That is why I love this “sneak-peek” Disney Parks Blog released today of the Circle D Corral: the place where Disneyland horses live.

A few fun facts about the corral before getting to the video:

• The ranch is currently home to 28 horses, a jersey cow, two miniature donkeys, three turkeys and 15 goats.
• Forty-eight cast members work at the ranch.
• All the horses are large, “draft” horses (horses that are adapted to pull heavy loads).
• The following breeds of horse are represented at the corral – Percheron, Clydesdale, Belgian and Shire.
• No Disneyland horse works more than 4 hours a day, 3 days a week.
• Like all cast members, the horses at Disneyland park always wear their name tags when they are working.

With no further ado, check out this cool video.

Full information is included in the official press release below.

DISNEY’S D23 CELEBRATES DISNEYLAND’S 55TH ANNIVERSARY WITH ALL-NEW, TWO-DAY DESTINATION D EVENT

2011 Dates for D23 EXPO Also Announced as the Official Community for Disney Fans Marks First Year

BURBANK, Calif. – March 10, 2010 – It’s a milestone year for the Disneyland® Resort, and D23: The Official Community for Disney Fans is celebrating with the premiere of DESTINATION D, a brand-new, two-day event exclusively for D23 Members that illuminates Disney’s fascinating history.

D23 announced its latest members-only event on its first anniversary – capping a year in which Disney’s first-ever fan community grew to encompass tens of thousands of members from all 50 U.S. states and more than 30 countries worldwide.

The inaugural DESTINATION D, whose theme is “Disneyland ’55,” will be held this Sept. 24-25. DESTINATION D: Disneyland ’55 will take D23 Members on a journey through the design, creation, debut and magical history of the world’s first Disney theme park. The first DESTINATION D will be held in the Grand Ballroom of the Disneyland Hotel.

DESTINATION D: Disneyland ’55 will offer two full days of special presentations, panels, screenings and guest speakers that let fans meet and talk with key figures in Disneyland’s history. Future DESTINATION D events will explore other important aspects of Disney’s creative legacy.  Following its premiere in September, DESTINATION D will alternate annually with the enormously popular D23 EXPO.

The next D23 EXPO is set for Aug. 19-21, 2011, returning to the Anaheim Convention Center. Tickets for the 2011 D23 EXPO will go on sale Aug. 19 (one year in advance), with specially priced tickets available exclusively to D23 Members. In addition, D23 Charter Members will have access to a special Charter Member Lounge at the 2011 D23 EXPO, at no additional cost.

The first-ever D23 EXPO attracted nearly 40,000 Disney fans when it debuted last September, bringing the entire world of Disney under one massive roof.  During the D23 EXPO, fans were treated to appearances by superstars like Johnny Depp, Miley Cyrus and John Travolta; explored exciting, new concepts and attractions from Disney Parks and Walt Disney Imagineering; peered into Disney’s history at special panels, presentations and displays; and discovered the newest entertainment, products and events from throughout The Walt Disney Company.

“The first D23 EXPO surpassed all of our expectations, and our 2011 Expo is already shaping up to be a jaw-dropping, not-to-be missed showcase of the best and brightest Disney has to offer,” said Steven Clark, head of D23.

“We’re very excited to also be creating an entirely new event with DESTINATION D, which will bring Disney’s fascinating history to D23 Members in ways no other Disney fan can experience,” Clark said.  “There’s nowhere on earth quite as special as Disneyland, and we want fans to see it as they never have before.”

The D23 team is in the midst of developing exclusive programming for DESTINATION D – but an early peek at plans reveals a host of special speakers, presentations and panels throughout the two-day event, including:

• “Disneyland: The Way We Were” – Disney’s Chief Archivist Dave Smith will look back at highlights from Disneyland history;

• “Disney Undiscovered” – An exploration of never-built projects and attractions developed for Disneyland;

• “23 on 55” – The Walt Disney Archives celebrates Disneyland’s 55th anniversary;

• “Weird Disney” – A showcase for some of the quirky, little-known facts, places, people and ideas that even the most avid fan might not know.

More details on the programming and events planned for DESTINATION D: Disneyland ’55 – as well as details about the 2011 D23 EXPO – will be available soon at www.disney.com/D23. Tickets will go on sale early this summer.

DESTINATION D joins a lineup of special events throughout 2010 designed exclusively for D23 Members. Among them are free screenings of classic Disney movies during the “50 & Fabulous” film festival at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank; members-only tours of the famed Walt Disney Archives; an exclusive Sip & Stroll event during the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival; and holiday-themed Magic and Merriment weekend at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

Related: Get cheap Disneyland tickets today!

Using time-lapse and traditional eye-in-the-sky photography, this is a dazzling piece of history, presenting how the fearless construction crews had Disneyland up and running in just under a year.

Sit back for the next 50 minutes or so and be amazed as Disney Imagineer, Tony Baxter, as well as Ed Hobleman and Walter Magnuson from the studio inventory group provide commentary.

I am reminded of the words Walt Disney himself spoke in dedicating Disneyland:

“To all who come to this happy place – welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America … with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world. Thank you.”

Since its opening, Disneyand has played host to more than 515 million guests, including presidents, royalty and other heads of state and has birthed four additional Disney properties including Walt Disney World in Florida opened in 1971, Tokyo Disneyland opened in 1983, Disneyland Paris (originally called ‘Euro Disney’) opened in 1992 and Disney’s newest theme park, Hong Kong Disneyland, opened in 2005.

So, Happy Birthday to the park that started it all. May you continue to give joy to generations to come.

I leave you with a couple of snippets from the opening day celebration which was originally broadcast live to millions of viewers on ABC television.

Disneyland Opening Day – Part 1

Disneyland Opening Day – Part 2

Rather than write about it, why not watch it in video thanks to the fine folks at MousePlanet who covered the events.

Kickoff Ceremony

Magical Fireworks Premiere – Part 1 of 2

Magical Fireworks Premiere – Part 2 of 2

Dumbo’s Flight

Electrical Parade – Part 1 of 2

Electrical Parade – Part 2 of 2

New Fantasmic (no Dragon) – Part 1 of 3

New Fantasmic (no Dragon) – Part 2 of 3

New Fantasmic (no Dragon) – Part 3 of 3

Related: Get cheap Disneyland tickets at LA Fun Tickets.

With no new major attraction to promote this year, Disneyland resort is reverting back to an old trick with what they call “Nightastic!”

The park will glow like never before this summer as it debuts an all-new fireworks show – Magical, along with sensational new characters and effects that will brighten the Summer Nightastic! lineup of after-dark entertainment.

Here’s a look at the what’s-old-is-new-again lineup:

• The Tomorrowland Terrace stage, which first debuted in 1967, gets redubbed TLT Dance Club, with live bands and DJs.

• Tinker Bell’s Pixie Hollow, which was added in 2008, gets a LED lighting upgrade and sees a return of the area’s old pop-jet fountains.

• The 17-year-old Fantasmic gets a new 40-foot-tall animated dragon and a pair of eels to accompany Ursula the Sea Witch and high-definition video projectors.

• The circa-1972 Electrical Parade brings back three old floats (including Snow White and Pinocchio) and swaps in Tinker Bell for the traditional Blue Fairy lead float, which is sure to irk Disney purists.

• Continuing a half-century nighttime tradition, the Magical fireworks show marks the most dramatic change from past seasons — with the addition of a flying Dumbo character and a magic theme featuring music and audio clips from “Pinocchio,” “Mary Poppins,” “Cinderella” and “Sleeping Beauty.”

I recently came across this aerial shot of the park taken from the north end in August of 1963.

Disneyland in August 1963. Click to see larger version (will open in new window).

In between Fantasyland and the Rivers of America is the long lost Mine Train through Nature’s Wonderland which was replaced by Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in 1977.

You will also notice a very different looking Tomorrowland than what you will find today. The infamous Flying Saucer attraction sits in its oval glory and The House Of The Future is perched unsuspecting that the wrecking ball awaits its famous demise just a few years away.

What looks like a criss-cross pattern of lumber and steel adjacent to The Jungle Cruise is the construction of New Orleans Square. The basement portion would be the beginning of The Pirates of the Caribbean attraction which would continue in a ride building located on the outside of the berm.

Just northwest of where New Orleans Square is being constructed sits The Haunted Mansion, at least the house itself. The attraction would not open until 1969, so until then then mansion would sit there intriguing guests as what was to come.

Finally, the huge parking lot south of the park is where California Adventure sits today.

How Disneyland has evolved throughout the years and continues to do so. Reminds me of Walt Disney’s statement: “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.”

Photo credit: Robert J. Boser. (EditorASC)

Additionally it was rumored that Disney characters such as Ariel and Flounder, Lilo and Stitch and others would be placed throughout the ride, much to the dis-pleasure of Disney purists.

Now what has been kept under wraps for the last 12 months has been revealed and Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix, staff writer at MousePlanet, has captured the ride-through on video.

Check it out for yourself and see if you can spot some of the 30 additional characters that have been added to the ride. The video also features the all new “Spirit of America” scene.

Ride through the refurbished “it’s a small world” attraction.

After watching the video, check Adrienne’s review of the attraction for all the specific details of what has been changed, enhanced and added at MousePlanet.

Martinez said the man, who was in Anaheim on business and appears to be in his 30s or 40s, also left evidence in the room that suggested it was a suicide. “He was sharing a room with another male associate and for some reason he went out on the balcony and all indications are that it was an intentional act, a suicide,” Martinez said.”

How sad that this would happen in “the happiest place on Earth,” a destination that for so many allows them to escape the realties of the world around us, at least for a short span of time. I was also thinking what a haunting memory that would be for some young child to witness a man jumping to his death while visiting the Magic Kingdom. The story does not indicate how many people may have witnessed this tragedy, but one can only hope witnesses did not include young children.

This story will most likely unfold over the coming days.

Related: Book your dream Disney vacation at Expedia.com!