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Earlier this week, Jill T. wrote in to say: According to today's Los Angeles Times , the Walt Disney Company and SunCal have failed to reach a compromise on that big housing project. So now we're back to Disney pushing the Anaheim City Council to get this zoning issue put on the November ballot. What...

In response to last week's "Why For," Lou P. writes in to say: Your latest column just doesn't make any sense to me. Back in the earlier 1990s, the Imagineers were given $1.4 billion and told to do something spectacular with Disneyland 's old parking lot. Working with that limited amount of money, they...

For over 50 years now, the Walt Disney Company has been going to the dogs. Particularly when Mickey was looking for strong story material to build new motion pictures around. Think about it. Ever since " Lady and the Tramp " first bounded into theaters back in June of 1955, the Mouse Factory has turned...

You'd think that -- when the very first edition of " Leonard Maltin 's Movie Guide" was published back in 1969 -- that this then-18-year-old film historian would have been terribly proud of his first published work. Well, think again. "To be honest, I was embarassed by the book," Maltin admitted in a...

Oliver from Stuttgart writes in say ... This is Oliver from Germany. I am writing you today because I wonder whether you know new details about the retheming of DCA ? As far as I know a new Pixar parade and a new lagoon show have been approved already. But what about the general make-over of the themed...

If you've been reading JHM for a while now, you already know that I'm a very big fan of Didier Ghez 's "Walt's People" books . So -- that said -- is it really all that big a surprise that I enjoyed reading " Volume 5 " of this ongoing series. Mind you, at 443 pages in length, this paperback is the heftiest...

You want to be able to look into the future? Particularly the Walt Disney Company's future? Okay, then. What you need to start doing then is staying home on Saturday nights and watching ABC 's " The Wonderful World of Disney " movie anthology series. During which you should pay particularly close attention...

You all know about Epcot, right? That futuristic city that Walt Disney hoped to build? Copyright Bonaventure Press That's the real reason that Walt bought all of that swampland in Central Florida in the early 1960s, you know. Not because the Old Mousetro really felt the need to build Disneyland East...

What can you say about the "Imagineering Field Guide" series? It started out strong with the " Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World " guide back in 2005 and then got better last year with the " Epcot at Walt Disney World " guide. And now? " The Imagineering Field Guide to Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt...

Earlier this week, Perry T. sent me the following e-mail : Jim, Are you as sick as I am about how the Imagineers keep forcing characters into older attractions at the Disney theme parks? Just in the past six months, we've had that new " Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor " show replace the Magic Kingdom 's old...

Mike C. writes in to say: Jim ... I have been reading your articles for over a year and enjoying the information that your provide. I have recently listened to your appearances on the Magical Definition podcast with Nathan Rose and Tim Devine. I must admit you are the best part of that podcast. Have...

It was 50 years ago tonight that the 1939 version of " The Wizard of Oz " was first shown on television. Copyright 2005 Warner Home Video The first-ever telecast of this Victor Fleming film was a rating smash. Over 44 million people tuned in to catch this broadcast (Which was hosted by the...

You know, when people usually talk about what happened on 9/11, the focus (for obvious reasons) is on New York, Washington D.C. and that field just outside of Shanksville, PA. But -- as was proven by this past Wednesday's story on JHM -- the impact of these tragic events was felt the world 'round...

Be careful what you ask for. Last Thursday, as part of my " Disney theme park emergency plan is simple as A, B, C " article, I asked that JHM readers who were actually at Walt Disney World when 9/11 happened to come forward & share their stories. And -- boy -- did you guys respond. I literally...

Martin L. writes in to ask: Jim -- This may seem like kind of a weird question to ask. But I was wondering if you had any stories about what really happened in the Disney theme parks on 9/11? How did Disney break the news to all those guests that something horrible had just happened and that -- as a...

First, an apology. You know, in yesterday's review of Carlene Thie's "Disneyland Under Construction" books, I'm afraid that I may have come down a bit too hard on Ms. Thie. Or -- at the very least -- criticized things that I didn't really know about. For example: In yesterday's...

BigbyWolf235 writes to ask: Dear Jim, Perhaps you can help settle a Disney Urban Legend for me. It seems since the beginning of films there have always been strange rumors as to things that were stuck in the backgrounds of scenes. In THE WIZARD OF OZ there was always the rumor of the Munchkin hanging...