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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...

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...

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...

Okay. The first field test of xPass / FASTPASS+ officially wrapped yesterday. And while Disney correlates all of that data which they collected from those 4200 individuals, groups and families who agreed to take part in this pilot program at the Magic Kingdom , the Company's already reaching out...

Wow. Has it really been 15+ years since Beth Dunlop wrote " Building a Dream: The Art of Disney Architecture " ? Obviously Disney's world has gotten a whole lot bigger since 1996. Which is why I think it's terrific that Disney Editions recently decided to revisit Dunlop's book....

By now, you've no doubt seen the maquette of that statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse which is supposed to be prominently displayed on Buena Vista Street (i.e. Disney California Adventure 's entrance plaza. The Main Street, U.S.A. equivalent for this revamped theme park). Copyright Disney...

So what it take to create a killer canvas like this? Well, it takes time, talent and a friend who really knows their way around a train. "Right on Time" by Maggie Parr. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved Luckily, artist & designer Maggie Parr has all three of those things...

As any good gardener will tell you, Fall is a great time to prune. Why For? Because once the leaves are off the tree, you can actually see what you're doing. More to the point, flowering plants that are pruned back in the autumn usually experience vigorous regrowth the following spring. Photo by...

You know everything that you think you know about Hawaii? That island paradise with the luaus and the tiki torches (not to mention the concrete canyons of Honolulu) ? Well, you can forget about all that when you visit at Aulani, Disney's new resort and spa which just opened at Ko Olina, Oahu. According...

Jim Henson , Disney Legend . For a lot of people (myself included) this phrase doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. But perhaps that's because - for so many of us who grew up in the late 1960s / early 1970s - Jim Henson was / already is a legend. This enormously talented individual who - through...

Disneyland Park celebrated its 56 th anniversary of its opening yesterday. But for those who couldn't wait to get that party started, there was the Disneyana Fan Club 's annual convention . Photo by Paul Schnebelen Held just down the road from the Park at the Anaheim Crowne Plaza Resort in Garden...

How many times have you looked at a piece of Disney theme park concept art and thought: "Oooh, I wanna go there right now." Collin Campbell's painting of the Fort Wilderness Railroad Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved Collin Campbell was an absolute master when it came...

I got an e-mail asking me what I thought of that concept painting of the Shanghai Disneyland Resort which was shown at The Walt Disney Company's 2011 Investor's Conference yesterday. Concept art for the Shanghai Disneyland Resort. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved To be honest...

What's the weirdest place you ever got a job offer? Because I bet John Tartaglia has you beat. Let me set the scene for you. It's September of 2009. And the star of " Johnny and the Sprites " - having a fun few days exploring & experiencing the inaugural D23 Expo - was over at Disneyland...

Okay. Quick show of hands. How many of you remember Mr. Creosote from " Monty Python's the Meaning of Life "? That grotesquely fat man (played by Terry Jones ) who ate so much he literally exploded after consuming one-too-many wafer-thin mints? The reason that I bring that character up...

Given that CSI kicks off its 11 th season on CBS tonight and given that Michael Eisner's new book, "Working Together: Why Great Partnerships Succeed," was released to stores earlier this month, it's almost inevitable that some entertainment reporter out there is going to connect the...

You don't normally find alligators lurking inside of the Disneyland Hotel . Photo by Jim Hill Or - for that matter - PeopleMover cars parked just outside of this hotel's Grand Ballroom . Photo by Jim Hill But - then again - this past Saturday night wasn't exactly your average night at the...

My apologies if this week's Monday Mouse Watch is somewhat on the short side. But I just got back from Southern California. And since I'm flying down to Florida tomorrow morning to start covering the grand opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, I really don't have time to write a full-blown...

Okay. Last week, JHM reviewed a new hardcover that would be the perfect graduation present for any artists and animators that are on your gift list. This time around, I'd like to talk up a book that would be a great selection for any would-be Imagineers you may have in your extended family. And that...

By now, you’ve no doubt seen those online videos that made many a theme park fan go gaga. Where a few lucky Guests – as they were making a stop at Mickey’s House at Disneyland earlier this week – suddenly found themselves face-to-face with a NextGen walkaround character. A Mickey Mouse who not only addressed...