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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...

Do you hear that squealing noise coming out of Burbank? That's the sound of Mouse House management stomping on the brakes. Slowing down (and -- in some cases -- shutting down entirely) some of the more ambitious projects that the Walt Disney Company currently has in the works. All because of what's been...

If I had to name the one thing that I enjoy most out of all the rides, shows, attractions, theme parks, resorts and whatnot that can now be found at Walt Disney World, my favorite would have to be the Adventurers Club. Photo by Jeff Lange Why For? Because this Pleasure Island Club takes everything that...

Okay. It's time to test your observational skills. Please check out the photo below of a typical NYC street scene and then identify the person and/or items that don't quite belong. Photo by Jim Hill That's right. It's the guy with all of those Mickey Mouse balloons who looks out of place in modern day...

It's still hard for all us Adventurers Club fans to fathom that -- just seven weeks from now (give or take a day or two) -- that Pleasure Island will be no more. That on September 28th, WDW will permanently pull the plug on PI . Having spent many pleasant nights at the Club, I just can't imagine a Disney...

Let me tell you about a rather breathless phone call I received just yesterday from a reporter who works for a major American daily. This reporter (And -- no -- I'm not going to reveal his name. The poor guy's already embarassed enough as it is) thought that he had stumbled upon this truly huge Disney...

Peter David isn't exactly sure when he first discovered the Adventurers Club. "It had to be sometime in 1989 or 1990," this award-winning author remembers. "I was exploring the then-newly-opened Pleasure Island . I'd already been to a number of the other clubs on the Island. And I must have wandered...

Bradley R. writes in to ask: Jim -- I was just down at Disney World and I have to admit that the Magic Kingdom's "Celebrate America! -- A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky" show was pretty spectacular. But as good as those fireworks were, they got me thinking. Has Disney World ever staged a bigger display...

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...

What with the Rock 'n' Roll Beach Club closing back in February as well as the island's signature spotlights being sold off one month later, it's not as if the handwriting hasn't already been on the wall for WDW 's Pleasure Island . Earlier this month, another indication that this nighttime entertainment...

Christy S. writes in to say: Jim When I was a little girl, my father and I flew down to Walt Disney World . This was just a year or so after the resort opened and I distinctly remember taking a boat ride with my father out to some island. Once we got there, these pirates led us on a treasure hunt which...

So -- in the weeks & months ahead -- we've got " My School Musical " on the Disney Channel , " High School Musical: Get in the Picture " on ABC as well as the theatrical release of " High School Musical 3 ." But how far exactly is the Walt Disney Company planning on stretching the "High School Musical...

It's the story that's often been told about the creation of Disney World . How Walt -- as he was flying over the swamps of Central Florida in Disney's corporate plane -- looked out the window and saw Raz Island sitting in the middle of Bay Lake. "That's it," Walt was reported to have said, "That's where...

Disney's Hollywood Studios has its Rock 'n' Roller Coaster . SeaWorld has its Shamu Rocks show. And sometime next year, Universal Studios Florida guests will be able to experience the rush of riding on the Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit . But an entire theme park dedicated to rock 'n' roll ? Is the world...

It's as predictable as the tides. First a new attraction soft-opens at one of the Disney theme parks. And then someone online declares this new ride or show is " ... the worst thing that Imagineering has ever designed." Which is why -- on the heels of "Spaceship Earth" 's torturous test-and-adjust period...

With all the Disney / nature-related news this week (i.e. Monday's big reveal of the Studio's new production banner, " Disneynature ." Tuesday's announcement of the renaming of the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund . Plus -- of course -- yesterday's celebration of Animal Kingdom 's 10th anniversary)...

Have you seen that clip on YouTube ? The one that shows how the Mr. Potato Head AA figure that you find in the queue area of Disney's " Toy Story Mania " can actually pull off its own ear? Well, that's nothing. Wait 'til you hear about how the Imagineers are now pulling out their hair as they try &...

Greetings from far-too-sunny Florida ! My apologies, folks. I know that JHM hasn't followed its usual Monday-through-Friday publication schedule this past week. But there's a good reason for that. This past Tuesday, I flew down to Orlando. I'm primarily in town to attend Disney's Animal Kingdom 's 10th...

As you drove west on I-4 at night, they were one of the main signs that you had finally arrived at the edge of Walt Disney World property. Those spotlights that swirled in the skies over Pleasure Island . Photo by Jeff Lange Well, late last week, PI's signature light system went dark. Why For? Because...

Remember those proposed Liberty Square bridge repairs that I wrote about last month? Well, Magic Kingdom management has finally decided to go ahead with this construction project. Which is why they filed the necessary permits last Tuesday. "So what happens now?," you ask. "Given the huge number of people...