Walt and Lillian Disney dancing at Carnation Plaza Gardens

Did You Know? Swinging Stories from Disneyland’s Carnation Plaza Gardens

By Greg Ehrbar Aglow with idyllic charm suggesting the “Shipoopi” bandstand in The Music Man, Carnation Plaza Gardens brought a variety of joyous entertainment to Disneyland park beginning in 1956. We asked Tim O’Day about the beloved location, since he was a Stage Manager there as a young Cast Member, as well as a PR …

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Pete's Dragon 1958

For Pete’s Sake: The Long Road to Pete’s Dragon

By Max Lark With Pete’s Dragon charming audiences and critics in theaters, we Disney fans can’t help but be reminded of the 1977 film of the same name. Although the new film portrays a completely different adventure, it shares the central premise of the earlier film—telling the unforgettable story of an orphaned boy named Pete …

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Pete's Dragon

9 Questions with the Director of Pete’s Dragon

By Jim Frye Disney’s reimagined Pete’s Dragon, from director David Lowery, hits theaters tomorrow. It stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Karl Urban, newcomer Oakes Fegley and screen legend Robert Redford in an all-new original story about an orphaned boy who befriends a lovable dragon. D23 caught up with Lowery to discuss his new film. D23: Is …

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Flying Saucers

Flying Back in Time with Disneyland’s Flying Saucers

By Nicole Nalty On August 6, 1961, guests began to fly into the future with Walt Disney’s latest attraction, the Flying Saucers. Bringing life to a relatively quiet Tomorrowland, the Flying Saucers were the bumper cars of the future—the saucers hovered above the ground thanks to bursts of air shooting through the attraction’s floor. While …

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Condorman promotional artwork

The Captivating Concept Art of Condorman

By D23 Team It’s hard to believe that more than three decades have passed since comic book artist Woody Wilkins (played by actor Michael Crawford) became his own super hero creation and journeyed across Europe and the Middle East in a series of comic and high-speed chases. Condorman, released in the United States on August …

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Disneyland and Walt Disney World Ambassadors

D23 Fab Five: Disney Ambassadors Share Their Disney Favorites

By Beth Deitchman Since 1965, when Walt Disney himself selected the first Disney Ambassador—Julie Reihm Casaletto, who was inducted as a Disney Legend at D23 Expo 2015—these “Emissaries of Goodwill” have acted as official hosts to Resort guests and are frequently official spokespeople for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. For someone who loves Disney, it …

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Beauty and the Beast

How to Make a Beauty Fall in Love with a Beast

By William Keck One of the greatest challenges facing the creative team behind Beauty and the Beast was convincing their audience that a lovely young French maiden with her head buried in books could fall in love with a monstrous buffalo-headed creature sporting a lion’s mane, wolf’s tail and the tusks of a boar. Not …

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Queen Clarisse

The Crowns of The Princess Diaries

By D23 Team From the moment we first watched the shy and clumsy Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway) discover her connection to the Genovian throne in The Princess Diaries (2001), we knew she was a real-life princess we could all identify with—complete with pore strip, retainer, and out-of-control hair. (All right, fans, we know “Catch a …

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Disney twenty-three fall 2016

Disney twenty-three Celebrates the 25th Anniversary of Beauty and the Beast

This year, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast—the first animated film ever to be nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Picture—celebrates its 25th anniversary, and Disney twenty-three is giving fans a spectacular look at the film from its inception to its timeless legacy. The issue features interviews with Paige O’Hara (Belle), Robby Benson (Beast), Angela …

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Shanghai Disneyland

6 Stunning Photos from Shanghai Disneyland at Night

By Nicole Nalty There’s something extra magical about Disney Parks after dark—in fact, it’s so magical, our friends at the Disney Parks Blog have a whole series on it (check out the latest Disney Parks After Dark here). While we’ve seen many beautiful images of Disney’s newest park during the day, we wanted to take …

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