A Piece of the Past

"For all who come to this happy place, welcome.  Disneyland is your land.  Here, age relives fond memories of the past and here youth may savor promise and challenge of the future.  Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America, with the hope that it will be a source of joy and and inspiration to all the world." - Walter Elias Disney

Backstage Pass: Disney Creative Costuming Department

I recently had the opportunity to go backstage at Disney Hollywood Studios and see the creative costuming department.  The department is housed in the Backlot Tour of Disney's Hollywood Studios and designs and creates all the costumes for the Walt Disney World resort and Cruise ships.  There are special areas for designing, embroidery, sewing, and alterations, among others. 

During the tour, they were in the process of sewing hundreds of costumes for various cast members  featured in attractions, shows, and stage productions.  A handful of costumes are manufactured at a time, to accommodate different performers and each costume is hand sewn, each requiring hundreds of labor hours to complete.  The entire process is very involved and intricate, requiring the utmost attention to detail. 

Disney Vacation Club: Old Key West Resort

I am currently visiting Disney World and, as a member of the Disney Vacation Club, am staying at Old Key West.  Disney's Old Key West replicates the Florida Keys and brings together bright island landscapes, pastel-colored Victorian architecture and ornate gingerbread accents in order to create a tranquil community.  Old Key West is also home to the Lake Buena Vista Golf Course.

While staying at Old Key West, guests can choose from various accommodations, which include a studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom or three-bedroom villa.  The resorts' amenities include a central building (Hospitality House), two restaurants, a lounge, store, arcade, and a "Recreation, Exercise, Swimming and Tennis" complex.  Guests can also take advantage of the resort's facilities for basketball, tennis, volleyball, golf, and boating.  In addition, Old Key West has four heated pools, spas, a water slide, a  children's pool and playground.  Old Key West's deluxe accommodations helps to make their guest's Disney vacation a magical experience!

Tangled: Disney's Newest Animated Film

Tangled is Disney’s newest animated film that puts a twist on a classic fairy tale.  In this film, Flynn Rider, one of the kingdom’s charming and most wanted bandit hides in a mysterious tower, where he finds Rapunzel, who has spent her entire life locked in the tower.  Rapuzel in a high-spirited teen who posses an unlikely superpower - 70 feet of magical golden hair!  Together, Flynn Rider and Rapuzel begin a journey that is filled with surprises, laughter, and suspense in which they both discover who they really are.

Until shorty before its release, Tangled was originally named Rapunzel.  Tangled is the second most expensive film Disney has ever produced to date, as well as the most expensive animated film, having a budget of $260 million.  In addition, Tangled is the third-highest grossing animated film, next to The Lion King and Aladdin.

Club 33

While I have been a frequent vacationer to Disney World, I had never visited Disneyland until recently.  During my visit, I heard about the famous Club 33.  Club 33 is a private club that is located in New Orleans Square in Disneyland.  The club is recognized by an ornate address plate that is engraved with the number “33.”  The club blends in with the rest of the decor on the street and without knowing that is was there, you would most likely never notice it.  I was instantly intrigued by this “secret” club, as I am sure many others have been and decided to research some of its history.  I came across the following interesting facts about Club 33:

1. Club 33 was originally created by Walt Disney as an exclusive club to entertain various types of celebrities.

2. Club 33 is a private club that has a limited membership of only 487 people.

3. Members enjoy many special privileges, such as dining at Club 33, free entrance to Disneyland, riding aboard the Lilly Belle, the private presidential parlor car on the Disneyland Railroad, visiting the wheel house of the Mark Twain Mississippi River Boat, which is not open to park guests, among many others.

A Beloved Cartoon Character: Mickey Mouse

Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character and the mascot for The Walt Disney Company.  Created in 1928 by Walt Disney, Mickey Mouse has evolved from a simple animated cartoon character to one of the most recognizable symbols in the world.  Mickey Mouse was originally created to replace Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, which was an earlier cartoon developed by Disney.  Disney originally named the character Mortimer Mouse, but was persuaded by his wife, Lillian Disney, to change it to Mickey Mouse.  After several attempts to find a voice for Mickey Mouse, Disney decided to do it himself. 

Mickey Mouse made his debut in the cartoon Plane Crazy on May 15, 1928.  Soon after, on November 18, 1928, Mickey Mouse appeared in the cartoon Steamboat Willie.  On March 14, 1929, Mickey Mouse appeared in his first of twelve shorts, The Barn Dance.  Over the years, Mickey Mouse has appeared in numerous cartoon and animated films and has been depicted in a variety of ways.  Mickey Mouse first appeared wearing white gloves on March 28, 1929 in the short The Opry House, which he still wears today.  In 1930, Disney began producing Mickey Mouse Clubs, which appeared in numerous movie theaters across the United States.  In addition, Mickey Mouse has appeared many musical performances and comic strips. 

On Mickey Mouse’s 50th anniversary, November 18, 1978, he became the first cartoon character to receive a start on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  Today, Mickey Mouse appears in video games, toys, games, and books, among many other things.  Mickey Mouse has definitely become one of the most beloved cartoon character of all time.

A Brief History: The Beginning of The Walt Disney Company

 The Walt Disney Company is one of the largest entertainment corporations in the industry.  It was originally founded on October 16, 1923 by brothers Walt Disney and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio.  In 1929, the company was renamed Walt Disney Productions, Ltd and in 1938, the company became publicly traded and is now known today as Walt Disney Productions.  What originally began as a small animation studio in a garage that belonged to Walt and Roy’s uncle has now turned into a leader in the American animation industry and has expanded into travel, television, film production, radio, theatre, merchandising, and publishing and has transformed both the entertainment and travel industries. Today, The Walt Disney Company owns The Walt Disney Motion Picture Group, which is one of the largest and well-known studios in Hollywood, ABC, a broadcast television network, which includes The Disney Channel, ESPN, ABC Family, as well as publishing merchandising and theatre divisions, and 11 different theme parks. 
  

Mickey Mouse is the official Walt Disney Company mascot, developed by Walt Disney himself in 1928, during the release of Disney’s first sound film Steamboat Willie, which premiered on November 18, 1928.  Over the years, Disney produced a variety of cartoons that include Mickey Mouse, including the Silly Symphonies series.  Disney produced his first feature-length animated film in 1934, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

In 1954, Walt Disney unveiled his plans to open Disneyland Park and on July 18, 1955, Disneyland was opened to the public in Anaheim, California.  This theme park was conceived out of the idea to have a place that was designed for parents and children to have fun together.  In November 1965, Walt Disney announced plans to open Disney World in Orlando, Florida, which would be much larger than the original Disneyland and would include theme parks, hotels, and a modern city.  Unfortunately, on December 15, 1966, Walt Disney die of lung cancer.  Roy Disney took over for him as CEO and president of the Walt Disney Company and renamed Disney World to Walt Disney World in honor of his brother’s vision and on October 1, 1971, Walt Disney World was officially opened to the public.