New Orleans Square opened as the very first new land in Disneyland California in July 1966. It would also be the last time Walt Disney would make a public appearance in the park. Learn more about the inspiration behind this land, what it looked like in 1966, and how it’s evolved today.
Read MoreThe Walt Disney Company celebrates 100 years in 2023, and has seen incredible evolution from its beginnings in 1923. From the creation of Mickey Mouse, to the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, to the opening of Disneyland and all of its international Disney Parks, let’s look at Disney’s most important milestones over the last century during Disney100.
Read MoreDisneyland began celebrating Christmas from its opening year in 1955. Though the park was struggling financially, they were able to put together a tree on Main Street USA, create the Disneyland Christmas Bowl for local choirs to sing, and open the Mickey Mouse Club Circus, which was short lived. Learn more about the very first Christmas at Disneyland.
Read MoreWalt Disney and his older brother Roy O. Disney are credited for creating the giant that is the Walt Disney Company. Though they are lesser known, Walt’s other siblings, Herbert, Raymond, and sister Ruth Disney, played major roles in the beginnings and creation of the company as well. Learn more about each of Walt Disney’s siblings and the role they played.
Read MoreBefore Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney created Julius the Cat, a character featured in the Alice Comedies. Julius was known to be a close replica of Felix the Cat, but he also played a key role in the growth of the Walt Disney Company.
Read MoreDisneyToon Studios opened when Disney decided to make direct-to-video sequels of their classic movies. Films like The Return of Jafar, Aladdin and the King of Thieves, The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, and Cinderella III: A Twist in Time were all produced by this new animation division. Learn more about the full history of DisneyToon Studios.
Read MoreWhen the Golden Horseshoe officially opened with Disneyland in July 1955, Wally Boag made his mark in the Golden Horseshoe Revue and performed for over 30 years. Betty Taylor joined just a year after in 1956 as Slue-Foot-Sue. Learn more about the history of the Golden Horseshoe Saloon and Disney Legends Wally Boag and Betty Taylor.
Read MoreTinker Bell quickly became one of Disney’s main mascots ever since the release of Peter Pan in 1953. She originally appeared in the 1904 play Peter Pan by J.M Barrie, and has since starred in her own movies, and flown over castles in Disney parks. Learn more about the complete history of Tinker Bell.
Read MoreOne of Disneyland California’s first boat rides was the Motor Boat Cruise, which lasted until 1993. Since then, the remnants of the ride have become Fantasia Gardens, and has become a place of a lost, abandoned boat ride. Learn more about the history of the Motor Boat Cruise here.
Read MoreThe Disney Christmas Story comic strips were a tradition of the Walt Disney Company from 1960 to 1997. It featured our favourite characters from Disney animated films going on a holiday adventure. Learn more about a brief history of comic strips in newspapers, Disney in the comic industry, and how the stories evolved.
Read MoreIt’s a Small World Holiday entered the scene in November 1997. Since then, it has become a holiday tradition to overlay the popular “it’s a small world” attraction at Disneyland each year. Learn more about the history behind it’s a small world, when the overlay began, and what it looks like year to year.
Read MoreDuckTales, woo-oo! The original DuckTales series was the third animated televisions series that Disney ever did. Learn more about the voice actors, the theme song, the characters, and the revival.
Read More101 Dalmatians marked a pivotal point for the Walt Disney Animation Studio, depicting a more modern animation style with the use of xerography, and showing a more realistic side of Disney over fantasy. Learn more about what makes 101 Dalmatians the first contemporary film for the studio.
Read MoreThe Skeleton Dance is known as the very first Silly Symphony ever produced. It was animated by Ub Iwerks and composed by Carl Stalling. Learn more about the other innovations attached to Disney’s The Skeleton Dance, the animation process, and what the theatrical response was.
Read MoreThe Haunted Mansion Holiday celebrates it’s 20th anniversary in 2021. Let’s discuss how the idea came about, the execution of it, the original soundtrack, what the experience is for guests, and the plans for the special celebration.
Read MoreThe Main Street Electrical parade has been a beloved attraction for adults and children at many Disney theme parks around the world. The process of creating the idea and executing it was a long process for Disney Imagineers. Learn more about the opening of the Disneyland parade, the audio and visuals, and the parade at the Magic Kingdom.
Read MoreThe original story of Winnie the Pooh was written by A.A Milne, inspired by his son Christopher Robin Milne. Partial rights to the characters were sold to a merchandising company, when Walt Disney then acquired partial rights as well. Disney struggled to retain the full rights to the character for several decades. Learn more about the struggle for the rights to Winnie the Pooh.
Read MoreWalt Disney passed away at the age of 65 years old. The 1960s was an important year for the Disney company as they worked on their live action films, and Walt worked on The Wonderful World of Color. Learn more about Walt’s last film and TV productions he worked on before passing away.
Read MoreBeauty and the Beast (1991) and Tarzan (1999) have very similar elements. The male and female protagonists have strikingly similar personalities, the villains have similar motives, and some of the scenes are almost identical. Learn more about all of the similarities between Beauty and the Beast and Tarzan.
Read MoreDo you ever wonder if Pixar animator’s come up with their character’s names out of the blue, or if they have any meaning behind them? Learn more about who each of these Pixar character’s are inspired by, including character’s from Toy Story, Monsters Inc, The Incredibles, Cars, and Up.
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