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Okay. Quick show of hands here. How many of you actually remember filling out that application toward the back of " Mickey Mouse Club Magazine "? And then sending a letter off to Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Just so that -- four to six weeks later -- you'd then be able to receive your very own Mickey...

It's been said that "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." Well, in the Walt Disney Company's case, imitation is also often a great way to start a lucrative new business line. Take, for example, that Tote a Tail line of plush that the Mouse introduced at the parks 8 months back. Which -- obviously...

Kathy T. writes in to say: In honor of the upcoming 25th anniversary of Epcot , I was wondering if you could share some stories about how that theme park actually came into being. Well, one part of the Epcot Center story that has (in my opinion, anyway) been woefully under-reported was all the wheeling...

Given that the Disney theme parks are now home to a plethora of peaks (i.e. The Matterhorn , Space Mountain , Big Thunder Mountain , Splash Mountain , Mt. Mayday , Summit Plummit , Grizzly Peak , Mt. Prometheus and Forbidden Mountain ), it may seem somewhat bizarre to hear that there was actually a time...

Are you familiar with the old adage that "Good things come to those who wait"? Well, Disneyana fans have been waiting a long time for " Walt Disney's Legends of Imagineering and the Genesis of the Disney Theme Park ." And a lot of folks are now wondering why it's taking so long for this Disney Editions...

When people usually talk about what happened on 9/11, the focus (for obvious reasons) is on New York City, Washington D.C. and that field just outside of Shanksville, PA. But -- that said -- it's also important to remember what happened immediately after those four planes crashed. That sudden surge...

Mike P. wrote in yesterday to say: I loved last week's "Why For " about all the pavilions and attractions that were planned for Epcot and Disney World but ultimately never built. But what about Disneyland ? Do you have any information about rides, shows and attractions that were proposed for the Disney...

This is one of these stories that I'm sure is going to depress a certain portion of JHM readers. Mostly because it gives a glimpse of what might have been at Walt Disney World . Particularly if Ron Miller had remained in power at the Mouse House. Anyway ... The following is a transcript of an article...

Okay. Let's start your Monday morning off with a funny little Disney-related story from the September issue of " Star Wars Insider " magazine. Which alludes to a particularly bizarre moment during the production of " Episode IV - A New Hope ." It seems that -- with the hope that they might be able to...

Vernon S. wrote in yesterday to say: You know what I liked best about today's article ? That photograph of the Disney Sea model. I've always been fascinated by the Long Beach project. I don't suppose, as part of one of your upcoming Why For columns, that you could write about some of the rides, shows...

How did it ever come to this? That has to be the question that Disney officials are asking themselves this week. Particularly after Tuesday night's meeting where the Anaheim City Council voted 4 to 1 to place the proposed zoning change to the Resort District on the June 3rd, 2008 ballot. Should the public...

Roger A. writes in to ask: Jim, Bravo on your two recent articles on the Disney-MGM name change . After hearing the news, I was thrilled to find your very-informative articles on the subject. One thing you mentioned really intrigued me, and begs for more info: "We'll have to wait 'til "Disney's Hollywood...

A real treat showed up in the mail today. " Darkwing Duck: Volume 2 ." Copyright 2007 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved I don't know how many of you remember this " Disney Afternoon " show. But "Darkwing Duck" was great fun. A witty spoof of the whole superhero genre, "DD" debuted as part...

First up, Michael R. writes in to ask: I was wondering if there was any specific reason why there has not been a release of the " Disney-MGM Studios " version of (the " Imagineering Field Guide ") series? They've released books for the other three parks and I understand now they're working on the CA...

Earlier this week, Jill T. wrote in to say: According to today's Los Angeles Times , the Walt Disney Company and SunCal have failed to reach a compromise on that big housing project. So now we're back to Disney pushing the Anaheim City Council to get this zoning issue put on the November ballot. What...

In response to last week's "Why For," Lou P. writes in to say: Your latest column just doesn't make any sense to me. Back in the earlier 1990s, the Imagineers were given $1.4 billion and told to do something spectacular with Disneyland 's old parking lot. Working with that limited amount of money, they...

For over 50 years now, the Walt Disney Company has been going to the dogs. Particularly when Mickey was looking for strong story material to build new motion pictures around. Think about it. Ever since " Lady and the Tramp " first bounded into theaters back in June of 1955, the Mouse Factory has turned...

You'd think that -- when the very first edition of " Leonard Maltin 's Movie Guide" was published back in 1969 -- that this then-18-year-old film historian would have been terribly proud of his first published work. Well, think again. "To be honest, I was embarassed by the book," Maltin admitted in a...

Oliver from Stuttgart writes in say ... This is Oliver from Germany. I am writing you today because I wonder whether you know new details about the retheming of DCA ? As far as I know a new Pixar parade and a new lagoon show have been approved already. But what about the general make-over of the themed...

If you've been reading JHM for a while now, you already know that I'm a very big fan of Didier Ghez 's "Walt's People" books . So -- that said -- is it really all that big a surprise that I enjoyed reading " Volume 5 " of this ongoing series. Mind you, at 443 pages in length, this paperback is the heftiest...