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POSTED Sat, 01/23/2016 - 17:00 | POSTED BY Traci C.
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The Walt Disney Birthplace Hopes to Open to the Public on December 5

Two Disney fans have purchased the home where Walt Disney was born in Chicago, Illinois and are in the process of restoring the property with the hopes of creating a museum to honor Walt. Dina Benadon and Brent Young hope to open The Walt Disney Birthplace on December 5, 2016.

POSTED Mon, 01/27/2014 - 06:00 | POSTED BY Traci C.
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Destination D: Attraction Rewind is Just One of D23’s Special Events for 2014

D23: The Official Disney Fan Club has announced its slate of special events for 2014 and perhaps one of the biggest events for this year is Destination D: Attraction Rewind Presented by H2O Plus.

This event is scheduled for July 26-27 at the Walt Disney World Resort and will bring together Disney archivists, Imagineers, and Legends to celebrate favorite Disney attractions of yesteryear.

Fans will have a chance to see concept art and images from the attractions, vintage video, and more.

POSTED Thu, 11/28/2013 - 06:00 | POSTED BY Traci C.
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See a Door Tagged by Walt Disney at Shadows-on-the-Teche Mansion in Louisiana

It's not often that one finds an inscription from Walt Disney that isn't in his famous script, but if you visit the Shadows-on-the-Teche, an antebellum historic home in New Iberia, Louisiana, you'll see his graffiti on a door in the home.

The home is the property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the door has been signed by many people over the years, including Walt Disney, author Henry Miller, and Elia Kazan, the director of A Streetcar Named Desire.

POSTED Mon, 06/24/2013 - 05:05 | POSTED BY Guest Author
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Former Disney Carolwood Estate Up for Sale for $90 Million

Nearly six decades after Walt and Lillian Disney built their dream house on Carolwood Drive in Los Angeles' Holmby Hills neighborhood, the 3.7 acre estate is on the market. Asking price: $90 million.

POSTED Sun, 02/06/2011 - 12:00 | POSTED BY Melinda Gregory
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Jack Lindquist Provides Insider's History of Disneyland in His Book

If you're a Disney or theme park buff and like your history straight up and not watered down, you may want to check out Jack Lindquist's "In Service to the Mouse." In it, Lindquist (with Melinda J. Combs) gives a first-hand, no-holds-barred account of the history of Disneyland.

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Articles

POSTED Tue, 05/10/2016 - 11:00 | POSTED BY Guest Author
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Disney Legend: Howard Ashman

Twenty-five years ago, on September 29,1991, Beauty and the Beast premiered at the New York Film Festival, no small feat considering that the film was unfinished. Not only did that first audience forgive the footage for missing the Ink & Paint Department, but they applauded as loudly as they would have applauded at a Broadway show. The film enjoyed a slum dunk release in its finished form at El Capitan Theater and was well received around the world. We were all so busy praising the film that it would have been easy to miss the dedication:

POSTED Tue, 04/05/2016 - 11:00 | POSTED BY Kristen Kirk
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Disney History: The Many Faces of Cinderella Castle

Fun and festive? You bet! Eye catching? Absolutely! Popular with guests? Not always... Walt Disney World has tried several times to "enhance" Cinderella Castle to commemorate a special event and the results have not always been met with thundering applause!

POSTED Tue, 03/01/2016 - 06:06 | POSTED BY Guest Author
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Epcot's Fountain Of Nations At The Heart Of Future World

Every day it entertains visitors in the heart of Epcot's Future World by propelling its 149,000 gallons of water as high as 150 ft. in the air as 30,000 gallons of water per second cascade over its tiered edges. The Fountain of Nations delights guests from all over the world, but what is the purpose of the magnificent fountain and how did it come to be?

POSTED Fri, 02/05/2016 - 06:06 | POSTED BY Kristen Kirk
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Walt's Games: The 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Olympics

In 1958, planning for the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley was in full force. The International Olympic Committee had awarded the games to the struggling ski resort based on the promise that a dynamic new athletic venue would spring from the blank canvas and that the result would be an Olympic village like none that had ever existed. Instead, the limitations of the small space turned out to be so great that the bobsled event had to be canceled for the first time ever due to the expense of creating a run.

POSTED Fri, 01/15/2016 - 06:06 | POSTED BY Guest Author
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Disney History: Precursor To The Disney Cruise Line

Disney Cruise Line first set sail on July 30, 1998 with the Disney Magic. Or did it? In 1983, Premier Cruise Line was founded with the singular goal of offering 3-4 night sailings out of Port Canaveral to the Bahamas. The Port was underutilized and its proximity to Orlando area attractions made it an ideal location for Premier to boost its business by partnering with Disney to offer land & sea vacation packages.

POSTED Wed, 06/24/2015 - 11:00 | POSTED BY Kristen Kirk
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Where To Find Tinker Bell In The Magic Kingdom

Since 1953 Tinker Bell has been delighting Disney fans with her sassy attitude and spritely spirit. Widely regarded as a symbol for Disney magic, Peter Pan's Fairy friend holds a special place in the Disney history. As such, there are plenty of opportunities for fairy fans to get a glimpse of this beloved character.

POSTED Wed, 05/06/2015 - 11:00 | POSTED BY Guest Author
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Disney History: Frontierland Then & Now

Frontierland is rooted in history and as such, rarely sees the sort of reimagining that happens elsewhere at Walt Disney World; however, even on the frontier, a little bit of "sprucing up" is in order now and then. A few fan favorites would fall victim to budgetary constraints along the way, but an uncharted expanse of frontier territory would eventually give rise to two of the Magic Kingdom's most beloved attractions.

POSTED Tue, 03/10/2015 - 13:00 | POSTED BY Guest Author
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Disney History: Fantasyland Then & Now

Magic Kingdom is the heart and soul of the Walt Disney World resort and no land captures the essence of Magic Kingdom like Fantasyland. While many of the other lands were inspired by episodes of Walt Disney's Disneyland, which last aired in 1958, Fantasyland is a tribute to the enduring animated features that children still grow up on today. We live in a world where an 85-year-old woman and her 7-year-old great-granddaughter might have both been the same age when they saw Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs for the first time.

POSTED Wed, 02/11/2015 - 13:00 | POSTED BY Guest Author
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Rides That Never Were: Walt Disney World – 'Beastlie Kingdomme', Animal Kingdom

With completion of the final piece of the expansion to Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom and Disney Springs progressing well, attention is now turning back to the recent 2014 ground breaking on the new Avatar-themed 'Pandora' land at Animal Kingdom and it seems an apt time to revisit the original concept destined for this area of the park.

POSTED Thu, 02/05/2015 - 13:00 | POSTED BY Guest Author
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Disney History: Tomorrowland Then & Now

Tomorrowland has always presented a unique challenge to the Imagineers. How do you build attractions that accurately depict the future when the future hasn't happened yet? It was a land destined for continuous change. Tomorrowland got off to an inauspicious beginning, sporting only two attractions on opening day - the Skyway and the Grand Prix Raceway.