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Did you hear a lot of high pitched squealing coming from Walt Disney World last week? Well, there was a reason for that. The Jonas Brothers and the Cheetah Girls -- not to mention the stars from " Hannah Montana ," " Cory in the House ," " The Suite Life of Zack & Cody " and " Wizards of Waverly...

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...

For Disney's Animal Kingdom fans ... It's one of those bad news / good news kind of day. The bad news is ... Plans for DAK's long-in-development nighttime parade -- "Rivers of Lights" -- have been tabled. Not because Animal Kingdom management lost confidence in Steve Davison's original concept. But ...

Have you heard about these Disney Princess & Pirates of the Caribbean -themed Happy Meals that McDonald's is selling now through April 10th? Given that this is the first time that Mickey Mouse & Mickey Dee have joined forces since these two mega-corporations decided to end their 10-year, $100...

Maynard may be the second smallest city in all of Massachusetts . But when it comes to the size of its heart, this tiny mill town is second to none. Which is why -- when Maynard residents learned about the plight of the Giunta family (The father -- Paul Giunta Jr. -- was injured back in March of 2006...

An item posted this past Friday on Screamscape about how the Cheesecake Factory will soon be pulling out of DisneyQuest got tongues wagging around the Web. As Disneyana fans began wondering if this intriguing new tidbit meant that WDW's indoor interactive theme park -- long rumored to be on the ropes...

The next time you use as a FastPass at a Disney theme park, pay close attention to what the cast member does once you walk up to that FastPass Return entrance. After you hand over your ticket, do they quickly run their finger along the top of that FastPass before then allowing you to enter that ride...

Have you heard about this advertorial that the Walt Disney Company had placed in the March issue of GQ ? This 8-page spread (Which is loaded with pictures that fashion photographer Ben Watts took of a handsome family of hipsters cavorting at Walt Disney World ) tries to sell WDW as this great place to...

When it comes to sharing the stories that WDW cast members tell me, I always have to be a little careful. Particularly since the most unlikely sounding tales (EX: Six months ago, I had an MGM insider tell me that that theme park's long-empty Superstar Television theatre would soon become home to a new...

TiggerFan452 writes in to say: Hey Jim, Just wondering if you've heard anything about these focus groups that Disney World has been recruiting people for. If you take part, you're apparently shown a preview video for something called "Disney's Night Kingdom". Any idea what this project is about and if...

Today may be Valentine's Day. But when it comes to Pleasure Island , it's clear that Disney World management has little love left for this once wildly popular night-time entertainment complex. Want proof? Then let's talk about PI's Rock 'n' Roll Beach Club, which closed its doors back on February 3rd...

Was your darling daughter one of those tweens who helped make that " Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both World Concert " film such a smash this past weekend? If she just can't get enough of Ms. Montana, then you may want to schedule a trip to Disney's Hollywood Studios in the not-so-distant...

Well, the first field test of the Walt Disney World Resort 's new " Magic Connection " system was completed late last week. And -- to be honest -- things didn't go quite as well as WDI R & D had hoped they would. Don't get me wrong, folks. The problem wasn't with the technology. From what I hear...

It wasn't what the Disneyana community wanted to hear last year. Copyright 1980 Walt Disney Productions. All Rights Reserved That -- in a January 27th interview with Deb Wills of AllEars.net -- Brad Rex , then-VP of Epcot , said that the Walt Disney World Resort had no plans to celebrate that theme park...

Imagine that -- as you walked through a Disney theme park -- you could carry with you a wireless device that would: Tell you in real time what the current wait time at your favorite attraction was Also let you know whether there were any FastPasses left for that particular attraction And when these FastPasses...