Merry Halloween!

Merry Halloween to all!

...and to all, a good night!

Be Safe Everyone!

Deck the Halls with Ghoulish Delight

It's that time of the year again, when holidays collide!  Once again, the Halloween decorations are dense and immense all over Disneyland. There is extra fun during Mickey's Halloween Party, when there is added music and lighting effects.  The various windows on Main Street are back-lit with flashing LED glow. It's hard to describe and something you just need to see. It would be fun to see this any night during Halloween Time and not just during the special event

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Walt's Formal Office - D23 Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives at the Ronald Reagan Library

After Walt Disney passed away in December 1966, his office was left untouched with exception of his secretaries and housekeeping. When Dave Smith was initially hired by the company as a consultant, there was not much work to do. The archives had not been officially created yet and many in the company were not aware that anyone was keeping track of such things.

Recently, I had the chance to speak to Dave about the process of archiving the offices. One of the first assignments Dave took on occurred in 1970, was to catalog and store everything in both Walt's formal and working offices.  He painstaking made detailed notes, took exact measurements and catalogs each item including furniture, books and trinkets through the rooms. The items were boxed up and put into storage.  Dave said that he felt perhaps one day, someone would want to recreate the office, much like is done with the oval office at Presidential libraries.

The office space was later used by Ron Miller and then Michael Eisner.  Currently, it is occupied by Shaun Cassidy for his production company.

It wasn't long before these items came out of storage and were put into Disneyland when The Walt Disney Story opened in the Main Street Opera House in April 1973.  Walt's working office was packed up and shipped to Walt Disney World in 2002 as part of the "One Man's Dream" exhibit and remains on loan there from the archives to this day.  The formal office was packed up at Disneyland in 2009 when The Walt Disney Story featuring Great Moments with Abraham Lincoln was again reworked and reopened.

Current Display at the Reagan Library

 Right now, the formal office is once again on display.  It now features the exact dimensions and exact placement of all items as they were originally when Walt Disney used the office.  

 

You can see this display at the D23 Treasures of the Archives exhibit opening July 6, 2012 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA.

New and Improved! Disney California Adventure

The all new entrance to Disney California Adventure Park is complete.  Buena Vista Street is now where you make your way into the park.  The detail is incredible and immersive.  You really feel transported to something between a movie set and the real thing.  There are new shops and dining establishments.  There are even "streetmosphere" entertainers, like those found at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida.  The place looks fantastic.

The details are not just outside, but inside the shops as well.

These are just a few of the places you'll upon entering the park.  It is really nice to see the amount of detail and care put into DCA, making it the kind of park we actually all expected to see in 2001.  Well, it took another decade and a little over a billion dollars to get there, but it was worth it.  It reopens June 15, 2012.

Friday Quote from Mr. Disney

"I never called my work an 'art' It's part of show business, the business of building entertainment."
-Walt Disney

Cars Land is opening June 15, 2012

Leap Day 2012 at Disneyland

Starting at 6 AM tomorrow morning, Disneyland (and the Magic Kingdom at WDW) will open for 24 hours straight.  I plan to hit the park around 1 AM on March 1st to experience some after hours magic.  Here are something unique happenings at the park during the late night hours:

• Performances by Billy Hill & the Hillbillies at The Golden Horseshoe from 11:15 p.m. – 4:45 a.m.
• A Special showing of “Fantasmic!” at 1 a.m.
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• Character meet & greets throughout the night (subject to change):
• Mickey Mouse and friends in pajamas at Carnation Plaza Gardens
• Darth Vader and Stormtroopers in Tomorrowland
• Country Bears in Frontierland