Q : At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the animation tour used to feature a great introduction with Robin Williams and Walter Cronkite called “Back to Neverland.” It was one of my favorite Disney scripts, with Robin Williams’ humor before he did the voice of Genie, but just as funny. Has that footage ever been released on DVD as a “behind-the-scenes” or “remembered-attractions” type of bonus material?
Jeffrey, Orlando, Florida
A: Disney has never released it, but I see there is a version taped by a fan on YouTube.
Q : The closure of my favorite Walt Disney World ride, Snow White’s Scary Adventures, got me thinking about the decommissioning process. What role does the Disney Archives have in the process? How is it decided what elements of an attraction are saved or reused? Does the Archives get first “dibs?” For items not retained by Disney, are they destroyed or sold?
Jenny, Minneapolis, Minnesota
A: The process has not always been the same. Essentially today, first dibs go to Walt Disney Imagineering in case they have another attraction in which to use the item. Then the Archives is allowed to select what it wants. Remaining items are sometimes destroyed or have been sold as surplus property.
Q : Would they bring back Mickey Mouse Revue?
Tim, Bardstown, Kentucky
A: The Mickey Mouse Revue debuted at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in 1971, remaining until 1980. Then it moved to Tokyo Disneyland, where it appeared from 1983 to 2009.  The Mickey Mouse figure from the show is currently in the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives exhibit at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. There are no plans to bring back the Mickey Mouse Revue to a Disney park.
Q : I know that having a window on Main Street, U.S.A. is the highest honor in the company. I was just wondering, as there are now quite a few Main Streets, are any one of them more “honorable” than another (for example, is a window on Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland a higher honor than one on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom?) or are they all equal and one is put in wherever there’s room?
Jonathan, Woodmere, New York
A: I would say that they are all equal. Of course, one could argue that the original windows at Disneyland might be more significant because Walt Disney himself selected the people to be honored, but I would deem it a tremendous honor to be commemorated on a Main Street window in any of the Disney parks.
Q : Can you confirm (or not) that Earl Harper was the original Santa Claus at Disneyland, as well as a friend of Walt’s? And thanks for all you do (and have done) for establishing and preserving the Disney Archives.
Ronald, Lahaina, Hawaii
A: He was not the first but an early Santa Claus at Disneyland. A former police officer in the city of Vernon, California, he had started at the park as a security guard in 1966. He returned to perform at the park’s 50th anniversary party thrown by the Disneyland Alumni Club in 2005.
Q : I, like many people, have always presumed that the animals on Jungle Cruise and other such rides were Audio-Animatronics®. I’ve heard a couple different people now say they are not because they act on a mechanical loop and are not technically Audio-Animatronics®.  What is the official Disney definition of Audio-Animatronics®, and which types of attraction characters qualify?
Russell, Antelope, California
A: The definition of Audio-Animatronics® in a 1960s WED Enterprises press release states it is “a unique concept in entertainment which electronically combines and synchronizes voices, music, and sound effects with the movement of animated objects.” Disney first used the name for animals in advertisements for Nature’s Wonderland (1960), though the mechanical characters there did not really fit the definition. The first authentic Audio-Animatronics® show was the Enchanted Tiki Room in 1963.
Q : When I was seven or eight years old, I remember riding Rocket Rods (the ride that replaced PeopleMover) in Tomorrowland at least once, but never got to ride it again. Since it disappeared in the year 2000, I have seen the track still there in Disneyland to this day. Do you know, by chance, if the Imagineers have any future plans for that particular track? Will they have future plans of bringing back Rocket Rods or even the PeopleMover?
Jenn, Simi Valley, California
A: Rocket Rods is not expected to return, and I have seen no plans for the use of the track.
Q : I have the master event script for the pre-grand opening to Opening Ceremonies for the Magic Kingdom. It is a paperback book that has about 200 pages with text and pictures. It has all the details from when people were arriving at the airport and what was each meal. There is also a breakdown of all the costumes and cars and where they needed to be placed on Main Street, U.S.A. Just wondering what something like this is worth, and where I might be able to find some buyers.
Jeff, Anderson, Indiana
A: Sorry, we cannot help you with values. Something like this is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it, so auctions are usually a good way to go.