Tag: Disneyland History
-
Some Imagination, Huh? Fantasmic! Celebrates 30 Years of Magical Dreams at Disneyland!
On Mary 13, 1992 Mickey’s imagination came to life for the first time in Fantasmic! This incredible nighttime spectacular brings the Rivers of America to life as Mickey Mouse’s imagination takes guests on a magical journey through multiple Disney stories. Eventually, he ends up facing some darker parts of his imagination culminating with a Mickey…
-
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…
-
Happy Easter! – Looking Back at a Bunny Hop or Two at Disneyland
Happy Easter! Wishing you and yours a wonderful day however you celebrate! One of the ways Disneyland has celebrated Easter in the past is with the Bunny Hop. This came in a couple of different forms. Today, let’s take a moment to look back at two iterations of the Bunny Hop at Disneyland. In 2013…
-
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…
-
1992: Another Original Year – 30 Years Ago at Disneyland
You remember a year ago that in this blog I kind of complained about the 1991 promotional “theme” for Disneyland? That after the incredible 35th anniversary year of 1990, with the alluring (and admittedly kind of baffling) Party Gras theme, the best they could come up with was “The Original?” Really. That was the theme…
-
Mickey’s Nutcracker – 30 Years Ago at Disneyland
In 1991, the former Videopolis stage in Fantasyland offered a holiday entertainment that could have easily become a long-running seasonal tradition at Disneyland. Mickey’s Nutcracker promised to be a contemporary version of the well-known Christmas entertainment but proved to be a quirky retelling of the beloved ballet with some dancing, some singing, and some other…
-
Saying Goodbye to The Disney Afternoon Live! – Thirty Years Ago at Disneyland
Nine months into 1991, Disneyland (the Original) was starting to look ahead to the holidays, as well as at the now seven month old Disney Afternoon Live! promotion that still occupied Afternoon Avenue in front of it’s a small world. On September 8 Baloo’s Dressing Room closed, and on November 10 everything else followed, with…
-
The Disney Afternoon Live! – Thirty Years Ago at Disneyland
Thirty years ago at Disneyland the park launched a modest promotion that became one of their more fondly remembered events of the 1990s. The Disney Afternoon Live! (yes, the exclamation mark was officially part of the title) ran from March 15 through November 10 of 1991. It could be found in the area between Storybook…
-
A Leisurely Amble Around Disneyland: The Original – 30 Years Ago at Disneyland
Last month, you may recall, we learned that the 1991 Disneyland promotion was “Disneyland: The Original.” This month’s blog will follow that theme with a somewhat “original” amble around the park. These photos were taken days (and in some cases months) apart, but pretty much represent what Disneyland looked like in the early winter months…
-
An Original Idea for 1991 – 30 Years Ago at Disneyland
1990 had been a memorable, event packed year for Disneyland. Kicking off on January 11, the 35th birthday of the park had driven attendance (and profits) to new heights. It was only natural that the powers-that-be at the top of the Walt Disney Company wanted to continue that success. But it must have been difficult…
-
Party Gras! Disneyland’s Official 35th Anniversary Parade! – 30 Years Ago at Disneyland
To wind down this year’s columns for 30 Years Ago at Disneyland, we will look at something that was briefly covered all the way back in January. You will recall that on January 11, in addition to a glittering ceremony to kick off all the anniversary promotions, Disneyland also debuted a brand new parade. The…
-
The Main Street Electrical Parade – 30 Years Ago at Disneyland
The Greatest Nighttime Parade That Ever Rolled Down Main Street USA Over the last few months of covering Disneyland’s 35th birthday, you’ve heard a lot about the Party Gras Parade, and its haunting theme song that lingered on long after all the confetti had been swept away. But there was, of course, another parade running…
-
Splashing into the 35th Anniversary – 30 Years Ago at Disneyland
Disneyland’s 35th Anniversary had everything, or so it would seem. There was a vivid logo and a boatload of merchandise covered with it. There was a brand new parade with a theme song that stayed stubbornly lodged in your memory for days. There were stage shows and promotions (they gave away a free car EVERY…
-
A Year Ago Today – Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Opens to the Public
One year ago today Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was opened to the public. The DAPS MAGIC team was there in the very early hours of the morning to be among the first guests streaming into this new land, the largest land expansion at the Disneyland Resort, and enter the world of Star Wars. This new…
-
15 Years Later – Looking Back at Disneyland’s 50th Celebration on May 5, 2005
15 years ago today several of us from the DAPS MAGIC team were having one of the most magical days ever at the Disneyland Resort. It was a day full of new entertainment, celebrities, magical moments, cupcakes, fireworks, merchandise, murals, and more! For many, it will be one of the most special days ever experienced…
-
An Annual Pass, the Disney Decade and a Day at the Park – 30 Years Ago At Disneyland
After spending two months to cover a single day thirty years ago at Disneyland, this month’s entry will cover a lot more ground. In fact it will cover a month, a decade, and many, many years. The month is March 1990. We’ll take a look at what a typical day was like. The decade is…
-
Disneyland Debuts 35th Anniversary (Part Two) – 30 Years Ago in Disneyland
Last month’s entry covered the first part of January 11, 1990, the day that kicked off Disneyland’s 35th anniversary year. Before getting to the rest of that memorable day, I do want to clear up one detail. In the course of last month’s post I mentioned that former President Ronald Reagan’s appearance included snipers on…
-
30 Years Since the 35th! – GEEKS CORNER – Episode 1017 (#488)
This week on GEEKS CORNER we did things a little bit differently! We welcomed a wonderful friend of the show, Doug Marsh, to the table and he talked through some of his favorite memories from 30 years ago at Disneyland! On January 11, 1990, Doug witnessed the kickoff of the 35th-anniversary celebration! The beginning of “party gras”…
-
Introducing 30 Years Ago in Disneyland!
One of my favorite things since starting DAPS MAGIC in 2004 has been the collection of amazing people I have been able to meet. Through the years I have met Disney legends, Muppets, incredible talent and entertainers, other Disney fans, and other members of the Disney media. The experiences and relationships that have grown out…