A Look at New Year’s Eve Celebrations at Disneyland Resort Over the Years

Winter Hats at the Parks

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party Highlights

Holiday Decorating Ideas from Disneyland Décor Experts

Disney Holiday Ornaments

A Virtual Disney Fireplace

Voices of Liberty: ‘Deck the Halls’

Happy Holidays from the Dapper Dans

What’s Best About Walt Disney World During the Holidays?

Disney Mom Amanda - 'Twas the Night Before..."

Celebrating a Dream - Happy Birthday Walt!

Dec 05, 1901

Walt Disney is Born in Chicago, Illinois

108 years ago today, Walter Elias Disney was born to Elias and Flora Disney, in Chicago, Illinois. Walt was the fourth of five children. He had four brothers, Herbert Arthur, Raymond Arnold, and Roy Oliver. Sister Ruth Flora was not born until 1903. When Walt was born, the average annual income was $651, and the average house cost $4,000. If Mr. and Mrs. Disney wanted to mail out birth announcements, they only needed a two cent stamp. Just five days before Walt was born, the very first Nobel Peace Prizes were awarded. Theodore Roosevelt was the President of the United States.

Holiday Storytellers at Epcot - Kwanzaa

Best Places to Take Holiday Photos at Walt Disney World

Behind-The-Scenes: Disney’s Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

Emporium Windows / Celebrate the Holidays 2010

Christmas Parades at Disneyland Park: A Look Back

Caroling at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village

Disney Characters Decorate Disneyland Park Through the Years

Congas, Zendrum Create Unique Holiday Music at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

It features a five-piece percussion band called The Village Beatniks and they’re playing Christmas and Hanukkah songs, adding jingle bells to their usual assortment of bongos and congas and tom-toms.

While four Village Beatniks keep the rhythm going, the fifth member plays melodies on a Zendrum — a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) percussion controller. That means you can play an assortment of synthesized instruments and drums, literally at your fingertips. Next time you’re visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom, listen for the Village Beatniks near Flame Tree Barbecue.

Believe in Holiday Magic

IllumiNations - Reflections of Earth [Special Christmas Finale]

Click on the link to see on youtube

IllumiNations - Reflections of Earth [01/03] - Subtitles

IllumiNations - Reflections of Earth [02/03] - Subtitles  

IllumiNations - Reflections of Earth [03/03] - Special Christmas Finale

Holiday Wishes Finale - The Holiday Spirit in Each of Us

Click on the Holiday Wishes Chapters to see it on youtube:

Holiday Wishes 2008 Chapter 1 - The Spirit of the Season 

Holiday Wishes 2008 Chapter 2 - The Spirit of Holiday Wonder 

Holiday Wishes 2008 Chapter 3 - The Spirit of Sharing Hearth and Family   

Holiday Wishes 2008 Chapter 4 - The Spirit of Holiday Childhood Fantasies 

Holiday Wishes 2008 Chapter 5 - The Holiday Spirit in Each of Us   

Chapter 6 - Christmas All Around Us - After Holiday Wishes

A Lost Art: Making Candy Canes at Disneyland

Christmas Ornament Tips from Disney Experts

The Osborne Family - Spectacle of Dancing Lights

Walt Disney World Christmas Day 2008 and 2009 Highlights

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"A Christmas Fantasy" Parade

It's All About the Holidays at the Disneyland Resort 2010

From Halloween to Christmas at the Magic Kingdom

Halloween Screams Fireworks [Trailer]

Halloween Décor Installation at Magic Kingdom

Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy

Making of the Haunted Mansion Holiday gingerbread house

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This year marks the tenth anniversary of Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland park, and each year, some very different teams gather for a very special project: the Haunted Mansion Holiday gingerbread house. Cast members from teams like Operations, Engineering, Creative Development and Food and Beverage all work together to bring this spooky but tasty creation to life. In this video, we learn how they do it and what they do to mark their special reunion each year.

Larger-Than-Life Halloween Pumpkins at Disneyland Park

Let Creative Costuming at Walt Disney World Help You Design a Great Pirate Halloween Costume

Narrated Audio for Haunted Mansion Guests

Audio Description, now available at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort, provides narrated audio for guests with visual disabilities by describing visual attraction elements, such as actions, settings and scene changes. This audio describes scenes from the Haunted Mansion.

Dressing up for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

Check out some of the fun costumes worn by our guests while attending

Mickey's-Not-So Scary Halloween Party

Disney Décor Expert Shares Halloween Tips

Take a look around the Disneyland Resort right now and you'll see that Halloween has taken over. That "spooky" touch comes from our resort enhancement team. One of those creative experts is David Caranci. He succeeds every year in amazing our team with his easy decorating ideas.

Take a look at his fun decorating tips for creating your own Jack Skellington Halloween Tree and Shrunken Apple Heads.

Halloween Time at Disneyland 2010

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train - Virtual Tour / Vehicle Design / Development

Dumbo the Flying Elephant Celebrates 56th Anniversary

Happy Birthday Disneyland's Dumbo :-D

Did you know that the Dumbo attraction is also at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World (1971), Tokyo Disneyland (1983), Disneyland Paris (1992) and Hong Kong Disneyland (2005)? Here’s another fun fact: When President Harry S Truman (a staunch Democrat) visited the park in 1957, he playfully refused to ride Dumbo because of the Republican symbolism associated with the elephant-themed attraction. Enjoy this historical footage of our famous flying elephants.

The Corn Dog Castle

The Corn Dog Castle is now open at Disney California Adventure. See how these delicious dogs are made. Read more at the Disney Parks Blog: http://bit.ly/mvk1U7

Travelocity's Top Reasons to Stay at a Walt Disney World Resort

"Top 4 Reasons to Stay at a Walt Disney World Resort," as voted on by fans of Travelocity's Facebook Page.

Vintage Video: Flying Saucers at Disneyland

posted at the Official Disney Parks Blog on August 6th, 2010 by Valarie Sukovaty, Disneyland Public Relations

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Before Space Mountain opened in 1977, that site was the location of some exciting UFO sightings. Okay, not really, but close. Guests were spotted tipping their UFOs from side to side on the Flying Saucers attraction that opened 49 years ago on August 6, 1961. These saucers were the “bumper cars of the future,” only instead of cars, guests “flew” flying saucers on a blast of air. The goal was to bump into as many saucers as possible before time was up. It closed five years later on August 5, 1966. For those who loved the Flying Saucers you’re in for a nostalgic treat. Luigi’s Flying Tires is a similar attraction that will open in Cars Land at Disney California Adventure park in 2012. I hope you enjoy this vintage video of the Flying Saucers from opening day in 1961.

Happy Anniversary to 999 Happy Haunts! [2 videos]

The original vision of the Haunted Mansion was a walk-through attraction called the Haunted House. It was a project that Walt Disney Imagineers started and stopped for 15 years, due other projects that kept taking priority. It finally opened as the Haunted Mansion on August 9, 1969. It was the first attraction developed and opened without Walt Disney (he had passed away two years before).

Behind The Scenes: Hitchhiking Ghosts Come to Life in the Haunted Mansion

Imagineers have created the ultimate collection of hitchhiking ghosts that now interact with guests and today, they're sharing a behind-the-scene look at how it happens. Read more at the Disney Parks Blog: http://bit.ly/e8jqzR

Disney Monorail Train Features Tron Art

Via Napoli - A Pizza in 2 Minutes

A Day in the Life of Mickey Mouse Aboard Disney Cruise Line

posted at the official Disney Parks blog on March 15th, 2011 by Jonathan Frontado, Disney Cruise Line

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Have you ever wondered how Mickey Mouse spends his day on a Disney cruise?

It’s all ears on deck when we set sail, and everyone’s favorite mouse has quite the busy schedule. He plays many roles throughout each voyage, appearing in stage shows, hosting deck parties and meeting and greeting guests around the ship. You never know where you might spot him for a photo op.

We followed Mickey around to get a glimpse of his exciting day-to-day life at sea…and here’s a sneak peek just for you.

‘Slo-Mo’ Magic at Epcot

posted at the Official Disney Parks Blog on March 10th, 2011 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks

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This time, we’ve brought our special camera designed to capture video in slow motion into one of our newest Epcot restaurants – Via Napoli. Pizza that’s cooked in wood-burning “volcano” ovens is a specialty here. But before it hits your table, Via Napoli Executive Chef Charlie Restivo spins the dough to life with some amazing tosses that are simply magical to see in slo-mo.

[Rare] Louis Prima - Jungle Book [Exclusive Footage]

Tourist Channel Orlando [Complete TV Show]

The Tourist Channel utilizes leading-edge technology to deliver full-motion television into about 25,000 hotel rooms in Orlando and Kissimmee, Florida which is the greater Walt Disney World area of Central Florida. We specifically target hotel and motel guests on world famous International Drive and Highway 192 at Disney's main gate. Additionally, our content can be viewed here onlione and on numerous other Internet sites by visitors before they leave home or from their laptops or smart phones while traveling or staying in hotels that are not online. 

Our advertiser's TV commercials are delivered directly to their best prospects, tourists staying in Orlando hotel rooms and also those who are planning their vacations utilizing the Internet. Their advertisements are delivered via the world's most popular and preferred mediums, television and the Internet to a potential audience of millions. 

Central Florida offers visitors a myriad of great things to see and do and The Tourist Channel guest-room & Internet information service offers visitors the best choices of activities to enjoy. The Tourist Channel also serves the community and our many guests by helping to prevent guest from falling victim to crime or injury.

Whatever your need, in-hotel-room tourism TV, tourism TV on the Internet or on your smart phone, Richard Kenney Media's Tourist Channel delivers 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. No one works harder for you than Richard Kenney Media, Inc., and no advertising medium is more cost effective than The Tourist Channel.

For more information call Richard Kenney Media, Inc., at 407-808-8080 or toll free:
1-888-4KENNEY (1-888-453-6639).
Email: info@touristchannel.tv

Maintaining Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland Resort

A Look Back: New Orleans Square Officially Opens

The footage you are about to see is bittersweet. It shows one of the last times Walt was on film enjoying his park. The day was July 24, 1966 (Walt died later that year). Walt and New Orleans Mayor Victor Schiro officially opened New Orleans Square. It was the first time since opening day in 1955 that a new land had opened. It was also the only area at the park named after a real city. Guests enjoyed shopping, dining and music, and Pirates of the Caribbean opened the following year.

Cars Land Virtual Drive-Through at Disney California Adventure Park

Tips for Visiting Disneyland this Summer

All You Want to Know About "World of Color"

Unwrapped Walt Disney World [Food Network Complete TV Show]

A food lover story at the Walt Disney World Resort. Let's travel together to the four corners of Disney tasting everything.

This particular special talks about the secrets and stories that go into creating the food at the Walt Disney World Resort every day. Hosted by Marc Summers and shown on Food Network.

Ever wonder how those Mickey Mouse ice creams are made? What it takes to cater a fairy tale wedding at Cinderella's castle? Come along as Marc Summers takes you behind-the-scenes to one of the most loved places on earth.

Tips and Hidden Treasures at the Disneyland Resort

Celebrating Walt's Dream

Celebrating Walt’s Dream 56 Years Later

posted at the Official Disney Parks Blog by Valarie Sukovaty, Disneyland Public Relations

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“To all who come to this happy place … Welcome!”

July 17, 1955 – That’s the day Walt Disney opened the gates to Disneyland park. Now, here we are, 56 years later still celebrating his amazing dream. I remember celebrating the 50th Anniversary. I had just began my job a few months before in public relations and was assigned to produce some podcasts for the celebration. My all-time favorite in my 18-year career as a producer is the historical piece you are about to see. I love the vintage footage with Art Linkletter hosting a live broadcast with Ronald Regan at the grand opening – the official opening day for guests was the next day. A-listers like Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., can be seen taking a drive in the Autopia cars. Only 15,000 guests were invited to the “invitation only” event, but 28,000 showed up! The lines were long and the day was hot, and not everyone thought this new Park would be a success, but it didn’t matter. The guests loved it and Disneyland park forever changed how Americans vacationed.

I hope you enjoy this video. It was originally released on Disneyland.com in 2005. It not only entertains you with clips from opening day, but shows construction of Disneyland park and some old footage of some pretty important people who visited. Watch how Disneyland park evolved from Walt’s dream of a place “where the parents and children could have fun together” to an additional four Resorts around the world and a world-famous cruise line.

- Valarie Sukovaty

Sleeping Beauty Castle Time Lapse Video

posted at the Official Disney Parks Blog on March 16th, 2011 by Shannon Swanson, Senior Publicist, Disneyland Resort

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Any cast member who’s had the opportunity to be at the Disneyland Resort during the wee hours of the morning would agree it is truly a magical time to be in the parks. With daylight savings time occurring this week, I thought it was fitting to start this series of videos: “Disneyland Resort at Dawn,” where I will highlight my favorite areas of the Resort at daybreak using “nat sound” or natural sound.

This video was shot in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle continuously from 6:30 a.m. until 8:00 a.m., before we moved the clocks forward. The shoot went a bit longer than expected because it was overcast that day. I was surprised to hear so many birds singing before sunlight!

Look for more videos showing this mystical part of the morning at the Disneyland Resort. Up next…Mickey’s Toontown!

Take a Tilt-Shift Trip to Disneyland Paris

posted at the Official Disney Parks Blog on March 16th, 2011 by Jennifer Fickley-Baker, Social Media Manager

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Today marks the ninth anniversary of Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallée, France. And what better way to celebrate than to share a day at the park with all of our Disney Parks Blog readers?

Pack your bags and get ready to enjoy a whirlwind trip via our new tilt-shift video, “A Magical Day at Disneyland Paris,” and see just about everything Walt Disney Studios Park and Disneyland Park has to offer.

Tilt-shift videos like these use different photo angles, focus settings and color saturation adjustments to make the subject of a photo appear miniature.

It took more than seven months and 4,000 photographs to produce this 2:38-minute clip.

The Walt Disney Archives Photo Library

- Go inside the Walt Disney Archives Photo Library!

- Housing over 3 million images, learn how the archivists manage the largest collection in the Archives.

-Take a look at some rare images from Walt's life and more!

D23 is Disney's official fan club. To learn more about membership and for all your Disney news, visit http://Disney.com/D23

Magical links:

D23's Rocketeer 20th Annniversary: http://d23.disney.go.com/expo/062111.EE.EVENT_Rocketeer.html
Follow D23 on Facebook at http://Facebook.com/DisneyD23
Follow D23 on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/DisneyD23

Teri Hatcher - From 'Coach' to Couture at Walt Disney World

Teri Hatcher, from ABC's "Desperate Housewives" gives a special person in her life, a day of pampering and beauty at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Terri Hatcher's First Walt Disney World Memory

Teri Hatcher, from ABC's "Desperate Housewives" talks about her first trip to Walt Disney World, and why Disney Parks are the most magical place on earth.

Air Force Thunderbirds Fly Over Walt Disney World

Highlights of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds flying over Main Street U.S.A. and Cinderella Castle to commemorate the start of "Air Force Week" in Central Florida. The jets made the special flight over Magic Kingdom Park during a celebration of "Hometown Heroes" that included honoring dignitaries at our Celebrate a Dream Come True parade.

Star Wars Sights and Sounds at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Tinker Bell’s Nighttime Flight Turns 26

Today is the 26th anniversary of Tinker Bell’s pre-fireworks flight

Click Here to read an article about the 1st Disneyland's Fireworks

After Magic Kingdom Park opened in 1971, many guests asked when and where they could see Tinker Bell take flight. At the time, Tinker Bell had been flying over Disneyland Park in California since the summer of 1961, coasting through the skies from the top of the Matterhorn and over Sleeping Beauty Castle, preceding the park’s Fantasy in the Sky fireworks show. But, she had yet to make an appearance in Florida.


It wasn’t until 1985 that guests at the Walt Disney World Resort finally got their wish and it was announced that Tinker Bell would perform her first flight at Magic Kingdom Park. The guest response was immediate and a crowd of more than 60,000 showed up to watch the fairy’s inaugural flight July 3, 1985.


Originally planned as a seasonal and holiday spectacle for our theme park, the response was so positive that Tinker Bell’s flight turned into a nightly event that continues to this day.

What's Your Favorite Hidden Mickey?

Must Do Disney 2010 [Hotel Room TV Show]

This is the TV show that is broadcast to the Disney World Resorts and other hotels in the area and provides guests with helpful tips for visiting WDW! The World Famous Hostess of the show is Stacy :-D

Deep Dive - Epcot: Marine Biology

Disney's Dreamers explore the fascinating world under the sea with marine educators at Epcot The Living Seas with a behind-the-scenes adventure to learn more about the opportunities available in Biology and Marine Biology.

2010 Summer Fireworks at the Magic Kingdom

Both videos are the same but the second one is the Highlights with some interviews!

Second star to the right & Beyond the Laughing Sky [Lyrics]

Both are the same song, just different lyrics. The 1st one is from Peter Pan and the 2nd one, was made first for Alice in Wonderland but never used.

The Grand Opening of Walt Disney World [Complete - Oct. 29, 1971]

Aired on October 29, 1971. This Tv special is a celebrity-filled look at the opening festivities for Walt Disney World in Florida.

On Friday October 1, 1971 - after seven years of planning - about 10,000 visitors converged near Orlando, Florida, to witness the grand opening of Walt Disney World. The Magic Kingdom (the only theme park at the time on Disney property) featured Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Tomorrowland, a Main Street USA, and about 5,500 Cast Members. The price of admission was $4.95!

The early morning found guests driving around the toll plaza over and over, trying to steer their way in to be the first visitors to the park. William Windsor, Jr. and his family were the first guests at the new park - they had slept in their car overnight!

Walt Disney World also debuted 2 property hotels, the 15-story Contemporary Resort and the Polynesian Village Resort - both built by U.S. Steel and both connected by a monorail system. The hotels were conceived by WED enterprises and the Los Angeles architectural firm of Welton Becket & Associates. U.S. Steel was to originally own the hotels, but just before opening, Roy Disney decided to buy out their interests and let Disney run the hotels themselves.

The Contemporary (originally to be called the Tempo Bay Hotel) featured something probably never seen before by vacationers ... a monorail running directly through the middle of the A-frame structure's 10-story atrium!

The Polynesian Village Resort (originally planned to be to be a 12- story high-rise hotel & at one time referred to as the "South Seas" resort) opened on the south shore of Seven Seas Lagoon.

The official grand opening celebrations of Disney's Contemporary and Polynesian Village Resorts took place on October 24. The Electrical Water Pageant and Fantasy in the Sky Spectacular also debuted that evening.

Walt Disney World - Journey into Magic [Complete]

Walt Disney World's Journey Into Magic. Join many hosts and families as they try to conquer what makes Walt DIsney World so one of a kind. This was soon after Star Tours opened , having the Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center and the Disney-MGM Studios as the only Walt Disney World theme parks.

Follow Us to Walt Disney World [Complete 1984 Film]

This is a Disney promotional film that was made in 1984

Your Favorite Place to Watch Fireworks at Magic Kingdom Park is…

Space Mountain & Dumbo the Flying Elephant Toy Sets

The best place to find them will be inside Once Upon A Toy in Downtown Disney at Walt Disney World.

Exclusive Bay Lake Tower Rooftop Deck Offers Amazing View of ‘Wishes’ Fireworks

One-of-a-Kind Disney Instruments: The Genie Bass Artwork

The Genie design is first, painted by Layout Artist Brian Kesinger. To finish it, Brian found inspiration in the strangest of places. See for yourself:

What it Takes to Serve a Family of 500

Interview with Enache Popp, Operations Manager, Food & Beverage for

Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa

What is the largest single sitting that you have done?

Enache: Our largest party was 1,200 guests. It was a “plated” event meaning the event was served as a three-course meal, including appetizer salad, entrée and dessert.

How long does it take to make that many meals?

Enache: With the size of our kitchen staff we are able to produce food for a large group pretty quickly. We start the previous day making the sauces and salad dressing; cleaning and trimming vegetables; grating cheeses, etc. Event day always goes more smoothly when we have all these items ready to cook ahead of time. On the day of the event we “dish up” the salads first so they can be loaded onto carts and chilled before service. This process involves moving the plates along an assembly line adding each element along the way. When done, the plate is covered, stacked and loaded onto a cart and placed into a walk-in refrigerator. Entrées are created much the same way. For larger parties, we use multiple serving lines. An empty plate is transformed into a fully portioned plate complete with a lid in less than 4 seconds per plate. For the event with 1,200 guests, we used multiple lines which allowed us to plate in less than 50 minutes!

How are you able to serve so many meals so quickly?

Enache: For most events, guests need to be served quickly so they can return to their meetings after lunch. For a quicker turnaround, we pre-set the salad and dessert on the table at the last possible minute before the guests arrive. To serve the entrées quickly, two servers work together as a team and service four tables. This made it possible to serve all 1,200 guests in only 11 minutes.

What qualities does a Banquet Manager need to have?

Enache: An understanding of logistics and good organizational skills are needed for banquets. We use the information provided by the sales team to ensure the room is decorated and ready; we make sure the food is delicious and prepared on time, and, of course, after the event is over, we clear the tables and break down the room to prepare for the next event. It is our job to do this while providing world-class service.

[Inauguration] Hollywood Tower Hotel - Disneyland Paris

April 06, 2008

Behind The Scenes: Main Street Electrical Parade Returns To Walt Disney World in 2010

Behind The Scenes: Float Driving in the Main Street Electrical Parade

‘World of Color’ – Behind the H2O – Making the Fountains Dance

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posted at the official Disney Parks Blog on May 24th, 2010 by Steven Davison, Imagineer, Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment

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I can’t believe how close we are to the opening! It’s been a crazy few months, but I’m having a great time putting together this show.

Today I’m sharing a first look at how we’re getting the fountains to “dance.” Since “World of Color” doesn’t have any live performers, the fountains will become our dancers and actors. To help with staging the fountains, we brought in Joshua Horner.

Josh is a fantastic choreographer from Australia. One of his dreams was to work with Walt Disney Imagineering on a show. Well, I am glad we were able to make his dream come true!

We asked Josh to take the musical score for the show and create a style and choreographic point of view for each number. Whether it was the signature look to the show’s theme, or the lush balletic moves in “Part of Your World,” Josh put his heart and soul into the movement of each piece.

The end result of his work was inspiring. We brought the creative team together and had Josh present his ideas. For each of us it became a wonderful fount of inspiration that sparked new ideas and really helped shaped the show.

Today we’ll give you a glimpse into the process.

First "World of Color" TV Spot

Your Favorite Time to Visit Walt Disney World is…

Park Balloons: There’s a Skill To This Inflated Fun

Making Minnie Mouse Candy Apples at Marceline’s Confectionary

Behind the Scenes: Disneyland Performers Prepare for Celebrate! A Street Party

Denny Newell, senior show director and creator of Celebrate! A Street Party, takes us behind the scenes and shows us what it takes to get ready for a Disney parade.

These wanna-be dancers must go through auditions, rehearsals, conditioning and more to appear in a parade. I guess it never occurred to me, but Denny points out that the crew in Celebrate! A Street Party must perform on-stage for a full hour on the parade route!

Behind-the-Scenes: Topiaries at ‘it’s a small world’

Here are some additional fun facts about topiaries:

• There were 24 original Disneyland Park topiaries premiering in 1963. They included a waltzing hippo, a poodle, a pig, bears, elephants, seals, and giraffes. In 1966, they were permanently planted at “it’s a small world.”
• Growing a typical shrub Character Topiary can take from 3-10 years for completion, depending on the size and complexity of the shape.
• Walt Disney got the idea of creating “living” topiaries by seeing traditional topiary gardening in Europe. He asked his film animators and Disneyland landscape team to work together to create the first living sculptures for Disneyland in 1963. They came up with several and one of those included Dumbo making his debut in Fantasyland.

The Disneyland Band since 1950

"Walt Disney loved music and he believed it had an important role to play in the experience at Disneyland park, so for opening day he hired a group of musicians to play band concerts in Town Square. He called the group the Disneyland Band. While the original run was only supposed to last two weeks, the band has performed for hundreds of millions of guests and the group is still playing 55 years later.

The Disneyland Band has logged more than 3,500 marching miles since opening day and has traveled to dozens of cities as a representative of the Resort."

- Heather Hust Rivera, Manager, Social Media, Disneyland Resort

Meet the Disneyland Resort Sign Shop Cast

The Music Behind The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure

posted on April 11th, 2011 by Valarie Sukovaty, Disneyland Public Relations

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For those who saw “The Little Mermaid” back in 1989, you know the music in the movie was just as magical as a mermaid falling in love with a prince and living happily ever after. Remember “Part of Your World,” “Under the Sea,” “Poor Unfortunate Souls” and “Kiss the Girl”? You’ll hear all these classics throughout the new attraction, The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, set to open at Disney California Adventure park in June.

More than 20 years ago Alan Menken wrote the movie score that won an Academy Award, and he collaborated with Howard Ashman on the songs. For the attraction, the music needed to be arranged somewhat differently, so well-known musical arranger and orchestrator Danny Troob, who has worked often with Menken, took on the challenge. In this video, we go into the music studio and give you a front row seat in a session with Troob and a 65-piece orchestra, as they recreate the amazing Little Mermaid music we all know and love.

Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa - Arts & Crafts Décor

Disneyland Hidden Mickeys

Disneyland Summer Fireworks Tribute

Summer fireworks at Disneyland began way back in 1956. Five years later, the “Fantasy in the Sky” fireworks show debuted and ran until 2001. The next year a new show began, “Believe … There’s Magic in the Stars.” It ran for three summers. The summer of 2005 exploded with new fireworks in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Disneyland. Guests were treated to “Remember … Dreams Come True,” a nighttime spectacular, narrated by the legendary Julie Andrews, that took guests on a nostalgic journey through the park’s history. It was a touching tribute to 50 years of magic. Last summer a new show lit up the sky. “Magical” premiered, and that’s the show currently running. Check out this video of the summer fireworks past and present, and then come see them in person.

What Have You Celebrated at Disney Parks?

Meet the ‘Club 55ers’

Few people can say they worked with Walt Disney when he was launching his dream of Disneyland park. Those cast members have a special bond, and on July 17 a group of them known as “Club 55ers” joined the Resort’s 55th anniversary celebration.

Club 55 was officially founded in 1970 by Van France, a former manager of Disney University. The chief qualification for membership? A paycheck from Walt Disney dated 1955.

Over the years, club members have held reunions to share experiences and stay connected. Each Club 55er has a unique connection to the Disneyland Resort and personal memories of Walt Disney. Club 55 includes past Disneyland Resort leaders such as Jack Lindquist and Ron Dominguez, and entertainers Bill Sullivan and Wally Boag. The club currently is composed of approximately 20 members, and some were working at Disneyland park on opening day.

The Magic, The Memories and You - The Complete Cinderella Castle Show

A Look Back: Walt E. Disney Talking About the Abraham Lincoln Audio-Animatronic

A Breathtaking Look at ‘World of Color’ from 1,800 Feet Up

Behind the Scenes: Getting Down and Dirty with Pirates

posted at the Official Disney Parks Blog on May 4th, 2010 by Heather Hust Rivera, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, The Walt Disney Company

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I’ll often stop, shake my head and then start laughing when I think about some of the crazy things we talk about here at the Disneyland Resort, and this is one of those times. There aren’t many companies that have to come up with a way to make clothes look dirty. Here at Disneyland park, this was a very real challenge for the costume designers in charge of the Pirates’ costumes.

When the Pirates were first introduced as regularly appearing characters in 2007, Entertainment Show Director Glenn Kelman worked with Walt Disney Studios to develop the concept for how the pirates would come to life in the Parks. They quickly decided the pirates needed to be unique, have a sense of humor and, of course, be very dirty. This was a problem because we do not like our Parks costumes to be wrinkled, dirty or smelly in any way. So, what could they do?

At first, the costume designers distressed all of the costumes, staining them by hand, putting in actual rips and tears. But this solution, while great for a few days, had two problems. First, the costumes had a short shelf life and would need to be rebuilt far too often, and second, no matter how we tried to stain the costumes, our terrific laundry facility kept washing the stains out. Nobody likes a clean pirate! Clean pirates just don’t seem real. 

So, the costuming team came up with a clever solution. They would pre-stain the fabric using a process called sublimation (where dye is added to the fabric in patterns) and then build the costumes using the “dirty” cloth.

The fun part was designing a pattern of “stains” that could be applied to the fabric. This relatively new technology was being used to add stripes or floral patterns to material, but we might have been the first ones to use it to permanently stain costumes. Since then, the Resort has invested in its own sublimation machine and trained a team to use it. Now we are creating our own unique patterned fabric for Disney Parks and Resorts around the globe. And, it was the Pirates who helped us find this new “technological” treasure.

Today’s video takes you behind the scenes and shows how this sublimation process works.

[Making Of] Paper May Fold into the Waters of ‘World of Color’

posted at the Official Disney Parks Blog on March 19th, 2010 by Valarie Sukovaty, Disneyland Public Relations

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Paper and water don’t seem like an ideal match, but throw in animation and it works in a very cool way. One type of art form being considered for “World of Color” is paper animation.

Local Glendale, California artist Megan Brain has created 3-dimentional paper sculptures of Disney characters that are turned into models or puppets with computer animation.

The result is very fun and very unique when it is projected onto a giant water screen. Heather Hust Rivera will give a more in depth update on “World of Color” next week, but in the mean time, take a look at this video and see for yourself.

Behind the Scenes: Making of ‘Mickey Notes’ at Disney Parks

posted at the Official Disney Parks Blog on March 26th, 2010 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks

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As you know, our “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day‘ program ended earlier this month when one million people volunteered or committed to volunteer in their communities.

But along the way, we created and launched something special to celebrate volunteerism called “Mickey Notes“- our first stop-motion video. It was five days of work at Walt Disney World Resort taking more than 4,300 individual still photographs of about 25,000 pieces of paper. And today, we’re sharing a behind-the-scenes look at how we did it.

A Glimpse of the Circle D Corral at Disneyland Park

posted at the Official Disney Parks Blog on March 30th, 2010 by Heather Hust Rivera, Manager, Social Media, Disneyland Resort

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We’ve all seen the horses on Main Street, U.S.A in Disneyland park, but do you know where these horses really live? Backstage, north of Frontierland in Disneyland park, there is a working ranch, called Circle D Corral.

Backstage, north of Frontierland in Disneyland park, there is a working ranch, called Circle D Corral.

Here are some fun facts to consider before taking a step “backstage” in today’s video to see the animals that live in Circle D Corral:

• The ranch is currently home to 28 horses, a jersey cow, two miniature donkeys, three turkeys and 15 goats.
• Forty-eight cast members work at the ranch.
• All the horses are large, “draft” horses (”draft horses” are horses that are adapted to pull heavy loads).
• The following breeds of horse are represented at Circle D: Percheron, Clydesdale, Belgian and Shire.
• No Disneyland horse works more than 4 hours a day, 3 days a week.
• And, like all cast members, the horses at Disneyland park always wear their name tags when they are working.