There’s no doubt about it: Disney people like weird things.
The micro-obsessions we get fixated on at the Disney parks. Something that others might find frivolous or overlook altogether.
It must have been frustrating to be so young, wanting to be heard but wondering if you had a right to do more than listen, trying to find your place at 22 in the shadow of Walt’s legacy, cobbling together a new idea from pieces of older ones, fragments from the original dream-builders of the park that you loved.
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These hitchhiking ghosts used to haunt our Magic Kingdom Doom Buggies and now they are relics of a time when we valued magic tricks over technology. Subtle over silly.
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Over the decades I’ve spent as a Disney historian, I’ve heard people say time and time again that there must be something wrong with Disney Adults. But I have historical evidence that proves that Disneyland was, in fact, created for the enjoyment of adults from the very beginning.
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Walt Disney called Ken his “Jack of All Trades,” and he truly was a Renaissance man, able to do almost anything he was tasked to and do it well. And he did.
Well, except that one time he didn’t, and Walt was horribly disappointed.
Amidst cat calls, pranks, and those who watched and waited for her to fail so they could pounce, Grace Huntington walked a daily minefield with invisible protective gear making her not as invisible as she wished she could be.
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Sometimes Disney fans, creators, and even Cast Members hear a story about something in Disney history and get so excited to hear a "secret" that they immediately pass it on as fact without tracking down the primary source.
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It occurred to me the other day that so much of what we see at Disney isn’t actually what we think it is. Or it used to be something very different, but we don’t realize it.
Let me explain.
I’ve held my babies with teary eyes during fireworks, I’ve been pixie-dusted for once-in-a-lifetime moments, and I have witnessed a gentle snow falling on Main Street USA in Disneyland Paris at Christmastime. But this moment was one that will go down in the record books as one I will likely never have again, but wish was an everyday occurrence.
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If you're headed to Disneyland too (HOORAY!!), make sure you print out or save this FREE scavenger hunt full of unique items to look out for, along with some fun facts about each one!
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Hey Disney friends! If you're headed to Walt Disney World for the first time this year (or just the first time in FOREVER!), I've put together this scavenger hunt full of unique items to look out for, along with some fun facts about each one!
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This carousel nestled in the heart of Fantasyland in Disneyland Park is the "hook" you see as you stand in the hub and look through the castle entrance. It's what draws you into the land, and rightly so!
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Is there anything better than that moment when you walk into the parks in the morning? The early light gives everything an optimistic glow, and the anticipation of what's ahead makes your feet light and your heart lighter.
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If you're a seasoned Disney veteran, you know what I'm talking about. You know what to book, in what order, at what time. It becomes as easy as breathing after a while, with comfort in the routine that brings as much happiness as walking through the main gates themselves.
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Disney friends, do you find yourself feeling somewhat less than thankful this year?
With Disneyland still not even close to open, COVID-19 messing with our lives, and restrictions on how many people we can see for the holidays, it's hard to see the silver lining here.
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As I shuffled around the MDE (My Disney Experience) app to make my next mobile food order, I found myself having walked to a completely new land without ever remembering how I got there.
I stopped abruptly and turned around, aghast at what I had missed.
The fire notices screamed from my phone this week while I dashed haphazardly around my home and debated about what I wanted to take with me as we evacuated the wildfires that have plagued our side of the nation.
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One of my favorite parts about visiting the Disney parks is the thoughtful way the Imagineers transition you between lands. It's often done in a cinematic style, so subtle you barely know it's happening until suddenly you're in a whole new place.
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