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Figment's Friend sent me a rather anxious e-mail last week. This JHM reader wanted to share a bit of news coming out of WDW's Magic Kingdom which had really upset him: Did you see what happened to that portrait of Tony Baxter which was hung in the new interactive queue of Big Thunder Mountain...

So why exactly did Walt Disney World 's November 2010 plan for Pleasure Island (i.e. turn the center-most section of Downtown Disney into Hyperion Wharf , "a nostalgic yet modern take on an early 20th century port city and amusement pier" which was supposed to have "stylish boutiques...

Never mind March coming in like a lion. This month is really more a mouse, given all of the Disney-related events that are going to be happening all over the country in the coming week. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved Like what? Well, for starters, today through Monday, March 11th...

You've probably already seen the pictures from Sunday's Princess Half Marathon event at the Walt Disney World Resort . Where 26,000 runners raced through Epcot and the Magic Kingdom during the early morning hours ... Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved ... only to have Rachel...

So how is Limited Time Magic being received by visitors to Walt Disney World ? Well, if the long lines in Town Square yesterday afternoon are any indication, this special series of entertainment events & experiences are being embraced in a big way by WDW Guests. People stood in the hot sun at Magic...

Thanks to a WDW-Cast-Members-Only document that got leaked to the Web over the weekend and today's New York Times story , a lot more people suddenly know a whole lot more about FastPass+, My Disney Experience and MagicBand. Mind you, there are a few questions that have yet to be answered. Like when...

Paul G writes in to ask: Why on earth are so many Disney fan websites so negative? There are a good number of them that I don't even look at anymore because they spend so much time complaining about every last little thing. They are so negative! (thank you Jim for being one of the few who, while...

Kristin T. sent me an e-mail earlier this week offering her thoughts about Disney Parks ' new Limited Time Magic promotion. To be specific ... ... I can't help but think that this money could be better spent in other ways. Wouldn't it have made more sense in the long run if the Imagineers...

First up, Brandon S. writes in to say: Hi Jim, I love listening to the Unofficial Guide’s Disney Dish podcasts with you and Len Testa . Even when you guys are touring the resorts and not just the Theme Parks its really cool to here all the stories about how things came to be. One question I always...

So how close are we to the official launch of Fast Pass+ at the Walt Disney World Resort ? "We're getting close," Bob Iger admitted yesterday as part of The Walt Disney Company's fourth quarter and full earnings webcast. This was the first time that Disney's Chairman & CEO has...

They say that a man's home is his castle. Well, tonight, my castle is under siege. The wind field associated with Hurricane Sandy has already made its way up to New Hampshire, sending wind gusts of 50 - 55 MPH whistling through the trees. Which means that Nancy and I have already experienced a number...

Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been? My apologies for JHM basically being on hold these past few days. But I've been out in Southern California since Saturday morning working. Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you do there? Copyright DreamWorks Animation LLC. All rights reserved Len Testa and...

Troy P. writes in to ask: Hi Jim! Love your website. I was in Minneapolis this weekend and I attended the annual nighttime Halloween festival at ValleyFair, a local theme park here in the Twin Cities. " ValleyScare " was a fun event with creepy theming, chilling music, tons of fog machines...

As a child growing up in Massachusetts, I vividly remember these family road trips that we'd take in the Fall. Where -- as we'd zoom along the highway, headed for the Bay State's South Shore for some family function -- I'd occasionally catch a glimpse of a cranberry bog. Now you have...

Chris B. wrote in on September 10th to say Hi Mr. Hill, Great website and so appreciate how you share your Disney knowledge. With the opening of the New Fantasyland Disney has installed a statue for Beauty and the Beast's Gaston. Disney villains have typically only been out and about for the Halloween...

I know, I know. A lot of you have been patiently waiting to hear about who won JHM's most recent trivia contest. And I apologize for the delay. But I have been traveling a lot over the past month or so. And between covering the opening of Cars Land at Disney California Adventure, "Brave"...

PixiePal 225 recently wrote into say: I've been following the Fantasyland expansion project at WDW's Magic Kingdom for a couple of years now. And while I love the level of design and attention to detail that I've been seeing in the completed portions of Storybook Circus, as a Tinkerbell fan...

It's kind of a summer tradition here in the States that -- before you head out for the beach -- you stuff something trashy to read in your tote. Jacqueline Susann (AKA the author of " Valley of the Dolls ," which sold 30 million copies back in the 1960s) used to specialize in these sorts...

It's been a while since JHM last did a story about the various domain names that The Walt Disney Company has registered. Me personally, I always love the research phase for pieces like this because they then allow me to peek over the horizon. See what the Mouse possibly has planned for the future...

So we're two days into WDW 's first real field test for the Resort's new xPass / FASTPASS+ system . And the results so far look rather promising. Perhaps the biggest news so far is that we've discovered one of the ways that Disney is recruiting Guests to take part in this two-week-long...