Sir Anthony Hopkins visited Disneyland park last week while celebrating Easter with his family, and Mickey Mouse stopped by to greet the screen legend at Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Among his upcoming projects is “Thor: The Dark World,” opening November 8, in which he returns as Thor’s father, Odin.

Tagged: DL, DLR

Filed: Celebrity Visits, Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort

As you may know, Annette Funicello was discovered by Walt Disney himself while attending an amateur program at the Starlight Bowl in Burbank when she was just 13 years old. That single meeting led to one of the most enduring associations in show business history.

Earlier today, Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger spoke for all of us at Disney when he said, “Annette was and always will be a cherished member of the Disney family, synonymous with the word Mouseketeer, and a true Disney Legend. She will forever hold a place in our hearts as one of Walt Disney’s brightest stars, delighting an entire generation of baby boomers with her jubilant personality and endless talent. Annette was well known for being as beautiful inside as she was on the outside, and she faced her physical challenges with dignity, bravery and grace. All of us at Disney join with family, friends, and fans around the world in celebrating her extraordinary life.”

The Mickey Mouse Club made its television debut on the opening day of Disneyland park, July 17, 1955. During countless appearances in the years that followed, Annette, now a television star, also became a familiar face at Disneyland park. In fact, some of the earliest pictures in our photo archive are of her.

We’ve pulled together some of our favorite photos of Annette through the years and are pleased to share them with you as we remember this very special lady who was so dear to so many.

Where it all began, July 17, 1955, at Disneyland park.

In 1958, Annette welcomed Princess Sophia from Greece.

That same year, this publicity photo for a new record was taken at Disneyland park.

Here is another publicity photo, taken perhaps for “Tall Paul.”

Annette always had time for her fans.

Annette has a “Date Nite” at Disneyland park in November 1959.

Annette channels Peter Pan at Skull Rock in 1961.

This very rare photo of Annette in Town Square at Disneyland park was taken to promote a potential TV special, which was unfortunately never produced.

In 1968, Annette reunited with her fellow Mouseketeers for a special appearance at Disneyland park.

Annette returned with her family in the 1970s.

Annette met two Disney Princesses during her 1993 visit.

The final photo of Annette in our archive was taken in 1996 alongside her longtime co-star, Frankie Avalon, during a special cavalcade on Main Street, U.S.A.

Every photo of this Disney Legend seems to capture her grace, her talent, her warmth and her kindness – all the qualities which make it easy to understand what caught the eye of Walt Disney during that amateur program nearly six decades ago.

Tagged: DL, DLR

Filed: Celebrity Visits, Disney History, Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort

With the sad news of the passing of film critic Roger Ebert last week, I wanted to share some rarely seen photographs from our archives of Roger and his longtime “Siskel & Ebert” partner, the late Gene Siskel, taken at Disneyland park over the years.

This photo of Roger and Mickey Mouse was taken in the summer of 1997 inside Tour Gardens next to Disneyland City Hall.

In this photo, taken in February of 1989, Gene Siskel meets up with Mickey at Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Their long-running television program was one of the first syndicated television shows under Disney’s Buena Vista Television Group (later renamed Disney-ABC Domestic Television). Credited for bringing critical discussions about the movies to the masses, “Siskel & Ebert” debuted in 1986 and ran for nearly 25 years under various names, and always with the iconic “thumbs-up, thumbs down” verdict on every film discussed.

If you’ve ever wondered how they decided to call the show “Siskel & Ebert” and not “Ebert & Siskel,” the one-time rivals-turned-friends said that despite Roger being slightly older and a Pulitzer Prize winner, and despite the fact that “E” comes before “S” in the alphabet, the answer is really quite simple: a coin toss.

As someone who enjoyed reading Roger and Gene through the years and always looked forward to their impassioned discussions of the latest films every week on television, it’s hard to imagine another film critic duo coming along to fill their shoes anytime soon, so, to borrow their phrase from the end of each show, “Until then, the balcony is closed.”

Tagged: DL, DLR

Filed: Celebrity Visits, Disney History, Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort

James Franco, star of Disney’s “Oz The Great and Powerful,” visited the Disneyland Resort last week and there was one thing he wanted to do that he’s never done before during his visits: get to know Walt Disney.

When I met up with him on Buena Vista Street he said he was really looking forward to his “Walk in Walt’s Disneyland Footsteps” Tour that day. James said he was inspired to learn more about Walt for a film production class he is teaching at the School of Cinematic Arts at USC.

What better place to start learning about one of the world’s greatest storytellers than right here?

Tagged: DCA, DLR

Filed: Celebrity Visits, Disney California Adventure Park, Disneyland Resort

Today we’re pleased to announce that everyone’s favorite galactic smuggler, gambler and scoundrel will temporarily leave Cloud City and board the Millennium Falcon with a course set for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, as actor Billy Dee Williams returns to Star Wars Weekends for the 2013 edition.

Williams, a fan favorite for his portrayal of Lando Calrissian in the film saga, will attend Weekend IV, June 7-9, 2013.

Lando, who is described on his official StarWars.com bio as having two weapons of choice — a blaster pistol and “a devastating smile” — betrayed the Rebellion when he made a deal with Darth Vader to capture his old friend, Han Solo. However, there was a storybook ending to the tale when he redeemed himself by later helping to free Captain Solo and assisting in the destruction of the second Death Star.

If you make plans to attend Weekend IV, I definitely suggest attending one of the “Stars of the Saga” talk shows that features Williams. It was a highlight for me at past events to hear him tell tales about his portrayal of the suave scoundrel. But be sure to get there early; his appearances will most likely be a popular gathering place for members of both the Empire and the Rebellion.

Join the conversation online by using the hash tag #StarWarsWeekends on Twitter.

Star Wars: © 2013 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM.

Tagged: DHS, Star Wars, WDW

Filed: Celebrity Visits, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Special Events, Walt Disney World Resort

Newly-engaged couple Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis visited the Disneyland Resort recently and while Jason told me he hadn’t been here in many years, it turned out that this was actually Olivia’s very first visit to any Disney Parks.

Before they made their way to their first attraction of the day, and Olivia’s first one ever, Olivia thought she could remove the sword from the The Sword in the Stone in Fantasyland (did I mention this was her first visit?).

With Jason’s encouragement, she really did try, but alas, it seemed she was not the “ruler of the realm” after all. But have no fear, this happy couple was still able to spend the rest of the day playing at Disneyland park before enjoying their evening at Disney California Adventure park. Not too bad for a first-timer.

In case you were wondering what Olivia’s first-ever Disney attraction was that day … It was Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride!

Tagged: DCA, DL, DLR

Filed: Celebrity Visits, Disneyland Resort

As the mother of three young boys, “Melissa & Joey” star, Melissa Joan Hart, knows all about the characters and shows of Disney Junior – especially “Jake and the Never Land Pirates.”

Even though the cast and crew of Disney Junior – Live on Stage! are still preparing for their March 22 reopening, Jake was on hand to say hello to Melissa and her family during their recent visit. Melissa mentioned that they can’t wait to come back to see Doc McStuffins, when the show returns to Disney California Adventure park with all-new segments featuring “Sofia the First” and “Doc McStuffins.”

A member of Melissa’s TV family, Taylor Spreitler, was also there to meet Jake right before they all set out for their fun day in the parks.

Tagged: DCA, DLR

Filed: Celebrity Visits, Disney California Adventure Park, Disneyland Resort