Happy Halloween

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Halloween Time at Disneyland 2012

Once again, the park is decked out for the frighteningly fun Halloween holiday.  Mickey's Halloween Party has been selling out almost every night and only a few tickets are left for some of the remaining nights. The event allows the entire family to come dressed in costume.  Trick are treat trails are found all over the park for candy and treats. There is also the special Halloween firework show and other entertainment, unique to this event.  Don't miss it!!

Jack has decked out the Haunted Mansion again, which remains Haunted Mansion Holiday through the new year!

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.

The Rebirth of Disney California Adventure Park

June 15, 2012, Disney California Adventure reopens and is rededicated as a Disney park.  The newly added  Buena Vista Street feels just like being back in a glamorous version of 20s Hollywood.  The new Red Car Trolley will pick you up at the main gate and take your through Buena Vista Street, into Hollywood Land and drop you off at the Hollywood Tower Hotel.

The biggest part of the all new California Adventure Park is Cars Land.  You will really feel like you are actually in Radiator Springs.  There are new shops, eateries and three new attractions.

Radiator Springs Racers

Luigi's Flying Tires

Mater's Junkyard Jamboree

We will provide details of each attraction in upcoming posts.  Line up begins at 11 PM tonight, June 14th for those who want to be among the first inside the park on opening day.  See you there!

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