Disney-MGM Studios theme park, Disney's California Adventure, Cars, Anaheim, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

• "Walt's People -- Volume 5" is an entertaining addition to this ongoing Disney history series

  Jim Hill reviews Didier Ghez's latest book, which features a fascinating collection of interviews with various Disney Legends Read More... Posted Wednesday, July 25, 2007 12:00 AM | 1 Comments Filed under: animation, book, Disney, movies, other, theme park, Walt Disney, Visual Effects, Imagineering, traditional animation, Walt Disney Pictures, WED, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Ron Clements, John Musker, Ward Kimball, Marc Davis