It’s almost showtime! “Mickey and the Magical Map” opens this Saturday, May 25, at Disneyland park. Here’s a look at the nearly two-year-long journey the Creative Entertainment team has undertaken to bring the show from concept to reality, along with a glimpse of the amazing, musical “Journey to Imagination” you’ll go on with Mickey Mouse when you take a seat in the newly refurbished Fantasyland Theatre. The premiere is just around the corner, so we hope to “see ya real soon!”
As we approach the 30th anniversary of “The New Fantasyland” at Disneyland park, I thought it would be fun to compare what Fantasyland looked like when it opened in 1955 to the Fantasyland we know today, which has remained mostly unchanged in its fairytale village style since it reopened on May 25, 1983.
We started with a vintage black and white photo taken somewhere inside Fantasyland and tried to recreate it. King Arthur Carrousel and the Mad Tea Party were moved from their original locations in 1983, so it was Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride and Sleeping Beauty Castle that helped us establish the location perfectly.
Whether you first experienced Fantasyland in the last 30 years, or you remember it during its “medieval faire” years, it has been and always will be as Walt described it on opening day: a timeless land of enchantment.
Read on for more posts about the history of Disneyland park:
When we shared a first peek at Mystic Manor in Hong Kong Disneyland, I know many Disney Parks Blog readers immediately added it to their “must do” list – me too. Today, there’s even more to share. Walt Disney Imagineering’s creative executive Joe Lanzisero is taking us on a behind-the-scenes tour of Lord Henry’s stately Victorian mansion.
One of the critical elements for making Mystic Manor a great attraction was the music and the addition of legendary composer Danny Elfman, according to Joe. “Danny has the ability to create tension and excitement but there is always a grin underlying it,” he said. “He has a sense of scary fun, so Danny was perfect.”
Along with an amazing soundtrack, the attraction features a trackless ride system and combines innovative special effects, state-of-the-art technology and Disney storytelling to create an immersive experience.
Mystic Manor opened on May 17 so you can now tour Lord Henry’s home yourself by boarding his latest invention – the “Mystic Magneto-Electric Carriage.” But be sure to keep an eye open for Albert, Lord Henry’s pet monkey, because when he opens a peculiar music box in the museum, all of Mystic Manor’s contents magically come to life.
This Saturday marks the 30th anniversary of an important celebration. The year was 1983, the day was May 25, and a new, redesigned Fantasyland was unveiled at Disneyland park. Of course in true Disneyland fashion, there was a grand opening, including the lowering of the drawbridge at Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Today, in 1993, the Backlot Theater opened on New York Street at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This 1,500-seat theater was home to two major productions – The Spirit of Pocahontas and Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame – A Musical Adventure.
What are some of the sounds that make Epcot, well, Epcot for you? The laughter of Figment? The uplifting music of Soarin’? The narrator’s dim of the torches before IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth?
We’re just a few days away from the premiere of “Mickey and the Magical Map,” the spectacular new musical production being staged in the Fantasyland Theatre at Disneyland park.
If you’ve ever cruised with Disney Cruise Line, you know that all of our staterooms are designed with families in mind. We know that traveling families always need more space, so features are included in each room to provide more usable space, like the split-bath feature that Disney introduced to the cruise industry.
It’s almost here! We’re just a few days away from the premiere of “Mickey and the Magical Map” in the newly refurbished Fantasyland Theatre at Disneyland park. Mickey Mouse and his friends have been rehearsing their ears off (see what I did?), and we’ve got the first photos of the star of the show along with some of his friends onstage.
I love staying at a Disney Resort hotel. I’ve stayed at nearly all of them in Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts. The first Disney hotel my family stayed at was Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in summer 1992. There is something magical about staying at a Disney resort (I love that blast of cool air when entering a hotel lobby). My favorite place is Disney’s Polynesian Resort as I like pretending I’m on a tropical island somewhere in the South Pacific (and they have a Dole Whip machine!). New merchandise featuring a few favorite Disney Resort hotels is arriving this summer. I recently gave you a sneak preview of these new items in an article about summer merchandise. This time, I caught up with Disney Design Group artist Tim Whalen who created the artwork for this new Resort logo program.
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