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Brian K. dropped me a line on September 3rd to say: Hey Jim! I can't get enough of your site and I literally feel like I "grew up" reading your insight into the parks and attractions, so thanks! I feel like I already know the answer to this, but do you think we might ever see a major investment...

Pirate Pete wrote in this weekend to say: Have you been following what's been going on with the Luigi's Flying Tires ride at DCA 's Cars Land ? Why exactly did they remove the balls from that attraction? Was it a safety issue? Photo by Paul Hiffmeyer. Copyright Disneyland. All rights reserved...

It's always interesting to talk with an author, have them tell you what they think is the most important part of their new book is. Because their answer -- more often than not -- will surprise you. Take -- for example -- Bob Gurr 's recently released memoir, " Design: Just for Fun "...

Greetings from Southern California. I traveled some 3000 miles last week to cover one of the most highly anticipated events of the year. Which was -- of course -- my daughter Alice's graduation from high school (she's the one in blue wearing the yellow sash at the center of the below photo, having...

Upstage: (verb) To divert attention or praise from; force out of the spotlight This wasn't how The Walt Disney Company envisioned 2012 starting out. After weeks of broadly hinting that the Mouse had something big in the works for Leap Year, Disney's PR department thought that Twitter & Facebook...

Wow. Has it really been 15+ years since Beth Dunlop wrote " Building a Dream: The Art of Disney Architecture " ? Obviously Disney's world has gotten a whole lot bigger since 1996. Which is why I think it's terrific that Disney Editions recently decided to revisit Dunlop's book....

As any good gardener will tell you, Fall is a great time to prune. Why For? Because once the leaves are off the tree, you can actually see what you're doing. More to the point, flowering plants that are pruned back in the autumn usually experience vigorous regrowth the following spring. Photo by...

So what was the very best part of the original D23 EXPO ? To be honest, that depended on what aspect of the Walt Disney Company most excites you. For fans of Disney's live-action movies, it would be hard to top that moment from the Studio Showcase when the wreckage of a sailing ship slowly rotated...

The Disneyland Resort 's Soundsational Summer media event continued on Friday morning with the opening ceremony for Star Tours - The Adventures Continue . TV crews from around the country were out in front of this recently-refurbished Tomorrowland attraction doing live remotes. And to give these...

Greetings from Anaheim, California. Where I am right in the thick of the Disneyland Resort's Soundsational Summer media event. The Mouse has really pulled out the stops for this one, folks. Not only were Jodi Benson (i.e. the voice of Ariel for "The Little Mermaid" animated feature) and...

So how’s your summer shaping up so far? Are you like so many of us these days? In that you’re really feeling the call of the open road and yet unable to get away in June, July and August because there are things to do and bills to pay. Well, given that it’s unlikely that you’ll...

By now, you’ve no doubt seen those online videos that made many a theme park fan go gaga. Where a few lucky Guests – as they were making a stop at Mickey’s House at Disneyland earlier this week – suddenly found themselves face-to-face with a NextGen walkaround character. A Mickey Mouse who not only addressed...

First up, Davis P. writes to ask about JHM’s American International Toy Fair coverage this week : I thought that Jim Hill Media was a website that mostly covered Disney’s theme parks and animated films. What made you decide to go to New York and cover Toy Fair this year? Dear Davis P. Why did Nancy and...

Alec M. writes in to say: I’ve really been enjoying all of these stories that you’ve been running lately that tie back to the D23 EXPO . As someone who wasn’t able to get out to the Anaheim Convention Center last September in order to experience this Disneyana fan event in person, I have to admit that...

Greetings from the 11 th floor of the Sheraton right across the Disneyland Resort. Which offers this view of Disney’s California Adventure. Photo by Angela Ragno Yep, the hotel room that Angela & I have been using as our base of operations at the D23 EXPO features a primo view of all 10 acres of...

First the good news: What Disney Princess is for little girls, Cars has become for little boys. Copyright Disney·Pixar. All Rights Reserved As in: This John Lasseter film is now one of Disney Consumer Products ’ fastest growing key franchises. Global retail sales of “Cars”-themed licensed merchandise...

Judging by the long lines at " Toy Story Mania " as well as the brisk business that "Hey Howdy Hey!" & the gift shop across the way have been doing, it would appear that Pixar Place has already proven to be a very popular addition to Disney's Hollywood Studios . The only problem with the studio theme...

Following up on last month's article about how Children's Place is getting ready to sell the Disney Store retail chain back to the Walt Disney Company ... I spoke with the managers of a number of New England-area Disney Stores over the past few days. And while none of these folks wanted to go on-the...

Last month, theme park fans the world over rejoiced at the news that the Walt Disney Company would be spending more than a billion dollars to redo DCA . With a large chunk of this cash being committed toward the retheming of the entrance portion of this troubled theme park . Which will soon be turned...