Q : It struck me on my last visit to Walt Disney World that there is a heck of a lot of different music playing in the parks. How many distinctly different pieces of music are used by, let’s say Magic Kingdom and Disneyland?
Patrick, Phoenix, Arizona
A: There would be many hundreds. Music has always been an integral part of the Disney parks.  Individual attractions have music, but there is also background and atmospheric music almost everywhere one goes—in shops, in restaurants, and throughout the various lands. Outdoors, speakers for the music are usually judiciously hidden—behind landscaping, in faux boulders, and in the architectural details of buildings.
Q : Why did Walt Disney World rename the Disney-MGM Studios to Disney’s Hollywood Studios?
Allison, San Francisco, California
A: Meg Crofton, Walt Disney World president, stated in a 2007 press release: “The new name reflects how the park has grown from representing the golden age of movies to a celebration of the new entertainment that today’s Hollywood has to offer—in music, television, movies, and theater.” The change was also made due to the ending of a licensing agreement with MGM Studios.
Q : Knowing my love of all things Disney and especially the little Orange Bird (my first souvenir being the drink container when I was five), my nine-year-old daughter happened upon a two-inch-tall figurine of him here locally. She was with her grandmother at the time and insisted on being allowed to purchase him for me. Is there anything you can tell me about this figurine, as I have not been able to find anything online about merchandise of him such as this.  It has the “Walt Disney Prod.” stamp on the bottom of his feet. It’s invaluable to me because of it being given with so much love from my daughter, but I thought it would be neat to tell her what she found. Thanks for any help!
Mary, Havana, Florida
A: Your particular figurine is not familiar to me, but with that particular copyright notice, it would date between 1971 and 1987, the years that the Florida Citrus Growers sponsored the Sunshine Pavilion at the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom. During that period, Orange Bird merchandise could be found at various citrus stands off the Florida highways.
Q : As a Christmas gift, I received the 1995 Nickel Tour book. It states that the postcards discussed were put in chronological order mainly by the collection of Vernon Orr and then the 1979 checklist book. So, is the Orr collection still with us and where might it be? Does Disney Archives have as extensive a collection of cards?
Charles, Williamsburg, Virginia
A: I do not know what happened to the Orr collection.  Both of the authors of the 1995 book—David Mumford and Bruce Gordon—have  passed away. The Walt Disney Archives does have a very large collection of Disney park postcards. The Archives is not open to the public, but if you have specific questions, they can try to answer them for you.
Q : I am 13 and am interested in becoming an engineer at Disney World. I am a D23 Member. After going to Disney World once a year, I became interested in how they build the rides and design the shops and restaurants. What kind of engineering degree do you need to work as an Imagineer at Disney?
Patrick, Marlton, California
A: Many different types of engineers are needed to create the Disney park experiences—including electrical engineers, civil engineers, audio engineers, and mechanical engineers.