Last week, I attended a fundraising dinner at one of Walt's favorite restaurants, The Tam O'Shanter . As attendees dined on their famous prime rib, Disney author (and former Disney Home Video honcho) Mindy Johnson talked with special guests Alice Davis and Kathryn Beaumont about their experiences with Walt. Alice talked about how she first met Walt (at that very restaurant!) and how Walt prophesied that one day she would work for him, and how that prophecy coming true worked out. Kathryn...

So what was GameStop Expo 2014 (i.e., that seven hour-long experience which was held at the Anaheim Convention Center back on September 10th) like? Photo by Shelly Valladolid I have to admit that I found the whole event to be pretty sweet. I mean, you had over 80 companies like Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, EA, Activision and Ubisoft all there under one roof. And if you want to play a game that wasn't even on the market yet (EX: Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts 2.5 ReMIX ) ... Photo by Shelly Valladolid...

Well, WonderCon 2014 has come & gone. By now, the last of the thousand or more cosplayers who attended this three day-long event have hopefully cleared out of the Anaheim Convention Center . Photo by Noe Valladolid And while there were a lot of reasons for someone like myself (who makes their living these days writing about entertainment news & pop culture) to have braved the crowds at WonderCon. For example -- getting the chance to test-drive Disney's new Magical World game ... Photo...

On the heels of its highly successful redo of that theme park's iconic Timber Mountain Log Ride , Knott's Berry Farm is doubling down for the Summer of 2014. This time around, two elements of this Southern California favorite are receiving some much needed TLC: The Calico Mine Train (which first began riding the rail back in November of 1960) and Camp Snoopy (which greeted its first guests back in July of 1983). Campy Snoopy back in the early days. Photo by Shelly Valladolid In the case of...

Do you consider yourself to be kind of a frustrated artist? Are you one of those people who -- when you're confronted with a blank page -- doesn't automatically quake with fear? But -- rather -- just picks up a pen, pencil or stylus and begins creating. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved If so, then you may be interested in learning about this new FREE IOS/Android app. Which then allows you to be the artist and design your own Virtual Vinylmation figure online using a...

It's been said that "You only get one chance to make to make a first impression." Copyright SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. All rights reserved And given that visitors to SeaWorld San Diego have been entering that theme park by strolling past the same old, boring, blocky set of ticket booths since 1985 ... Well, the designers at SeaWorld decided to use this theme park's 50th anniversary as an excuse to reinvent its entry experience. Copyright SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment...

Disney Hidden Worlds is the newest Playdom social game integrated with Facebook , and it takes the "hidden items" model a step further, while integrating Disney characters to a degree never seen before. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved Chrona is your host as you play, and she is helped by the Inklings, who manufacture story items with ingredients you find along the way to create things like Maurice's cart, which unlocks Beast's Castle after you play the Belle's...

I have a confession. I like to watch...gameplay videos. Being a woman of very little hand-eye coordination, when it comes to fast-moving games like Epic Mickey and Kingdom Hearts , my choices are: Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved 1. Use a cheat engine (NO) 2. Watch Noe and Alice play. Right now, I'm catching up to one of the Harvest Moon games I put off while in college, " Tale of Two Towns " and watching Alice play the gorgeous " Skyrim " while I wait...

Having already explored Knott's Merry Farm during the day , I thought that I'd make another trip over to Buena Park and see what the holiday version of America's First Theme Park looked like after dark. Though -- in hindsight -- it might not have been my brightest idea to schedule my return trip to Knott's for New Year's Eve. Photo by Shelly Valladolid In all the years that I've been going to this theme park, I have never seen Knott's Berry Farm as busy as it was this...

Can it really only be a couple of weeks since the buildings in Calico Square were covered with cobwebs? Photo by Jim Hill These days, if you drop by America's First Theme Park , you'll find that Knott's Scary Farm has given way to Knott's Merry Farm ... Photo by Noe Valladolid And all of those wraiths ... Photo by Jim Hill ... have been replaced with wreaths. Photo by Noe Valladolid And as you wander the streets of Ghost Town now through January 5th, you'll find poinsettias instead...

Trim up the tree with Christmas stuff Like bingle balls, and whofoo fluff Trim up the town with goowho gums and bizilbix and wums Copyright 2013 Universal Studios. All rights reserved You gotta give the folks at Universal Studio Hollywood credit. For -- when it came to the kick-off of this year's Grinchmas Wholidays celebration -- they not only broke out their presents, their ribbons, their wrappings, Universal even sprang for some snoof and some fuzzle, some tringlers and trappings. They even...

So what's the deal with " Marvel's Avengers Assemble ," that new animated series that premieres tomorrow morning, July 7th at 11 a.m. ET/ PT on Disney XD ? Didn't XD already an animated series (i.e. " The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes! ," which aired on this cable channel from 2010 - 2012) that celebrated this comic book crew? To hear Jeph Loeb (i.e. the head of Marvel Television and executive producer of "Marvel's Avengers Assemble") talk, the...

"I hope that we don't lose sight of one thing. That it all started with a mouse." -- Walt Disney And given that Mickey is basically the well-spring from which all good things flow at The Walt Disney Company ... well, it's kind of appropriate that -- on Disney's Glendale Campus -- there's this very cool Mickey-inspired fountain. Photo by Noe Valladolid "And what exactly were you & Noe doing on Disney's Glendale Campus?," you ask. This past Friday was Mickey...

Disney Infinity was the star of the Disney Interactive booth at E3 last week. Photo by Noe Valladolid People stood in two-plus hour-long lines to have a t-shirt, jersey tee or hoodie made with their choice of Disney Infinity character mash-ups: Photo by Noe Valladolid Mike Wazowski with Mr. Incredible Evil Emperor Zurg with Vanellope Von Schweetz Captain Jack Sparrow in Cinderella's coach, which has monster truck Photo by Noe Valladolid Davy Jones atop a rainbow bus Tonto surfing with Stitch...

On the final day of E3 2013 , I flew on into that huge pavilion which Nintendo had set up inside of the Los Angeles Convention Center . Where I then had a chance to chat with Corey Valencia from Disney Interactive about the upcoming Planes game . Which will be based on that new animated feature which Walt Disney Pictures will be releasing to theaters on August 6th of this year. --> Copyright Disney - Nintendo. All rights reserved According to Corey, "Disney's Planes" is actually...

So what can gamers expected from Disney Castle of Illusion when it finally hits store shelves later this year? Photo by Shelly Valladolid Omar Woodley from SEGA took time yesterday to show us the remastered, re-imagined version of this classic Genesis title. According to Omar, the collaboration between Sega and Disney started about two years ago. "It's a re-imagined version." Omar explains. "There's quite a bit of the old game there, but also new stuff." SEGA's Omar...

Cambridge, MA-based company Harmonix is trying to capture the spirit of Walt Disney's 1940 masterpiece, " Fantasia " by inserting the gamer into the story of The Sorcerer's Apprentice . Photo by Shelly Valladolid Harmonix, whose past hits include Rock Band and Guitar Hero , spent over two-and-a-half years developing this game. Which will launch exclusively on the XBOX 360 and the XBOX One next year. Fantasia: Music Evolved is not completely finished, so we saw an advanced, but not...

So how did yesterday's media event at Knott's Berry Farm go? Well, that kind of depends on whether you're an optimist or a pessimist. Are you the type of person who sees the glass half-empty or half-full? Or -- in this particular case -- the Timber Mountain Log Ride flume as half-empty or half-full? Tell you what: Let's start off by talking about the portion of Thursday's event that went off without a hitch. And that was the official opening of the newly expanded version of this...

My daughter and I attended the launch of Disney Infinity , Disney Interactive 's new platform at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood back in January. In a kind gesture to the Disney fan community, members of D23 , the official Disney fan club, were invited to attend and watch the proceedings from the balcony. Where they then received a shout-out from the stage from John Lasseter. John Lasseter at Tuesday's Disney Infinity preview event. Photo by Alice Hill John Pleasants , John Lasseter and...

It was a bright, sunny morning in Carlsbad, CA today, when LEGOLAND California held a brief presentation outlining the upcoming plans for the resort in the next year, including a new 4-D experience based on their new Chima series & toys and the opening of the first LEGOLAND Hotel in the United States. General Manager Peter Ronchetti spoke, outlining the successes of the past year and unveiling the new attraction, which will open to the public March 7 at LEGOLAND California and the LEGO Discovery...

I know that it's usually not cool to peek at your Christmas presents. But given that Ephinany comes at the very tail end of the holiday season ... Well, I'm hoping that it'll be okay if I reveal what Disneyland Park has planned for this weekend's three day-long Three Kings' Day celebration. Starting today, Frontierland 's Big Thunder Ranch will be decorated with huge hanging papel picado banners ... Photo by Alice Hill ... and fresh flowers ... Photo by Alice Hill ... as this...

In early December, a pal and I decided to close out the year with a week-long Disney Cruise to the Mexican Riviera, the last time (at least for the near future) that the Wonder will be making this voyage. As with the parks, the holidays were in full swing on board, and we even got to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah our last night on board. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved In the lobby, there's a huge, beautiful Christmas tree - and the scrollwork on the base matches...

Jordan Hembrough always loved toys. What kid didn't? As a child, his room was filled with Mego Star Wars toys, superhero toys, the staples of the American boy (or tomboy) of the seventies. Like many of those kids, he loved his toys and hung on to them. "Toy Hunter" host Jordan Hembrough. Copyright 2012 Scripps Network, LLC. All rights reserved In college, Hembrough quickly found a job as Head buyer for a chain of sci-fi/comic collectible stores, and began traveling the country looking...

By now, you've no doubt seen some of the photos which came out of this past weekend's preview events at Disney California Adventure Park . Photo by Noe Valladolid If you look around the Web, 90% of the images that have been posted focus on Cars Land ... Photo by Noe Valladolid ... which is understandable. Given that Cars Land features that spectacular new attraction, Radiator Springs Racers ... Photo by Noe Valladolid ... not to mention all of that terrific-looking neon which comes on every...

Disney Interactive has embraced the social gaming concept in a big way, and they were eager to show off their newest games at E3 this week. Following the success of Gardens of Time , a Facebook game from their Playdom studio that beat out Cityville last year as Facebook 's Most Popular Game of 2011, they stepped up the Disneyfication with Disney's Animal Kingdom Explorers , a very similarly-played game of garden/zoo-building and finding hidden objects while cooperating with other players...