Category: Mr. DAPs Desk
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A Big Thank You On Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving! This is one of my favorite holidays of the year. For me it is a chance to slow down and reflect on what I’m thankful for and express gratitude. Today, I’d like to do that here in Japan as well. This year, in particular, I am incredibly thankful to the community that surrounds…
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Daps Magic: A Culture of Kindness
Let’s face it, the world is not an easy place these days. In many ways, it is more divisive and difficult than ever before. It is easier than ever to get angry at situations, technology, slow internet, long lines, incompetence, oh and did I mention people? Any or all of these things make it so…
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Thoughts on the Haunted Mansion Expansion at Disneyland
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Expanding the Queue to the Extended Queue One of the big things I’ve seen discussion about is the expansion of the queue into the area that is currently utilized as an extended queue. While on the rare occasional quiet morning in the park this area can sometimes be fairly open for photos or to just…
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Cast Members are People Too
Our YouTube channel (and other social platforms) get quite a few comments. Some of them are funny, some of them are touching, and some of them are just downright mean. Comments seem to come in waves that build on each other. One thing I’ve noticed recently is people seem to feel that it is ok…
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‘Star Wars: Return of the Jedi’ on the Big Screen Reignites a Childhood Love of ‘Star Wars’
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi is in theaters for a limited run to celebrate its 40th anniversary. The third and final movie in the original trilogy, this movie was what many of us growing up in the 80s and 90s thought would be the end of what was believed to be the end of…
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The Loss of Maleficent in Fantasmic! is More Than Just a Dragon
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On Saturday night the skies at Disneyland were aglow in a way that nobody wanted to see. Rather than fireworks brightening up the light, the Maleficent dragon in Fantasmic! caught fire and ended up burning to the ground in front of thousands of guests who were watching the second show of the night. The glow…
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The Next Step of Disney and Positive Stuff: A Kinder Community
Recently we announced what Daps stands for as we are moving forward. We shared that Daps means Disney And Positive Stuff as we strive to be a positive force in the Disney and geek communities. After all, we are fans for a reason! It’s because we care about our various fandoms. We also care about…
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The Power of the Mufasa Moment
There are many different nighttime spectaculars that have been presented in the Disney Parks through the years. They bring magic to the nights, and often the nights’ sky, as guests watch Disney moments come to life in a way that really can’t be seen anywhere else. Disneyland Resort just unveiled two new nighttime spectaculars for…
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The Walt Disney Legacy Award Celebration – A Night of Magic for the Magic Makers
When I was in high school, I would come out to California for the summer to visit my family. One of the things I would do while here was go to Disneyland. I didn’t really have friends in California and the Happiest Place on Earth! was simply a nice place to go and visit by…
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The Magic of Disney And Positive Stuff
As we wrap up 2022 and look forward to 2023 I thought I’d take a few minutes to share where Daps Magic is and where it is going. There is a lot to be excited about as we look in both directions. This last year has seen a lot of change for both me and…
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Thoughts on Kathleen Kennedy After Star Wars Celebration – The Importance of Culture
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast” Peter Drucker once said. This last weekend, I was able to attend Star Wars Celebration and I believe that I saw this quote in action. Kathleen Kennedy, President of Lucasfilm, seems to have created a culture that has led to this time in history where it is absolutely awesome being…
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Say Yes to Kindness, Say No to Hate
It is 2022 and sometimes it is surprising the things that need to be said that feel like they should be already understood. Today is a day, however, where an appeal must be made for kindness and not hate. This may seem fairly straightforward and common sense, but apparently, it isn’t as it is having…
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A Marvelous Morning at Disney California Adventure
It was a beautiful morning in Disney California Adventure today. I will admit it, I’m more of a night owl than an early bird. While my schedule often dictates otherwise, when I have an unscheduled day it would be more my inclination to go to the parks later and stay later. However, today is different.…
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Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge on Star Wars Nite – The Way it Always Should Be
Throughout the month of may there are three Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite events happening at Disneyland. During these special events, the entire park turns into a big celebration of Star Wars. This is appropriate with Star Wars Celebration arriving at the nearby Anaheim Convention Center later this month. One of the highlights of…
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Looking Back at the Reopening of Disneyland One Year and Thousands of Memories Later
One year ago today Disneyland and Disney California Adventure reopened their gates and guests could once again experience the magic of the parks after an extended closure. This closure lasted 412 days. It was expected to last just a few short weeks. However, things didn’t go as planned. For over a year, fans waited to…
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What a Difference Six Feet Makes – Thoughts on the Return of Traditional Disney Character Interactions to the Disneyland Resort
Today the six-foot social distance guidelines between Disney characters and guests was no longer a thing. With the return of traditional Disney character interactions what a difference six feet makes really became apparent. As guests ran into Mickey’s arms, joked with Gaston, posed with Iron Man, and danced with princesses, the entire feel of Disneyland…
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For About $5,000… Thoughts on Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser
Since Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser first began taking guests on voyages to the stars earlier this month I have been one of the many fans ingesting as much about this new experience. I will admit to many conflicted thoughts about this, mainly coming from the price. There are also thoughts about the experience and the…
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I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas – The Magic of the Holidays at Disneyland
The holidays at Disneyland is always such a special time to me. Everything seems to have a little more pixie dust. The extra lights are vibrant and beautiful, the entertainment a little merrier, the food a little more delicious, the weather a little cozier, and all the moments a little more magical. As I think…
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The Dream of a Train and a Boat, Two Stories Looking for Happy Endings
Before I was born, my grandpa built a houseboat with my grandma, mom, and uncles. This boat, named Puff, was the culmination of years of dreaming and led to years of happy memories. Decades before in the 1950s, Grandpa had been a commercial fisherman in the San Juan Islands and even ventured to Alaska once!f…
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Thoughts on the Pros and Cons of Walt Disney World Resort After a Phased Reopening Visit
At the end of last month, Murray and I flew out to Florida for a week at Walt Disney World Resort. The trip was fairly last minute in nailing down details and actually deciding to go. This is mainly due to the uncertainty of the time in which we live. Just a couple of weeks…
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The Little Man of Disneyland
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! It seems like a perfect time to look back at The Little Man of Disneyland. Originally this was a book that was released in 1955 in Disney’s Little Golden Books series. It was published as A Mickey Mouse Club Book in this series. For me personally, this was a book I grew…
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Thoughts About Star Trek Ahead of the Return of Jean-Luc Picard
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Since the announcement that Captain (apparently now an Admiral) Picard would be returning to the small screen, I have found myself getting increasingly excited about the return of the Captain that, in many ways, I grew up with. However, if you asked a much younger Mr. DAPs who his favorite captain was growing up, Captain…
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Mr. DAPs’ Favorite Five – Disney Books – December 15, 2019
I really enjoy reading. If you were to see either of my offices you would see that there are books crammed on shelves everywhere! There are quite a few different types of books to be found that range from history, leadership, fiction, food, and of course Disney as well! For this week’s Favorite Five I…
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Mr. DAPs’ Favorite Five- December 1, 2019
There are quite a few fun things going on this week at the Disneyland Resort. Picking just five will be harder to do than normal but I will do my best! Since it has been raining all week and it is going to be raining this coming week, I’m going to pick some of my…
