Even though it is one of my all-time favorite animated features, I still do not own a copy of Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Now that will change with the release of a 2 Disc Collector’s Edition in available starting today.

If you do not recall the story line, let me refresh your memory. Bored and unhappy with the life of being “The Pumpkin King” Jack Skellington of Halloween Town, Jack sets out to find something exciting. Jack discovers “Christmas Town” and takes it upon himself to take over the duties of Santa to deliver toys across the world to children.

Read the rest of this post »

Mark your calendars for Sunday October 5. That is when Hannah Montana star, Miley Cyrus will be holding her sweet sixteen birthday party at where else - Disneyland. The event is scheduled from 6pm - 11pm in which Disneyland will close an hour prior and only open back up to those who are invited.

“Party Zones” will be established throughout the park, and a selection of the star’s favorite rides will be open. Cyrus will perform a few songs at her party, which will conclude with a special fireworks presentation. Besides those who are invited, up to 5,000 fans of the teen star can attend the party, that is for $250 each. Tickets go on sale on August 30 at 9am PDT and will be sold online only through the Disney Parks web site.

Read the rest of this post »

Disneyland Paris is coming off a very successful 15 year anniversary celebration that not only introduced two new attractions - The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Stitch Live!, but brought about a 10% increase in attendance for the nine month celebration that ended June 30 2008.

Now in an attempt to keep the momentum going, WDI has plans for improvements as well as new attractions that are designed to keep the crowds coming. LaughingPlace.com has full details but here is in short what Disneyland Paris has in store.

Read the rest of this post »

LaughingPlace.com has confirmed that both Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios will finally be updating Star Tours. I say finally as a new Star Tours experience is long overdue. Apparently Star Tours 2.0 is currently in production and should be announced in the fall for a summer ‘09 launch. Currently only Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios have agreed to take the new movie. No word on whether the new movie includes an update to the theming in the attraction’s queue.

Read the rest of this post »

Each year, many people from all over the world make the decision to visit Disneyland Resort in Anaheim during their vacation time. If you have small children and/or don’t plan properly, a visit to the resort can quickly become anything but a vacation. What is supposed to be a fun day (or days) can leave you completely exhausted and in need of another vacation just to recover from your first. On the other hand with proper planning as well as knowing some of the inside secrets of how the parks operate, a visit to the Disneyland Resort can be a most enjoyable experience - one that you will remember for a lifetime.

Following are some tips that if followed will not only help you get the most out of your Disney theme park experience but may save you some money in the process.

Read the rest of this post »

If you have been to Disneyland a number of times as I have, you have no doubt crossed the path of a feline or two. Cats at Disneyland? You bet! And they are not a part of the collection of animatronic figures located at the park. They are the real deal. So, how did they get there in the first place?

Back in the early days of the park, Disney was having issues with mice. They initially attempted to deal with the problem by leaving hot dogs laced with cyanide out for the rodents in hopes they would eat the hot dogs, travel down to the River of America to drink and fall in. The next morning, a boat would skim them off the top. If any were found floating during the day, they would be picked up by the canoes. This was somewhat effective for a while until a little boy ate one of the hot dogs and fell ill.

Read the rest of this post »

Harriet Burns, the first woman ever hired by Walt Disney Imagineering in a creative rather than an office capacity, has died at the age of 79. Her role as an attraction and product designer for Walt Disney Imagineering laid a path for the many talented women who followed in her footstep.

Harriet first came to Disney in 1955 when she was hired to paint sets and props for the new Mickey Mouse Club television show. She soon began coordinating the show’s color styling and even designed and built the famous “Mouse Clubhouse.”

She later joined Walt Disney Imagineering (formerly called WED, “Walter Elias Disney,” Enterprises) where she helped create Sleeping Beauty Castle, New Orleans Square, the Haunted Mansion, and more. She also helped construct Storybook Land and designed all of the “singing birds” in the Enchanted Tiki Room, the first Audio-Animatronics attraction at Disneyland.

Read the rest of this post »

Very soon you will be able to see your beloved Disney/Pixar characters in comic book format. Disney Publishing Worldwide and BOOM! Studios have announced that they will bring brand new stories from beloved Pixar movies to the comic book medium. Initial offerings will feature characters from Toy Story, Finding Nemo and Disney/Pixar’s newest film - WALL*E.

“Today, American comic books are aimed primarily at an older readership. Comics produced for an upcoming generation of readers are scarce - and BOOM! Studios aims to do something about that,” said Editor-in-Chief Mark Waid. “There will be comics for kids again!”

Waid will be writing The Incredibles comic book, featuring cover art by DC: The New Fronteir writer and artist, Darwyn Cooke.

Read the rest of this post »

I’m a huge fan of Disneyland, the original theme park and as such am as much interested in its history and secrets as visiting it in person. I have visited the park a total of eight times as of the writing of this post and yet there are still places I have not been and secrets that have not been revealed to me.

One of these places is Walt Disney’s apartment. I bet most people that love and visit the park don’t even realize that Walt Disney had an apartment there and it remains to this day. In fact, everyone who comes to Disneyland probably walks right past it without even realizing it. So where is this special place in Disneyland? Right above the Fire Station which is to the left of City Hall.

This was one of the original structures built when Disneyland was under construction in 1955 and Walt used to spend a lot of time there seeing it was quite a drive from his home to where the park is located. After Disneyland was opened and even up to his death, the apartment served as a retreat for Walt who spent alot of time at the park.

Read the rest of this post »