Disneyland Grad Nite

Although Disney World might have decided to convert its decades-old Grad Nite celebrations into Senior Class Trips, Disneyland’s keeping the tradition. We know that Grad Nite will continue there for at least the next two years, as the official Disney Parks blog just mentioned some updates Disneyland is making to its graduate celebrations. Next year, any students partying for their graduation will be able to enter any Disneyland or Disney California Adventure park whenever they want. They’ll also be offered two FASTPASS tickets and a special showing of Fantasmic! before the private Grad Nite parties begin. In 2013 the aforementioned … Continue reading →

Cars Land: Grand for “Cars” Fans

We all know how I feel about “Cars.” So I will force myself not to spend this article grinding my teeth over how, despite lackluster reviews, merchandising sales for “Cars 2” were so phenomenal, even before the film came out, that it was considered a success. Such a success (again, even before its release) that Disneyland’s California Adventure Park is adding a new attraction: Cars Land. The official Disney Parks blog has posted a series of articles lately on it, exploring what it will entail and highlighting its 2009 groundbreaking. “Cars” fans start your engines: the attraction dedicated to the … Continue reading →

Character Dining at Disneyland

When I was a child I was terrified of costumed characters. For some reason Halloween didn’t bother me, but I didn’t want to go near Santa Claus’ lap at the mall, to my parents’ relief (it saved them the long line wait). What frightened me the most, however, were costumed characters at amusement parks. One of my earliest memories is running in fear from the parade at Sesame Place when I was only about three. Trips to Hershey Park had me breaking out into a nervous sweat should one of the giant anthropomorphic candy bars wander near me. On second … Continue reading →

July 4 Celebrations at Disneyland

With another national holiday just around the corner, it’s time again to look at the special events going on at the Disney Parks. Last year I highlighted what went down in Orlando for July 4. I thought I would switch things up this year and focus on the events in Anaheim. The official Disney parks blog has an overview of what to expect at Disneyland on the 4th, which links to the Disneyland Daily Events calendar for the specifics. One thing you should definitely anticipate: fireworks. But then you probably guessed that already. Because July 4 is a Monday this … Continue reading →

Goofy’s Sky School

Remember those silly Goofy shorts? At first glance that sentence seems redundant, but anyone reading a Disney blog knows exactly what I’m talking about. I’ve spoken of them before; even though I’m a handful of generations out from the 1940s and 50s, the years of greatest Goofy short prevalence, even I encountered one or two in my life, and not just for fun. The last Goofy short I remember from growing up was in my high school Driver’s Education class. We watched a grainy film, clearly made decades before, of Goofy learning how to drive and causing several accidents along … Continue reading →

Family Fun Weekends

Visit Disneyland next weekend to meet Baloo and other rarely-seen Disney characters Everyone knows that the Disney Parks don’t need much of an excuse to throw a party. Sometimes their festivities for actual holidays seem dimmed, because fireworks and parades are almost daily occurrences at the parks. Still, we can trust Disney World or Disneyland to roll out something special for even the most minor of holidays. The first few months of the year are packed with various cultural celebrations, and this year Disneyland has decided to take advantage of that and host a months-long party. The official parks blog … Continue reading →

ElecTRONica Debuts Tonight

I have to admit that when I think of Disney, one of the last things that comes to mind is “dance party.” But the Disney Parks specialize in trying to bring their guests every entertainment, and dancing the night away is no exception. Of course, this being Disney, if Imagineers can wrangle a tie-in to one of the company’s movies, they will. This December sees the highly anticipated release of the decades-in-the-making sequel to “Tron”: “Tron Legacy.” To drum up buzz for the film’s December 17 release, the Disney Parks blog announces “ElecTRONica,” Disneyland California Adventure’s newest party zone, opening … Continue reading →

The Silhouette Studio

In my senior year of college I wrote several papers on my favorite poet, John Keats. As part of my studies I read a 600-page biography of the poet. One of my favorite sections of the book collected the many portraits of Keats into a glossy-paged insert in the middle of the book. Amongst the many paintings and sketches Keats’ artist friends completed of him included a couple silhouettes. I’d heard of the practice before then, but I’d never taken much time looking at or thinking about them. Popularized in the 18th century, making silhouettes became a favorite pastime for … Continue reading →

Disneyland’s World of Color

Tonight Disneyland premieres a beautiful new exhibit called the World of Color. Playing exclusively in the evening, World of Color is a high-tech water and light show celebrating the magic of Disney. Powered jets shoot water up to 200 feet above spectators’ heads, and rotate to let the water dance amidst colorful beams of light. Within the water and light play scenes and clips from famous Disney films, all set to music. The type of music isn’t specified, but a New York Times profile on Bob Iger mentioned he tweaked it to sound more contemporary. Frankly I’d be surprised if … Continue reading →

Disneyland Scholarships

The month-long period between mid-May and mid-June seems full of one thing: graduates. Starting with college graduations in the middle of May and continuing with the high school graduations scattered throughout June, it seems there’s a fete for a graduate everywhere we turn this time of year. Of course Disney, as famous as is it for throwing huge celebrations, has to get in on the fun. Every year the Disneyland Resort grants 10 high school seniors $5,000 each in scholarships to help further their education. The Disneyland Scholarship Program is about more than just good grades. Students who want to … Continue reading →