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Did you manage to make it to last week’s NFFC – Disneyana Fan Club Disney World Holiday Extravaganza? If not, you missed out on some primo fan events. Like what? Well, how about a private screening of “ The Princess & The Frog .” Which featured an appearance by artists & animators from Premise...

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 …...

What with that $1.1 billion worth of construction that’s currently going on at Disney’s California Adventure (not to mention that $100+ milllion redo of the Disneyland Hotel that just got underway), the next three years are going to be a particularly tough time for the Disneyland Resort . Walt Disney...

In honor of Columbus Day, I thought that we’d spend today peeking over the horizon. Discovering what new worlds possibly awaits us by checking out some of the domain names The Walt Disney Company has registered over the past few weeks. All of you athletic-types who enjoy taking part in endurance events...

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...

Epcot has long been noted known for its mix of education and entertainment. Which is why Gary Vaynerchuk fits in perfectly at this theme park. This self-trained wine expert flew into Orlando late last week to help kick-off the 14 th annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival . And in his own...

30 years ago this month, I made my very first trip to Walt Disney World . And for 25 years now, I’ve been writing about Central Florida’s Vacation Kingdom. I offer this info up not because I want to impress JHM readers with my advanced age. But – rather – to give you some idea of how long I’ve actually...

Over the years, I have heard a lot of stories from Disney insiders that I’ve been lucky enough to interview. Like how Alice Davis once told me that she knew that Mary Blair must be dealing with some horrific personal problems. Given that – in the early 1970s – this Disney Legend’s acclaimed sense of...

Alright. I know. It's been kind of a scary week for all you folks who live and work in Central Florida. What with all the stories that are making the rounds about Walt Disney World 's projected occupancy rate for the month of January as well as how miserable things have gotten for all those hotels &...

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it's time to break out all of those Christmas lights and start decorating the exterior of your home. Mind you, Rob Hamberg got kind of a headstart on the rest of us. This Walt Disney World Entertainment show producer didn't wait 'til turkey time to start his holiday decorating...

It's all that anyone in Central Florida can talk about these days. The huge impact that the current consumer spending slump is having on the tourism industry. And with people now admitting that they're cutting back on toys and apparel purchases ... Well, that's not what the folks at Walt Disney World...

Okay. I know. This is a really tough time to be a Disney World fan. Especially with last week's news about how advance reservations for the Resort were 'way down and WDW officials were already getting ready for what looked to be an incredibly lean 2009. But -- you know -- it's not always going to be...

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...

I'm sure that you've all experienced something like this during at least one Disney World vacation. That moment when the crowds start to close in. When the noise & the heat at the theme parks get to be too much. Well, if you ever find yourself feeling like this ... Might I suggest that you climb...

"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...

Anne L. writes in to ask: "This past week, I couldn't help but notice that -- out of all the major Disneyana sites on the Web -- JHM is the only one that hasn't mentioned DCA 's Blue Sky Cellar yet. Why is that?" To be honest, Anne, you kind of answered your own question. Given that everyone else out...

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...

If you want to know all about the Walt Disney Company's past , there are lots of great books already on the market. Just in the past year, we've had David Koenig 's " Realityland: True-Life Adventures at Walt Disney World ," Michael Barrier 's " The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney " and Neal Gabler...