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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...

I'm sure that you're already familiar with that Audio Animatronic version of Abraham Lincoln which appears in The Hall of Presidents at WDW 's Magic Kingdom . Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved And maybe you've seen that cool, new NextGen version of Honest Abe which...

There's this story which dates back to the Fall of 1984. About how Michael Eisner - right after he'd been installed as the new head of Walt Disney Productions - brought his son, Breck along when Eisner did his very first walk-through of WED. And based on this then-14-year-old boy's enthusiastic...

On the heels of last week’s news that there would be no D23 EXPO in 2010 – but, rather DESTINATION D , a history-based event that celebrates Disneyland ’s 55 th anniversary – I reached out to Steven Clark, the Head of the Official Community for Disney Fans . And – as usual – Steven was forthcoming. ...

Thanksgiving is traditionally a time when we reconnect with friends & family. And this year, The Walt Disney Company must be feeling especially thankful for the way the public passionately re-embraced the Muppets last week. I mean, who would have thought that a viral video (which was shot on the...

As you walk around Walt Disney World this time of year, it’s hard not to be overwhelmed by all the seasonal sights, sounds and colors. Unless you happen to be David R. Hartmann. As Art Director for Walt Disney Entertainment Design, Hartmann actually has the opposite problem. Whenever he walks around...

I don’t know how many of you got to see Jason Garcia ’s great story about the Space Mountain redo at WDW ’s Magic Kingdom (It was featured on the Orlando Sentinel ’s new Daily Disney blog . Which is well worth adding to your Favorites list, by the way). Copyright Disney. All Rights Reserved Anywho …...

Boys and girls of every age, Wouldn’t you like to see something strange … Like – say – Zero flying over Sleeping Beauty Castle . Photo by Paul Hiffmeyer. Copyright 2009 Disney. All Rights Reserved Or – better yet -- a 20-foot tall magical orb that rises 45 feet in the air behind the Castle. Which then...

It’s been quite a month for the Mouse, don’t you think? Inside of one single 30 day span, The Walt Disney Company has: Revealed that it would be spending $4 billion to acquire Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and its library of 5000 characters At the D23 EXPO , the Studios announced a new production label...

When “ The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies ” was initially published back in September of 2003 , I seriously doubt that Jason Surrell ever thought that he’d have to “hurry back … hurry back …” to revisit this material. Copyright Disney Editions. All Rights Reserved But who knew...

Since Epcot ’s International Flower & Garden Festival is now headed into the home stretch (this celebration of Spring in Central Florida officially wraps up on May 31st with a Flower Power Concert starring Tony Orlando ), you’d think that at least some of the blooms that are currently on display...

Bob Iger didn't mince words during yesterday's earnings call . Though Disney's CEO said he was pleased with the Company's overall performance in fiscal 2008, 2009 looks to be a very different story. What with advance bookings at the Walt Disney World Resort down almost 10% from what they were a year...

It all comes down to what happens tomorrow night. More importantly, Wednesday morning. As in: Who winds up in the White House and how Wall Street & consumers then react to this news. That's what I've repeatedly been told by Mouse House personnel. That the Walt Disney Company wants to see who wins...

"Don't it always seem to go, That you don't know what you've got Till it's gone They paved paradise and put up a parking lot." -- Joni Mitchell , " Big Yellow Taxi " I doubt that anyone -- not the choirs or the cheerleaders or all of the Cast Members that have performed here over the years -- would ever...

As you might expect, NYC's World of Disney is currently all tricked out for trick-or-treat time. Photo by Jim Hill And as you wander all three floors of this 5th Avenue store, you'll find all sorts of Halloween-related materials. From 15th anniversary " Nightmare Before Christmas " merch ... Photo by...

Were you shocked when you learned that 2008 would be the very last year for the ABC SOAPnet Super Soap Weekend at the Walt Disney World Resort ? Well, so were managers at Disney's Hollywood Studios . They had little or no warning that ABC Daytime was planning on pulling the plug on this annual event...

Wayne C. sent in an interesting follow-up question to yesterday's article : "When exactly did Disney World executives realize that their resort was about to hit a rough patch? Based on some of the things they've done over the past six months (EX: Announcing back in July that they'd be closing Pleasure...

This past Friday night, visitors to the Adventurers Club got to see a brand-new artifact added to the wall in the Main Salon : A video projection screen. Photo by Max Schilling Given that this piece of Pleasure Island is supposed to be a recreation of a gentlemen's club from the 1930s, one might wonder...

First they conquered Hollywood. Then the Disney theme parks. But are you ready for Pixar-themed elements to start popping at WDW's resorts? And -- no -- we're not just talking about enormous decorative elements like you find over at Disney's All-Star Movies . Copyright Disney / Pixar. All Rights Reserved...

Now that " Toy Story Mania " has finally officially opened on both coasts , Disney Parks & Resorts turns its attention to the next high profile project on the horizon. Which is that " American Idol Experience " attraction which is due to open at Disney's Hollywood Studios sometime in January of 2009...