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One way to keep the pencil pushers at bay Disneyana fans knows that one of the real reasons that Disneyland even came into being was because Walt Disney was so passionate about trains. (In fact, one of the first very instructions that Disney was said to have given to Herbie Ryman as the original Imagineer...

If you visited Disneyland Resort Paris this year, you couldn't escape the fact that the European resort is celebrating one of Disney's most beloved animated features ever, "The Lion King." Ten years after its original theatrical release (and in conjunction with the release of the special 2-disc DVD set...

Yo ho, yo ho, gang! It's MickeyFantasmic AKA Andrea Monti again. With even more stories about "Disney's foreign kingdoms". Herbie's legacy Let's start today's column by taking a look at the very place that all Disneyland Paris guest take a look at at the beginning of their day at the Magic Kingdom: The...

"Well, I'll tell you something. This is no longer a vacation. It's a quest . A quest for fun. I'm gonna have fun and you're gonna have fun." -- Clark Griswold Thanks to our old friend Clark W. Griswold (a.k.a. Chevy Chase) in 1983's Vacation for the perfect opening quote...

London was once the center of an immense empire. One on which the sun was said to never set. Which is why it's probably appropriate that the Walt Disney Company has chosen to base its own European headquarters in London. After all -- thanks to Disneyland Paris, Walt Disney Studios, Tokyo Disneyland and...

"Atmosphere, atmosphere, est-ce que j'ai une gueule d'atmosphere?" So runs possibly the most famous line in French cinema history, from Marcel Carne's Hotel du Nord. Roughly translated as "Do I look atmospheric?" it's a question that could easily be applied to the Walt Disney Studios Park outside Paris...

Okay. While I appreciated a number of the comments that Eric J. Craven made in yesterday's story about CineMagique, I need to clear up a few misconceptions that JHM readers may have about m take on Walt Disney Studios. A theme park where (I feel, anyway) that most of the park's problems lie on the outside...

WARNING! The following contains spoilers. The following is based on an incomplete attraction, and should not be construed as representative of the final product. The ride is in private technical rehearsals, and is not open to the public. Do not go to the park expecting to experience the ride until the...

Anyone who says Disney has lost its sense of synergy is sorely mistaken. On Tuesday, January 8th 2004, Disneyland welcomed its 500,000,000 guest to cross its turnstiles. The guest was one of a family of I believe four from Australia. The mother, father and two small children were presented with a giant...

October is my favorite time of year to live in Orlando. During the blistering summer heat, when hordes of tourists swarm like locusts, I curse this town. In the spring, when the daily 4 p.m. monsoons come through, turning I-4 into a flooded parking lot, I wonder how soon I can move back to Jersey. But...

Pop quiz: What is the #1 haunted attraction in America? Wrong! According to Haunt World Magazine (2002), the answer is Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay, Florida. At least, that's what the advertising that has been blanketing Central Florida claims; I can't find back issues of Haunt World,...

Up for a little Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland trivia? Well, then, let me share some of the stories that I've heard over the years about these two Magic Kingdoms: A Trolley Tale Many of you JHM readers probably already know about Eddie Sotto's first concept for the Main Street USA area at Disneyland...

Haunted houses, horror movies, ghost stories - none of it scares me any more. I enjoy it, I appreciate it, and I look forward to it every year. But it just doesn't frighten me. I wasn't always like this. As a kid, the idea of anything spooky or gory scared the crap out of me, because I wasn't allowed...

It's been one of the major things that's kept Disneyland Resort Paris afloat in the last few years. DLP management based its whole summer marketing campaign purely on it. And it might just be what keeps the turnstiles spinning during the Disneyland Paris Resort's slow times of year. What am I talking...

Welcome back to the exciting world of Post-Modernism! In the first part of this article , I discussed the Modernist influences found in the Walt Disney parks and attractions. This is not meant to imply that post-Modernism has not influenced, or been influenced by, the Mouse. After all, Andy Warhol, one...

"Welcome to the Happiest Totalitarian Kingdom on Earth" (Ok, Maybe the Second Happiest) Pop quiz -- The above quote is: a) An overhead sign that greets guests as they enter the pre-show of Universal Orlando's "Shrek 4-D" attraction. b) A very pointed (and very funny) slap at Disney. c) An emblem of the...

If you live anywhere in the New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia area, you've probably seen the ads. "New this season at Six Flags Great Adventure: Superman - Ultimate Flight." Soar through the air like the Man of Steel, suspended lying on your belly with your arms stretched out in front of you. Hurry hurry...

Okay. Let's begin our pre-flight check: Massively hyped new high-tech thrill attraction? Check. Budget-limited underthemed queue line? Check. Repeated apocalyptic safety warnings? Check. Scientifically calibrated Jagermeister hangover? Check. We have liftoff! As the launch sequence of "Mission: Space...

So, here I stand in Epcot's Future World, about to embark on "Mission: Sickness." It's brutally muggy out, in the mid-90's and about 90% humidity. The thick black clouds hanging overhead will open up in about 15 minutes, dumping liquid sunshine for the next 2 hours. Welcome to Florida in August. The...

As another brutally hot and humid Orlando summer staggers to a close, the August 15th official opening date of Epcot's Mission: Space draws nigh. As this eagerly-awaited attraction rose from the dust of the dearly departed Horizons, enquiring minds have buzzed with questions. Is the centrifuge technology...