Category: Blogs
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On Our Way to Tokyo Disney Resort!
I have never been to Walt Disney World (never been to Florida, for that matter). Never been to any other Disney theme park except Disneyland. Until this past fall when we traveled to Japan. Within the first week, our daughter introduced us to Tokyo Disneyland. Unforgettable! The assumption here is that the majority of you…
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Photos From A Rainy Night Stroll at the Disneyland Resort
There has been a lot of rain around California this winter. As California has been pelted by rain storm after rain storm the Disneyland Resort continues to create magic for guests on a daily basis. January 4th was one of those rainy days at the Disneyland Resort, and then night. In the evening, a couple…
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A Rainy New Year’s Day Surprise During A Christmas Fantasy Parade at Disneyland
New Year’s Eve saw a lot of rain come down around Southern California and Disneyland was no exception. As the evening progressed, the rain continued to come down. New Year’s Day started out looking a lot nicer. However, shortly after 2:00 PM, the sky began to look more ominous. By this time, A Christmas Fantasy…
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Happy Holidays! – 30 Years Ago at Disneyland
Today, Disneyland has a staggering array of holiday-themed promotions, one blending into another through several months of the year. It may seem hard to believe, but just thirty years ago fans of the Happiest Place on Earth had to be content with a few one-day events, and then the “big” Christmas season after Thanksgiving. Here…
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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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PICTORIAL: A Rainy Monday Morning at Disneyland During the Holidays
This morning was a rainy morning at Disneyland. Seeing the weather report, I made my way into the park and entered shortly after rope drop. The rain was very light and so were the crowds as I made my way onto Main Street, USA. Unlike the rain yesterday, the rain was coming down fairly straight…
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A New Train Station and Toy Shop – 30 Years Ago at Disneyland
1992 may not have been the most “original” year in Disneyland history (even the “original” promotion had been carried over from 1991), but the end of the year saw two new venues open in the northernmost part of the happiest place on earth. On November 25, the new Toontown Railroad Station opened, and on December…
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Remembering the Last Show of Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple Four Years Later
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On November 4, 2018 Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple had its final training show in Tomorrowland. This show, which taught younglings, the ways of the Jedi inspired guests young and old during its run at the Disneyland Resort. During the process, the Padawans would learn to face their fears as they found themselves facing…
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A Daytime Parade to Remember – 30 Years Ago at Disneyland
This month’s column was supposed to be about a very memorable 1992 daytime parade that ran from June 19 to November 15. “The World According to Goofy” may have seemed a somewhat random choice, unless one remembers that Goofy made his Disney debut in 1932. For his 60th birthday, Disneyland created a zany parade tracing…
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The Friendliest Place on Earth
If Disneyland is “The Happiest Place on Earth,” of course, Tokyo Disneyland (and/or nearby Disney Sea) surely must be Friendliest. Hands down. Or, perhaps more appropriately, hands up. It’s a sunny, comfortable morning and we are in a new place in a foreign country. They speak a language I cannot understand. For the most part,…
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Tips for Seeing Werewolf by Night at Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure
Werewolf by Night is now visiting Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure for a limited time. This comes as Werewolf by Night is now streaming on Disney+. For those wanting to see Werewolf by Night, there are a few tips to make it easier to have a good experience. First off, he is appearing mostly…
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Mickey’s Toontown Under Construction – 30 Years Ago at Disneyland
You may recall that a year ago I was writing about Afternoon Avenue Live! at Disneyland, and specifically about the closure of Baloo’s Dressing Room. That meet ’n greet, located immediately beyond that new railroad trestle to the west of it’s a small world, had been replaced by a construction wall. In case there was…
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Souvenir Guide 1992 – 30 Years Ago at Disneyland
One of the tangible things I miss from 30 years ago at Disneyland is their over-the-top souvenir guide. Starting in 1955, with a modest flyer printed in two colors (black and turquoise), guests were always provided with basic information to make their visit “more enjoyable.” By 1992, that single sheet had grown into a 32-page…
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A Stroll Around the Park – 30 Years Ago at Disneyland
Disneyland in the Summer of 1992 had matured and grown in many ways, but for guests who had been visiting since the 1960s, it was still a pretty familiar place. Thirty years later, on the other hand, it seems like change has come to every corner of Walt’s original Magic Kingdom. But don’t take my…
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So, That’s a Fantasmic! – 30 Years Ago at Disneyland
Last month, I described the events leading up to the May 15 public debut of Fantasmic!, the new nighttime spectacle that had everyone guessing about what, exactly, it would be. This month I will be describing my reaction, the public reaction, and the long-term impact it had on Disneyland. On Friday, May 15, I made…
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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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What’s a Fantasmic? – 30 Years Ago at Disneyland
1992 turned out to be a banner year for Disney theme park entertainment. As you read in last month’s column, April saw the debut of the Disneyland production of Beauty and the Beast, live on stage, which led directly to the creation of Disney Theatrical Productions. Incredibly enough, while that production was being prepared and…
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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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Beauty and the Beast— Live – 30 Years Ago at Disneyland
It is both hard to express as well as to underestimate the importance of this month’s subject to Disneyland, Disney theme parks, and the Walt Disney Company. The Videopolis/Fantasyland Theater production of Beauty and the Beast— Live is largely forgotten today. But its impact still reverberates. Part of the problem in recalling this delightful production…
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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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Update on Fantasmic! – 30 Years Ago at Disneyland
As if Daylight Saving’s Time wasn’t bad enough, last month we leaped a year ahead (or 29 years behind) our usual thirty years ago. This month we are back on track but will be starting out on the wrong side of the park. Yes, this is an update on the construction of Fantasmic!, but first…